The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1920-03-04
EDUCATIONAL.
is THE DAWN APPROACHINGP

We are rapidly approaching the
darkest hour in our educational his
tory, and yet at the same time there
never was an hour of greater promise.
1t is an illustration of the old adage
that it is darkest just before the dawn
This darkest hour is due chiefly to the
fact that our people have been taking
education as matter of course. 1t
has been a feeling rather than a CON
viction that we must educate, that we
must have school buildings, that we
must have equipment and that we must
have teachers. But along with that
feeling went very positive notion that
it must not be expensive. If anything
is to be expensive it must be the build
ing, the grounds, and finally the equip
ment. Why? Fundamentally for the
reason that these are the things that
are visible; they make a show. The in
habitants of city or a state take pride
in showing off the fine buildings as
they ride by. There is civic and state
pride. That is why we have a fine
monumental State Capitol at Madison.
The people take pride in it. 1t is a
sort of symbol of states greatness,
its wealth, its artistic sense, and self
respect A state is a good state if it
can have the best capitol in the nation.
That is all very well. Nobody objects.
But it is after all far more important
that the capitol at Madison shall shell
ter officials who are among the most
intelligent citizens of the state-offi-
cialS who constantly put the welfare of
the public above their own personal
ambitions and desires; who lie awake
nights thinking what they can do to
serve the best interests of the state.
He is very unobservant man who
has not discovered that people in of
fetal positions-legislators, members of
city councils, and of boards of educa-
tion, are far more ready to grant
money for the things that are material
in education than they are to grant
money for salaries to secure superior
people to teach in these fine buildings
provided. Everybody knows and says
the teacher is of far greater impor-
tance than the environment in which
she teaches, yet nobody acts upon it.
Actions say the teacher does not mat
ter; give us buildings, fine buildings,
and get the teacher for as little as YOU
can. The end of such policy must be
obvious to the least thoughtful. Men
have been giving the profession, if we
may SO dignity teaching, the "go-by'
until the point has been reached in
which there are very few young, grow
ing, aspiring men in the business. The
same thing that kept the men away
from the business has been at work
taking the stronger women also. Some
capable women still go INTO teaching,
mainly for the reason, probably, that
they do not expect to follow a wage
earning occupation long, and teaching
appeals as a satisfactory sort of thing
for the time being.
But as to the dawn. Well, lust as
soon as people begin to believe what
they have always said, namely, that it
is the teacher that counts, and begin
to act upon that belief, the change for
the better will come, the tide will have
turned. | believe that time is near.
Boards of education are beginning to
open their eyes to facts Only a little
while ago they would not listen to you
when you told them teaching was de
teriorating, al least that teachers were,
and that it was hard to persuade young
people to prepare themselves to teach.
They said in reply that there are plenty
of teachers. If they do not like the
way we treat them and the salaries we
pay them. let them move on. Not all
boards did this, but many did The
teachers did as a class move Oh, and
moved out Of the business. 1t was nee
eSsary, it seems, for the public to have
a shock in order to have people stop
long enough to think for moment
about the real situation. A moments
thought is enough. The public is he
coming aroused from Maine to Cali
fornia. In that respect the war did
education good turn, for it brought
into sharp relief the thing that was in
progress, and had been for several
years. There is only one solution TO
the situation. If the people want
teachers who are worth while they will
have to pay the price, When there is
substantial evidence that from now on
teachers will receive the pay that is
commensurate with the kind of service
and the kind of preparation needed,
our training schools will be filed, and
there will be chance for good teach
ers to drive out poor teachers. In the
recent past poor teachers have been
driving out good teachers by offering
to teach for less, and getting the posi-
tions. Let the public determine the
kind of teachers that are vented, offer
the price and soon, though not imme-