Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-29
TEACHERS PROTEST
/ FIVE HOURS A DAY
Extra Two Hours Unneces-
sary and Impose Hardship,
{ They Declare.


: General dissatisfaction is being ex-
public schools anent the new order
of the board of education requiring
them to teach five, instead of three,
hours a day.
: These teachers maintain that when
Congress granted the increase in sal
aries of all public school teachers II
was with the knowledge that they
were halliday teachers, and had been
doing their work in half day.
Nothing was said at the time, the
teachers assert. that if the increase
in salary was granted the teachers
would have to put in an extra two
hours work.
Whole Day. Sooner or Later.
Z The halliday teachers always have
given more than the required three
hours a day to the schools. it is point
ed out and even three hours is par
Z.icularly trying when very young
children have TO be taught.
Z The teachers assert that sooner or
later, with the new system in effect, 1t
will mean whole day at school Tor
the very young pupils. which they be-
lieve the parents themselves do not
want.
The majority of the instructors have
Indicated that if there was any real
necessity for five-hour a day teaching.
the move would find no opposition.
but to spend the afternoon hours IN
another room, with no chlldren 10
teach and absolutely nothing to do IS:
in the teachers opinion d waste VI
time.
Z They also point out that II they
were put in the other grades 10 teacn
in the afternoon, it would mean
Conflict of ideas between the regular
teachers and those who mercy nave
% iy,f in a
: Several meetings have been held by
the teachers opposed to the change'
and the following letter of protest
has been drafted:
Letter Of Protest.
There is a great deal of dissatis-
faction among the halliday teachers
of the public schools over the extra
two hours of work ordereo oy the
board of education.
z I'm the first place. they feel that
there is no real need for this step, Tor
since the schools are too oVercroWoed
TO permit the return of the primary
children, it means that any work
which the teachers will be able to DO
in that time will be of no practical
value to the school children or the
system in general. 1t will be merely
q question of filing in time;
: In the second place, why should
this time be filled ing When the basic
salaries were raised q the halliday
teachers thought. that it had been
proven that their work was OF equal
value to that of the five-hour teachers.
1t is true that their children are not
required to stay the same length of
time, but, considering the intensity of
their work. who can say that the
halliday teacher is not as tired at the
end Of her day as the Whoie-day
with the primary children the work
Is almost essentially individual. 1t is
necessary for the teacher to work
from one to the other. or stand at tie
blackboard the. entire time, giving
constant directions, and constantly OF
Ter energy. When the Sbasic salaries
were made equal, this was known.
This step will force the resignation
Of those teachers who will be unable
to do the extra work. and with the
school system already working at a
handicap, on account of the lack of
available teachers. how will these va
eancies be dlled?"
More than 500 domesticated ele-