The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-05-03
Fairness to Grade Teachers.

Old Genera High Cost of Living is
no respecter of persons. He directs his
charge and his flank attack with less
Partially than anyone who ever led an
army and the funny thing, as we'll as
the tragic thing, is that he always
lands victory. He makes mis- smashes
without regard to nationality, class,
color or previous condition of servitude
and if an equal burden of the terrific
cost Of his smashes is to be borne, the
defense fund must be as near equally
divided as possible. Some time ago the
Board of Education adopted a really
excellent plan for the proper payment
and the proper advancement of high
school teachers. 1T is sufficiently com
plete to meet demands of the present
day and it offers TO the teacher r
look forward to certain and definite
advancement in salary. Undoubtedly
this Encouragement of salaries. was
highly necessary and we'll advised,
but one is led to wonder why at the
same time the Board of Education did
not make provision for ,ome change in
the salaries to be paid to grade teach
ers of the city schools
The tendency of lot of school sys-
tems-and 1t has always been the
tendency in Wisconsin-is to overlook
elementary things in an effort to seek
the development of the big show things,
educational, under the direction of the
state. The common schools have been
left almost friendless in the effort of
the state to provide for "higher
education. That the graded schools
form the base of all education in the
state, that the great majority of the
boys and girls secure nearly their en-
tire training in these schools, seems to
have been largely overlooked for years.
OF course, there has been a flash of
championship of the little red school
house, from time to time, but this
has usually gone out in the glare of
of the state greater and more infuen-
tial in the national educational system.
A lot of people, and we confess a
weakness along this line, believe that
the most important thing in connection
with education is the education of the
young. When we say young" we
men the boys and girls who are forced
to quit work at the end Of their course
in the graded schools. Probably eighty
per cent of the children of the Kenosha
schools never get beyond the first year
of the high school and seventy per cent
of them never enter the high school.
For this reason it should be apparent
that it is matter of great concern
that the children in the graded school
be given the best possible chance to
get all the education they can. The
best possible chance can only be secured
by getting the best possible teacher.
Grade teacher, like high schools teach
ers and university instructors, are
human. They believe that the jingle
of the guinea is one Of the real
features Of service.
If men and women are to act in the
important function of teaching the
enid IN the most important period OF
their lives they are entitled to proper
pay. We are inclined to believe that
a good grade teacher should be worth
as much to the city as a street com
missioner and that q good kindergartner
should be as valuable in dollars and
cents to the taxpayer, at least, as a
sewer inspector or man who cleans
up the streets. The salary system for
the grade teachers was established sew
eral years ago. In the meantime,
there has been constant upward in
crease in the cost of everything. 1t
has hit the boarding house, the dry
goods store and the shoe mart and the
young woman who wants pretty things
must early reach the conclusion that