Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1917-09-20
A SCARCITY OF TEACHERS
IN THE RIRAL SCHOOL s

A SCARCITY OF TEACHERS
IN THE RURAL SCHOOLS
We are all aware of the fact thai
Iowa is short of teachers. In thi:
state, state that attempts to pride
itself on its educational system, we
find that annually there is a short.
age of several thousand teachers
If any state having such an excep.
tionally fine educational system is
short of teachers, there must be some
great fundamental reason causing it
Those who have taught in Iowa for
several years, can give several rea-
sons why there is such a scarcity.
The chief shortage is found in the
rural schools. Why? To find the
answer to this question, we must
look to the young people and in
quire Of them why they do not take
up the pedagogical profession. Their
first answer is nearly always to the
effect that the districts do not pay
more than a living wage, or in other
words, the salary is so small it is
almost impossible to save money for
investment purposes. The salary is
for nine months only and for the
other three, the teacher is expected
to attend summer school or do some
form of personal educational i'm
provement. To meet this require
ment or expectation, the teacher
must spend what she may have saw
ed during the nine months. At the
wage set by law. One teacher who
had first grade certificate, made
this statment not long ago: 81 never
had to have my salary fumigated or
disinfected because no germ, how
ever small or insignificant, could live
on an Iowa teachers salary" He
received nearly the maximum set by
law too.
At this time of high priced living,
the wages must rise accordingly, and
If the school directors of Iowa do not
make raise in salary equal to the
raise in living, then they must ex-
pect to be without teachers in their
schools. The young man or woman
will, thru points of necessity, seek
more lucrative employment. There
is no teacher so imbued and thrilled
with the work, that she is engaged
in the profession merely for the
love of it. No, such teachers would
be freaks and would at once be ex-
ny vi DdI
mum & Bailey or committed to an
asylum. They are in it for the
money paid them. To make the last
statment clear; if the salary was
taken from the teachers tho it be
ever so small, we would have no
teachers. Some people are better
fitted to teach than they are to do
anything else. Such people should
make instructors of themselves.
But when they can make no money
after they have thoroly prepared
themselves as required by law, what
inducement can be offered to them
that will still persuade them to be-
gin teaching?
The next objection raised by pros
pective teachers is that it costs too
much to prepare for the pedagogical
profession. To be high school
teacher in Iowa, one must have a
college degree. That requires an
outlay of nearly $500 per year for
four years. To repay that to the
credit side of his ledger would require
several years of work in the class
room. The salary received does not
justify the preparation for the teach
ing profession. They go into some
other form of business upon the COM
pletion of their course. Many do
teach for a year or two afterwards,
while they look up some better pay
ing occupation, but the average life
OF the school teacher in Iowa is two
and one-half years.
Most high school superintendent
make the requirement of several
years experience before the college
graduate is eligible to fill positions
in their institutions. To acquire
this experience, she must go to the
rural school. If the salary is too
small, she will disdain the position
and take some other profession,
usually that of being the better two
thirds of some business man or far
mer.
But if the college graduate does
take up teaching for a life work, you
will nearly always see them going
to other states, usually to the West.
The reason for this is simple. In
many places in the West, the teach
err is employed for the entire
twelve months. They receive SAL
airy the year round. No months of
lost time devoid of their monthly
WAGE. III HlOSl WtslClI StatcS, thCi
is a law that provides pension for
the teachers that have engaged In
the profession certain number of
years. varying in different states.
Such a bill has been brought up
several times in the Iowa legislature,
but each time it has either been laid
aside or defeated. SD many teachers
look to those conditions whereby
they may retire and still live in COM
fort and not upon the county poor
farm.
The chief attraction of the West
for our Iowa teachers is in the in
creased wages received there. To
keep the good teachers here and not
have such a big shortage each year,
the boards of education must raise
the wages. Give your boys and
girls the best instruction possible
and to grant them this, you MUST
RAISE THEIR TEACHERS SAL
AIRY.
THE GLORY OF CORN
Al. N <.f