The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-10-02
SCHOOLS NEED
IMPROVEMENT
Governor Harding Urges Better Pay
For Teachers as One of First
Things to Solve the
Problem

CEDAR FALLS, Ia, Oct Iowa
schools can and should be improved
and better adapted to the needs of
the boys and girls of the state, Gov
ernor William. L. Harding said here
at q conference called TO stimulate
interest in normal training high
schools The conference was held at
the Iowa State Teachers college.
The governor also declared one OF
the first things which must be done
state is to pay better wages to In
structors. He said in part:
THE largest and most important
institution in the state is the public
school system. The investment IN
amounts to more than s50,000,00
There is an annual upkeep and over
head expense of more than $4,000
O00 There are in the neighborhood
Of $1,000 teachers employed in the
schools each year, and 5000 of them
quit the profession each year.
THE public schools of the state,
equipped and manned as they are,
hold the future of the state and ma
ton in their control, for what the
boys and girls are thinking today the
state will be doing in a very few
years. The ideals of citizenship and
the attitude that these boys and girls
will have toward life are the ideals
and attitude which the teaching force
of the state has towards life at the
present time.
Approximately 500, 600 OF the fu-
ture citizens of the country are in
the high schools each year. They
gather their inspiration from the
teacher, and their conception of this
country is based upon the teaching
of the public schools.
without fault finding or criticism,
I say the schools of Iowa can be i'm
proved and better adapted to the
needs of the boys and girls Of the
state The backward schuoIs can
be brought up TO me standard Of tho
best we have now / hold that the
school should be made to fit into the
life of the boys and girls, rather than
10 try to fit them and their lives into
a school that has been preconceived.
In other words, education should be
broad enough to train the youth for
the place which he or she is to oc-
cupy in life, and since we expect all
OF them to occupy an important place,
it is but fitting that the last child be
given the best opportunity that the
public has knowledge of.
"A high school education or It's
equivalent is the least that the state
should be satisfied with for every
boy and every girl in the state. Thou
sands and thousands of the youth of
the state are not now receiving such
an education Our program should
include this, and TO this end we are
laboring.
"The teachers have done their
work well in the past and are entitled
to great credit for the splendid sery-
ice they have rendered to the state,
but when we realize that one-third
of the teachers are new each year.
we must conclude that the profession
has not been made attractive enough
to hold the men and women who are
inclined to the profession long enough
for them to do their best work. This
problem of making the teaching life
work is one for the state to solve.
zone OF the first things to do Is
to pay the teachers better wages
Some progress has been made along
this line The consolidated school,
in some places, is largely solving the
problem, for they are not only paying
good wages, but are hiring the teach.
er by the year, for the full twelve
months period, and are furnishing
homes for them TO live in.
"The second problem is important
enough to receive the very best
thought and attention OF all of u.s."
Ships deteriorate with age-with