Evening journal., 1919-02-07

year courses. Only is. or per cent.
/ OF them have had full normal training
or rs equivalent; "a per cent. have
never advanced beyond the grades. anC
i39 others, or as per cent. have haC
lonly part OF high school course. o.
the elementary teachers the coloreC
teachers appear TO be relatively thu
best prepared; 40 out Of 80 reporting
or 45 per cent, are normal school grad
yates or have had part or ell Of col.
lege course.
The teachers OF Delaware are moi
only deficient In respect 10 training
they are IN tho main Immature. Oi
the 63i reporting, i52. or % per cent.
are under twenty-one years Of ago
Nor Is the number OF older teachers
large: only 27 are nfty years OF age
and older.
As Is generally true throughout the
country. the teachers are mostly new
10 the system. Good school work In
wolves a knowledge OF community
needs Newcomers are at a disadvan-
tage In this respect or the 65i teach
ers under consideration, 100, or 25 per
cent, entered the system this year.
Only 3S per cent. Of the entire number
OF those regarding whom we obtained
Information have been In the system
1--WE years or more. Conditions may be
somewhat unusual at this time, hut In
any case the annual loss is large. The
number OF new white teachers tinolud-
ing Wilmington In 1861 is stated In
have been 1853, 80 IN the incorporated
and 1913 In the rural districts. Again
the tenure OF teachers already In the
system Is short and shifting OF POSI-
tlOn Is common. While 100 OF the
present teaching force are new, 255
hold new positions, i09 are IN their
second year In the same position. and
6s In their third. Thus, within the
system there Is constant flux, unfavOr-
able 10 continuity OF instruction.
That Delaware has a body OF teach
ers so poorly trained Is due 10 two
factors-,ow annual salaries and IN
adequate provisions for teacher train
Ing, particularly for the training OF
teachers. The school term
Is so brief that annual salaries ace
low, even though monthly salaries are
fair. AS few schools In incorporated
dish lets run more than nine months.
high school teachers receive an annual
salary OF approximately $50, element
ary teachers an annual salary OF about
$685.. Rural feachers receive an
nul salary OF approximately sl20. The |
annual salary Of colored teachers Is |
approximately S3i5 These salaries
will not attract well trained and ex-
perlenced teachers.
AS a matter Of fact, while high |
school teachers can be trained Il Del
lware College, and the Women's Co.
ege OF Delaware, the State possesses
10 facilities whatsoever for trinlng
Elementary =ural school te0chers. It's
corps is therefore largely un-
ralned or lll-trained and distinctly
Inderpald The State cannot hnpe TO
AVE an adequate staff OF good teach
rs In the elementary schools unless II
rOvldes proper facilities for their
raining and pays such salaries as
teachers require for their
upport. The report urges the import I
nee Of adequate provision TO- train .
ng teachers for both white and color In
d schools.
chool Buildings.
The one room rural schoOlhOuses
Delaware are with few rx- I
options Of a very old and convention
7 type. One OF these exceptions is
he school in District "a, New Castle
ounty. There are practically no re-
ent buildings in Kent or New Castle
,ounty; In Sussex county, where sew
raj schoolhouses have been built late
y, attempts TO introduce modern fea- 1
ures into the buildings have mostly [
allied The situation in villages having
wo and three room schools is equally
ad The dupont school and the Cae-
ar Rodney School are the only modern
uildings to, be found In small towns
nd villages. There are 2 small num-
er OF older buildings that answer
li-ly well
lStruction.
Perhaps a fourth Of the rural schools
sted give a good type OF old fash
ned instruction. The ,hildren are
gorously held 10 their texts; no use /
made OF the experiences gained az
'me. on the farm, or In their environ II
ent; nevertheless the pupils are IN II
fair way to master substantial III
ld9 OF Information and are receIvins III
hat would formerly have, been called III
good elementary schooling. III
The remaining rural schools are III
ior. The teachers. after one or two III
ID occasionally three years IN the II
ishb0rlng high schJ0l, merely 20 II
rough the motions OF s,sho3l krcplng. III
must be admitted that war conai- III
ms, as well as influenza, have this
u dlsorganized the schools 70 an IN
.ual degree. Yet so far as the work
'served Is concerned very little OF III
renee could be perceived In the III
hools In question between the quail
y Of the Instruction OF teachers who
I'd Just entered the service or who
I'd returned after an absence Of some
,ars and the instruction Of teachers
no had been continuously IN servioe H