The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-01-29
TEACHER CRISES.
Discussed by F. E. Downs, Superin-
tendent of Schools, Harrisburg, Pa.
Continued from last week.
The Supply of New Teachers.

years as TO preparation ana expert
ence the supply of teachers would be
increased; but such is not the case.
At the opening of schools last Sep
TENDER the nation faced the greatest
shortage of teachers in its history. In
Pennsylvania hundreds of schools re-
manned closed for several weeks, ow-
ing to the inability of superintendent
to induce even mediocre teachers to
take charge of them, and the problem
of filling vacancies arising after the
schools opened have been even more
troublesome In another great state
the returns from a questionairre dis
closed the following facts: Cities and
towns-male teachers lost during the
past year, 81 per cent; female teach
ers, 20 per cent; rural-male teachers
lost, 80 per cent; female teachers, 80
per cent. In reply to a question as
to whether they were losing their bet
ter or poorer teachers, the superin-
tendents replied that rs per cent. of
their losses were from the better
teachers. They also reported only 20
per cent as many male applicants and
SO per cent female applicants this
year as last year. And so we might
continue. Every state in the Union is
suffering. The teachers agencies have
been of particularly valuable service
in distributing the available supply,
but even they have been swamped
with demands far beyond their ability
to- meet. The office of the National
Education Association estimated the
nations shortage as $4,000 in the
early fall. Greatly reduced numbers
in normal and teacher training classes
twenty per cent in the last three
years-combined with a general exc
dus from the profession, have induced
a situation so critical that, unless some
adequate counteracting influence is
found and Immediately applied, not
only will standards continue down
ward, but many schools will be obliged
"a close altogether. The fact is the
supply of elementary teachers is prac-
ticallysexhausted The stream is be-
coming dry, and the sooner we realize
it and find some springs to feed it,
the better.
The cities and larger boroughs prob
ably do not suffer quite so much in
this emergency as the rural districts,
partly for the reason that to the av-
erage teacher the city school possess
ses more congenial environment
than the rural school, and also be-
cause the city, as a rule, offers higher
immediate salary inducements and bet
ter salary schedules than the country
The highest ambition of most normal
graduates seems to be to secure en-
ployment in the city. And yet the
city superintendent has his troubles
too. In Harrisburg, for example, the
superintendent had the task of select
ing during the summer of 1919, So new
teachers, not including substitute teach
ers or those already in service who
were transferred to other positions
within the system. That is, these SO
teachers were new in the Harrisburg
teachings corps. in the first place,
this number represents fifteen per
cent of the entire body of teachers, for
US an unusually high percentage of
new teachers. Again, in spite of a
full summers efforts, four of the
number-Junior High School teach
ers-were still unbound when the
schools opened in September and the
quota was not complete until several
weeks later. The rules of the Board
require at least two years successful
experience of all high school teachers
and junior high school teachers be-
fore employment, and yet, of'25 such
new teachers employed, sixteen were
without any experience whatever and
still others had only one year to their
credit. OF SO new elementary teach
ers, twenty were without previous eX-
A e
tutes, if a few married women, for
mer teachers, had not come to our res
cue, we probably would still be with
out an adequate supply.
Ethical Standards.
One of the most regrettable facts
in connection with the teacher stu
alton is the existence of an increasing
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 posi-
ton purely temporary in character
which for the time being offers some
what larger financial returns; taking
advantage of the strained teacher sit
uation by delaying the signing of con-
tracts to await the highest bidder;
breaking contracts; 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 increasing
rather than diminishing. Possibly the
absence of ethical codes in the pro-
fession is responsible in a measure for
this condition If so, we should have
such a code right now in Pennsyl-
vania.
should not like to leave the i'm
preston that the only culpable per-
sons belong to that class in the pro-
fession known as teachers. | should
say that when, as sometimes happens,
a principal or superintendent of one
district employs a teacher under CON
tract with another district, without
the courtesy Of a notice of his inten-
tons to the latter or an inquiry as to
the propriety of his intentions, he too
is guilty of unethical conduct. When
a school board makes use of its au-
thority or of legal technicalities to its
advantage, irrespective of its moral