Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-10-22
DUTY oF SCHOOL CoMMIrTEEMEN
AlthOugh They Are Not Salaried OH
GERS, Duties are Important.

E4EtsE slA#NE
Supt. J. Y. Irwin of the Cleveland
county has the following to say in
the Cleveland Star with reference to
the duties of school committeeman,
the substance of which should be con
sidered by all persons having anything
to do with the success of the schools:
1t is has been said that "A public
office is a public trust" and there is no
office Of which this may be more
t~ruthfully said than that of school
committee. Too many people minify
this office because they do not see it's
Importance and because there is no
salary attached. The Importance Of
this Office may be- measured some
what by the fact that these commit
teemen employ 166 white teachers
who instruct 5000 white children.
They are engaged in handling one OF
Cleveland county's biggest interests.
We begin to appreciate the impor-
lance of this Office when we think how
reuch the health of the boys and girls
depend or the committee in looking
after the water supply, the sanitary
conditions of house and grounds, the
supply of fuel and a thousand otheH
things. A poorly lighted room or a
shiny blackboard may in a short time
impair the vision of some of the pu-
pills for life, while impure water may
| spread disease throughout the entire
school. The selection of an immoral
or inefficient teacher may do damage
beyond repair
While all the above duties are we'll
known to the people there is one duty,
not in the school law, that is of more
Importance perhaps than any on the
list. That is the duty of the commit
tee to secure a suitable boarding place
for the teacher. Along this very line
We r having no end of trouble. in
Cleveland county. In some districts
the best homes are not open to the
teachers. Some of our best country
teachers are leaving country schools
and, are going to the villages an6
towns because the best people in the
country would not board them. Fol
the three years that / nave been in
this Office 1 have noticed that dis
tricts that provide c~ongenial homes
have no trouble in holding the best
teachers, while those not doing SO
must take what they can get. with the
result that that have poor schools.
In one of the richest districts in
Cleveland county with plenty of good
homes, two young ladies were com
PEELED to board in a two-room house
with a large family, and were COM
pclled to prepare their work for next
day in the common living room and
sleeping room of the whole family.
Another teacher told me that she lik-
ed the people with whom she boarded
but that she did object to spending
the nights in the sleeping room with
a family of eight that her dozes were
lshort between the crying Of the baby
and the snoring of the father.
One district last year with good
homes near the school, forced their
teacher to walk two miles to board in
a three room house with a family OF
seven, while another district forced
their teacher to find board in a village
three miles away. No good teacher
will think of going back to schools
like the above.
The question of the teachers board
ing place is a serious one and should
have serious consideration by the COM
mittee. The best homes in the dis
trict should be thrown open to the
teacher, for the teacher with her sol
full of the work is worth her weight
in gold to any community. No COM
mittee should think of employing d
good teacher without first securing a
good boarding place reasonably near
the school. No teacher can do her
best work unless she prepares her
studies for the next day and no teach
er can prepare her work in a room
with the whole family.
In closing this long letter, let me
say that there are many districts in
tCleyeland county that provide the best
homes for their teachers. About all
these districts have good teachers who
have not changed places in three
years. These teachers are satisfied
and prefer the country schoolsto the
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