The Ocala evening star., 1919-09-19
THE TEACHER PROBLEM

THE TEACHER PROBLEM
Editor Star: One of the greatest
reconstruction problems that now con-
fronts US is the supply and demand
fcl certified school teachers.
1t is variously estimated that the
United States is short from sixty to
seventy-fve thousand teachers.
We will take the maximum esti-
mate Of seventy-five thousand and
average them at twenty pupils each;
this would leave 100000 children
without teachers for the present
school year.
Our last Legislature passed the
compulsory school law which we all
cCncede TO be about the most sensi-
| bic bill passed by that most august
body. But this bill only increases the
teacher problem. 1t does not require
any prophetic vision to know that
teachers will be scarcer next year
tran they are this. Our boys have
come home ready to take up the bur-
dens and the joys of married life and
| some of these girls who are now
teaching school are sure to have
| home of their own in a short time.
Tnen how is this great reconstruction
problem of supply and demand of
school teachers TO be met?
Our county superintendents are told
that they can not employ any one to
teach who does not hold a teachers
certificate When the British con-
| fronted old Andrew Jackson at the
battle of New Orleans, he unlocked
the doors of the prisons, placed guns
in the hands of the prisoners and told
them "by the eternal" you fellows are
gcing to help lick the British. And
from all accounts they gave as good
an account of themselves as Jack
sons regulars. Jackson, fought and
wen this battle by using the material
at hand and didn't ask the president,
the governor, the attorney general,
the supreme court and a few more
that if they had no objection and that
if in their opinion he would not be
violating any law or precedent and
would they please give their sanction
and approval on the prison doors be-
ing opened and the prisoners turned
loose.
Our government asked the farmers
OF this country to produce more
J wheat, more corn. more cotton, more
hogs, more cattle, more chickens and
AL farm products in order that the
world might be fed and clothed. This
was a problem for a while, as the
draft, the high wages at the factories
and shipyards had almost stripped
tire farms of labor, but necessity il
always the mother of invention, Sc
girls donned the discarded overall:
= of their brothers and mounted the
2 tractors and the cultivators, old meI
who had quit hard work, again tool
up the duties of life where they haC
dropped them ten years before ant
e the result is a matter of record; tn,
world was fed and clothed. The farm
els of the United States followed tn
q example of Andrew Jackson at tn
battle of New Orleans. and used tn
f material they found at hand and wol
the battle.
d In nearly every community we cal
d find women who a few years ag
:, taught in the schools of our count
e or state Or some other state and VIII
now could~be induced to take tn
:, work up again. But our superintend
It ent holds up his hands In holy horror
r and says that he has not the authorit
s to hire any one to teach in the Mar
). ion county schools whose certifcat
). has run out. He then tells US tha
g he is thirty or thirty-fve teacher
e, short in the county and the Lord onl
knows when and where he will fin
them. If these places that have nc
ID been supplied with teachers and in a
probability will not be. should refus
to pay their school tax we all kno'
what would be the result. Is it be-
S ter for our superintendent to say
the trustees of these schools, "Yo
rs will just have to wait till can fin
you a teacher with a certificate, an
l can't promise you that will eve
to find one for you," or to tell ther
ID "You fellows go out and hire SON
le one you know to be qualified for Il
n work and get your school started"
r, | have heard of some few men WI
IN have made fairly good stagger
II. life who have gone to school to teacl
G. ers employed by trustees in this ma
r rer. Ben Franklin, Horace Greel
or Abe Lincoln, Napoleon Broward al
last, but not least. Benjamin of Il
ct Ocala Star, all were started on Il
ms road to knowledge by teachers WI
ne were probably hired by trustees al
R. who nine chances to one never sto
IS teachers examination. / say me
a this emergency as all great cris
h have been met and use the materi
.ly we have at hand. c. B. Howell.