Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-31

F, September the nation faced the
greatest shortage of teachers in its
history. In Pennsylvania hundreds
of schools remained closed for sew
eral weeks. owing to the inability OF
superintendents to induce even medi-
ocre teachers to take charge of them,
and the problem of filling vacancies
arising after the school opened has
been even more troublesome.
In another great state the returns
from q QUESTIONABLE disclosed the
following facts: cities and towns
male teachers lost during the past
year, "a per cent; female teachers,
20 per cent; rural-male teachers
lost, 33 per cent; female teachers,
80 per cent. In reply to question
as to whether they were losing their
better or poorer teachers, the su-
perintendent replied that 7S per
cent of their losses were from the
better teachers. They also reported
only 20 per cent. as many male ap-
plicants and 33 per cent. as many
female applicants this year as last
year.
I'm Harrisburg. for example, the
superintendent had the task OF Sc
lecting during the summer OF 1918
fifty eight new teachers, not includ- l.
ing substitute teachers or those al
ready in service who were transfer
red to other positions within the
system. That is, these fifty-eis
teachers were new in the Harris
burg teaching corps. In the first
place, this number represents fifteen
per cent. of the entire body of teach
ers, for us an unusually high per-
centage of new teachers. Again,
in spite of full summers efforts,
four of the number-Junior High
School teachers-were still unfound
when the schools opened in Sep
tember and the quota was not COM
plete until several weeks later.
THE rules of the Board require
at least two years successful eX-
perience of all high school teach
ers and junior high school teachers
before employment, and yet, OF
twenty-five such new teachers en-
ployed, sixteen were without any eX-
perience whatever, and still others
had only one year to their credit
OF thirty-three new elementary
teachers, twenty were without prevl-
Gus experience. AS for the list or
substitutes, il few married women,
former teachers, had not come TO
our rescue, we probably would still
De WlIHOuL an aueN supply
Ethical Standards
lone of the most regrettable facts
in connection with the teacher situ-
alton is the eXistance of an increas-
ing tendency toward conduct on the
part of teachers which is unethical
such as leaving the profession in
time of need in the schools, to fill
some position purely temporary IN
character which for the time beng
offers somewhat larger financial re-
turns; taking advantage of the
strained teacher situation by delay
ing the signing of contracts to await
the highest bidder: breaking con-
tracts; resigning without due notice;
organizing in unethical ways and for
unethical purposes 1t is not to be
assumed that all teachers are guilty
of these practices, or even large
proportion of them. In fact, the
percentage is comparatively small
The serious side of the matter is
that the tendency seems to be in
creaSing rather than diminishing.
Possibly the absence of ethical
codes in the profession is responsible
in a measure for this condition. If
so, we should have such code right
now in Pennsylvania.
We come now to the crisis due to
inadequate remuneration. After all,
adequate remuneration is the key to
the whole problem. for, when once
this is provided, the problems OF in
sufficient preparation, of increasing
percentage of inexperience, of di-
minishing supply, and even of ques-
tionable ethics, will in large
measure solve themselves These
lesser problems exist because the
teaching profession as a whole is un-
derpaid. 1t is not only paid less than
trades, out, III contrast with them,
its remuneration has not increased
in proportion to increased costs of
living.
Teachers salaries have been
gradually increased during the past
few years until gross salary incomes
now sound fairly pleasant to the ear.
But mere sound" cannot count in
these times. 1t cannot feed or clothe
or travel. 1t cannot provide for pro-
fessional improvement. In fact, the
question is not the amount
of ones salary, but its worth. 1t is
the purchasing power of the dollar
that counts, and if the teachers sal
ary has risen twenty-five per cent.
during the past few years, while the
power of the dollar has
decreased eighty to one hundred per
cent, the teacher is really far less
prosperous now than at the begin
ming.
wages in the trades have increas-
ed to meet the high cost of living.
Wages of all classes of labor have
increased in like proportion. The
wages of teachers, on the other hand,
even though substantially increased
in amount, have not increased to
meet the present economic emerg-
ency."