New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-13

formerly employed four professors to
give courses for the training of teach
.rs, has not sufficient work this year
FOR half time for one professor. The
motto of the seniors of the women
colleges is ANY job but teaching.
"But the scarcity of teachers and
the threat of greater scarcity of
teachers is but one element in the
crisis confronting the schools An in
curry made in the high schools Of this
city shows that many teachers are
working from five to twenty-five hours
week in other occupations after their
regular work is finished; some are even
working as much as forty hours d
week, and some are holding, at the
same time, three different positions.
For example, ninety-four out of 1877
regular teachers in the High School Of
Commerce work on the average thir-
teen and one-fourth hours week in
order to earn on an average $73O a
year with which to supplement their
regular salaries The figures for the
Commercial High School, Brooklyn. are
almost identical. In the Stuyvesant
High School 144 out of 224 teachers
work from ten to twenty-five hours a
week in addition to their regular teach
ing.
lnjuring Their Health
iheoe CeacHelS are not only IN
jurng their health in many cases. but
they are forced to allow their teaching
to deteriorate. The really valuable
teacher in school finds it necessary
to devote on an average from two to
three hours day to mis- work beyond
the regular session in conference with
the individual pupils in examining
written exercises and in preparing for
the teaching OF the next day.
An inquiry made in 1912 showed that
in the De Witt Clinton High School the
teachers average one and half hours
day in volunteer service for the
ing athletic teams, directing dramatics,
debating and other literary societies
and clubs Of all kinds and especially
aiter-school help to pupils who were
failing in their VIC rk.
when the teachers must leave
promptly at the close of the regular
session to take up another job these
extra activities, which do SO much III
developing initiative, leadership and
executive ability in the pupils, must he
gwen up. For example, the Morris
High School must give up its baseball
team this year because no qualified
teacher can be found who can take the
tune from earning money in another
occupation to act as coach for the
activity. An institution which is thus
debarred from calling on its teachers
for this extra volunteer service for its
pupils is no longer school but fac
tory. 1T cannot do its duty by the
students and gives them a defective
training.
Condition Not Temporary
The present condition of teaching
IS Is not temporary or accidental. 1t is
the outcome of widespread economic
and social forces which have made
permanent el,; changes in mems and es-
peclally women's outlook on life. Here
tofore women composed the great bodv
or teachers; they have been willing to
take small salaries since SO few &C.
cupatlons have been open to them. They
nave, Tor the most part, lived at home
and have in many cases merely used
their salary for clothing and spending
money Largely as the result of he
opportunities Tor women in business,
opened during the war, they no longer
look upon marriage and teaching as the
them must offer them career com
parable to that offered in other occu-
pations. They are unwilling longer to
be partial parasites living on the earn.
ings Of others.
"A fundamental change in our
economic and social structure has
taken place. The remedy for the crisis
must be equally fundamental. Com
pairing the purchasing power of the
salaries in 1902 with the purchasing
power of the salaries existing in 1914.
before the present abnormal conditions
due to war arose, it is evident that to
establish normal salary conditions
comparable to those in 1902, when the
schools did attract high type of
teacher, an increase Of at least so per
cent in the 1914 salary schedules
would be necessary"
1t is the best teachers. the most