The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-08-03
County 81 a6ol Letter
By supt. G. G. Fites,

Hy supt. G.. G. Fites,
There are still q few annual re-
ports due this Office from some of
our school officers.
We are in receipt of a very ex-
cellent school exhibit for the state
fair from Nellis school district No.
IL. Miss Emma Stark was the
teacher in that school last year.
In many states the County
Unit" plan of organization for the
management Of rural schools is be.
ing adopted, and the writer is more
and more convinced that such
plan should be put in operation in
south Dakota.
Thirteen out Of seventeen school
districts elected clerks to fill vacan-
cies in June. The remaining four
will be filled by appointment from
this Office for one year. Each of
these seventeen clerks will need to
file new bonds with the county
auditor.
This week we received commu.
nication from an individual who
signed himself "A VOTER" and we
take this means of informing our
inquirer that we cannot pay atten.
tien to anonymous letters, even
though they may contain info rma-
tion of excellent worth.
It is gratifying indeed to note
the large number of our teachers
who have sought to improve them
selves in the art of teaching by at
tending school this summer. Teach
ing is business that requires the
greatest amount of preparation pos.
sible. The truly live teacher is on
the lookout each year for new ideas
and material to make herself all
the more efficient. The wide awake
school board is always looking for
this type of teacher and remem-
bers to offer better salary as an in.
ducement to sec ure this help.
In keeping with our promise of
last week, we are publishing some
arguments offered us by a retiring
teacher. This teacher has spent
considerable time in preparation
for the work of teaching, and now
finds that there are other kinds of
employment offering more attract
i've wages. tits the same old sto-
ry that might be told by majority
of our leading teachers who nave
feft the profession. Following is
the letter somewhat abridged:
81 heartily agree with what you
had to say about the qualifications
of 80 many would be teachers, for
I have taught two terms Of school
in Bon Homme county and have
been in many of the schools and
become acquainted with many of
the teachers and their views of
tea ching. The children show what
kind of teachers they have had.
The parents and school boards are
not slow in telling how this teacher
or that teacher had taught the
school and was not worth her salt,
how they imported teacher with
only certificate telling what she
was worth, and they would not
board her for all she taught the
children. But they have one
bright spot in their memory-'way
back some ten or perhaps fifteen
years ago they had a teacher that
got res ults, their children learned
something, but "she would not
take the school again." Ask them
why we have such poor teachers
now and they do not know, but
they do remember that this good
teacher did not stay because she
wanted $500 more per month. In
those days they could get the
best teachers, people who were
what they should be and who held
the respect of every one and who
were willing To teach for from $50