Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-19
The Pay of Teachers
~ Frederic ]. HAskla

D Vu5usu8tOu, -. ", Fed " nat TN
: American school systnn is in danger o
literally going To pieces, il tho pay o
! teachers i not raised substantially, and
/ imnefiiatoly, y Tho opinion of the be1t
) cduoAton ell over tho country.
, Tcanlscrs - class arc thoroughly dis
e,Mtod with making over old clothes, and
living IN third floor ball bedrooms. while
they wait for tho country to wake up and
show appreciation Of their work. They
arc too proud to strike. Tho only way out
of an impossible situation, they find, il
quietly to give up their chosen pro-
fession, and that is what the best teach
en IN tho country arc doing by
thonsands every month.
In New York State over loo rura
schools arc closed for want Of teachers.
and this condition is repeated in other
states The nations teaching army of
65O,WO lost $4,000 members last wear
most OF those who resigned being ex-
pericnoed teachers, the kind from which
mothers like their children to learn. Some
OF their schools are closed. In other cases
the vacancies have been filed by young
girls with no professional training some,
without even high school diplomas.
VITAL SCHOOL PROBLEM
The people Of the United states." says
Ernest l.. Thurston, superintendent Of the
| public schools Of Washington, "do not
/ understand how vitality they are concern
ed IN this school problem. The other
night, when | was speaking before n body
| Of citizens, | asked them If they realized
| that their children will be taught less well
next year, and the year after that. and il
they understood that fewer courses will
be offered IN the high schools unless some
thing ls done TO attract competent men
and women back To the schools. Apparent-
ly they did not. Before the meeting was
over, however, they were alive 20 the
personal side of the proposition They
began To soe that adequate pay for teach
ers WAS = desirable thing from the stand
point OF the citizen and taxpayer.
The school teacher probably sees more
of the child during its active waking hours
than it's mother does, and she has nearly |
as great an influence on its character and |
ideels. So that if the children of today nd |
tomorrow are to be taught by young girls |
who careessiy take up teaching until they |
find something better, or because they |
are not mentally equipped to do higher /
paid work, we can only expect lower class
OF citizens In The next generation"
MIR. Thurston believes Congress can
materially help the national campaign
for better paid teachers. Congress. =
said Mr.. Thurston, controls the pay If
teachers IN the national capital, and
when Congress fixes the wage scale for the
teachers Of the District IN the bin now
PENDING, il viii show the entire country
Just how IT evalurtcs the teaching pro
fcsSion
Where the legislators stand on the mat
ter of teachers Tlay, & is not easy TO proph-
esy. So far, no great champion of the
teachers has arisen To defend their rights
IN the present Congress. The mind Of
Congress ~ divided between n vagie un-
derstandIng that something ought 10 be .
done aud it's well defined ideas Of econO-
my. The result, probably, will be com
promise between the 81 800 minimum
which the teachers ask and the present :
ray scale that ~ wreckfng the morale of :
the schools.
The action Of Congress on this bin will |
.et an example for the States, and viii have |
somewhat the effect Of Supreme Court |
iec,sion on other bodies that consider |
advances for teachers. If Congress does
lot meet the demands Of the Washington |
caehers, the shortage will grow more and /
more acute, until IN the end strenuous
measures will be needed 10 bring the
chools back TO any sernbiance of the old |
inc efficiency. II
TEACHERS SEE NO FUTURE II
1t Is no longer q matter OF offering the II
eachers a living wage, Mr.. Thurston be- Il
evcs, but the country must at least give L
roper recognition to profession that Is
he very foundation of national life. Rais-
~ the teacher TO the pay Of an elevator II
oy or q lunch room waitress might have II
elieved the difficulty once. Now the
ituatlon has gone SO far that the best
eachers see no future IN their work, and
an be held IN the service or called back 10 III
only by much larger increases than have .
itherto been offered No one can blame
he teachers for giving up what every one
nows rs hard life and a rldlculously
oorly paid one. The stories of teachers
ay are equalled IN no other profession,
Mess, perhaps, the ministry. I'll
One of the newest stories on this old / |
neme is that of q little high school girl
South Carolina town. This girl had / |
cen studying shorthand As an elective Il
purse in high school for several months, | |
hen business man asked her to go | |
Ito hs office at ST 200 year, with various |
duoements and advantages. This girls / /
besides knowing shorthand | |
'oroughly has to know how to impart | /
II knowledge-draws 5000 a year for | |
aching this and various other subjects. | /
The difference between the pay of II
achers and Office workers is so great | |
at IN some cities the teachers have be- | |
IN to demand ''as much pay as the | /
discounting entirely the |
ct that business college turns out |
In six or eight months, while | |
takes a two or three years normal course | |.
make an efficient teacher. l.
The governor of North Carolina has -
arted campaign IN behalf of the :
achers of his State IN which be demands
ual pay for teachers and stenogaphers.
"But how much pay do the stenograph-
5 get?" protested one statesman to
iom the comparison suggested unheard
salaries for teachers. /
ut doesn't matter how much they get"
torted the governor, teachers are GER
inly worth as much, whatever it is,
As matter of fact, the pay of the
lchfrs of the State will be doubled If
? governor carries hrs point, and even 4
IN the teachers will not enter the 1
althy class.
THOUSANDS OF TEACHERS NEEDED.