Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-09-25
MORE TEACHERS NEEDED
FOR VERMONT SCHOOLS
Commissioner of Education Tells
Athena Club That There is a
Shortage of 125, Partly Due to
Unusually Large Number of
Marriages

State Commissioner Of Education Milo
B. Hillegas was the speaker at the first
general club meeting this year of the
Athena club, in their rooms Tuesday aft
ernoon. DR.. Hillegas told Of the loyalty
and self-sacrifce OF the teachers of the
State. and made stirring appeal for fair
play toward them in respect to salary
and to the way in which they are treat
ed. He was introduced by Mrs j. A.
Waterman, president of the club, who said
that the government had urged the Fed
Grafton Of Womans clubs to take as this
years slogan Thrift, Americanization and
Education" and that the club had much
to learn from such an expert in educa-
ton as Commissioner Hillegas.
Naturally" said DR.. Hillegas, interest
is centering around the question of teach
ers. There is at present an extreme
shortage of teachers throughout nearly
ali of the States This was true last year
in all but two States. California and our
own State. I marvelled at this for, though
California Is considered the Mecca for
teachers. our own State has a reputation,
just or unjust, of especially low pay.
found on investigation that the reason
Vermont was not suffering from dearth
Of teachers was solely because OF loyalty
on the part of the teachers. The sacri-
fees made by the young women and young
men of the State because they knew the
schools needed them has been an inspira-
tion.. This year, however, we, too, feel
the lack of teachers and now 125 more
are needed to fill the want.
"There are several reasons why there
Is a shortage this year. Singularly, dur
ing the past summer, there were'more
teachers married in this State than in
the whole past five years. Then during
the war many women with homes who mad
been teachers went into the schools as a
patriotic duty and when the war ended and
| their husbands and sons returned they left
the schools for their home duties.
1.-THE lack of teachers, however, Is not
the only grave question in the field of
education. Never in the history of the
country have we come to look on the
schools as such centers of influence as
we do to-day The managers of the
Thrift companies have realized that. and
all patriotic work has been introduced
through the schools. But there is also
n grave danger because of this. Organiza-
lions OF all kinds are trying to introduce
their propaganda into the schools, and
some Of It Is anything but the right
kind. To protect the schools we must
not only have enough teachers, but We
must have the right kind
zone of the gravest things that could
happen to this country would be to have
the teachers become unionized as trade
union and to call n strike and thus pre-
vent the children from getting knowl-
edge. But this will happen if we do not
act quickly. We are not treating our
teachers fairly If We unwilling to pay
the teachers as much as we pay an UNI
skilled man digging bitches in the streets
then we must expect unskilled teaching
| teaching of the same grade as the work
done by that workman. We need train
ed teachers. II your child comes home
with a lack of the proper appreciation
of art and music then you can make W
your mind that his teacher also lacks
that appreciation.
I'VE will lose all that we have gained
In the war II our boys and girls are not
trained properly. II they are not taught
what It means to be good American.
We need teachers who will lead and will
lead properly.
I'm 1915 Vermont took a step in or
ganization on what Is regarded as the pat
tern Of school organization in many of
the States. DR.. Hillegas then went on
|
copied this particular kind of organiza-
ton. In no State except California are
there better school houses than in Yer
mont Vermont to-day has more Junior
high schools In successful and active
operation than any State In the Union,
regardless of size. School projects are also
one of Vermont's educational features
and that they are carried on well is
shown by the fact that while Vermont is
| spending about one-tenth as much on
these projects az Pennsylvania 1t has
more than one-balf as many more boys
again In the projects
| Then that the standing of Vermont
teachers up to the present time has been
high Is shown by the fact that 80 per cent.
Of them have had professional training and
only few have had only summer school
courses. To-day we are right at the place
Of reaping the harvest of our former
policies II we can secure the right kind
Of teachers.
| 1.-THE existing normal schools in the
State will die In August, 1920 according