The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-12-27
THAT VACATION QUESTION
SOLVED

the question of how many month
school we have in Blackfoot and no,
many months the teachers are pal
for. Professor Bloom came in Fri
day and said that the teachers re
ceive ten months pay and there will
be thfrty-six weeks of school. TIL
teachers receive their pay every fou
weeks and the school will close Of
the twentyrseventh day of May. Pro
lessor Bloom offers the information
that in Idaho Falls they pay tn,
teachers on the. tenth day Of ever,
m nth and that in the State Of Wash
ington they pay them twelve time
in the course Of the year, payments
being distributed turnout the cal
endar year, regardless of the numbel
Of months the schools are in session
Professor Bloom said that If h,
had his way about it, he would have
only one week vacation at the holi
day period and about a week with
the opening Of spring, along about
Easter time. He says the period Of
steady work from the first week ii
January until the close Of the tern
in May or June gets to be too lone
a stretch Of work for teachers and
pupils and he thinks there should be
an interim Of rest.
George A. Line of Sterling says
he IS much interested !. in the dis
cussion we have been conducting re-
garding the vacation. Mr.. Line says
he has been on the school board long
enough to find out that the board is
not consulted very much about vaca-
tons, The teachers dismiss school,
excuse pupils for various things
planned by the teacher, excuse pupils
on Friday at noon IL the weeks work
is done, they have at times dismissed
the school SO the teacher could catch
the afternoon train for. Blackfoot
and In various ways conduct, the
school to suit themselves without do
ing the board the courtesy of asking
their permission. Mr.. Line says 1t is
probably alright, but he has some-
times felt considerably annoyed
about 1t and wondered whether it
was the right way to do. Mr.. Line
doubts the wisdom OF having the in
stitute come in October and having
an interruption in the school work
SO soon after the years work has
been started. He thinks the public
and the school people ought to study
that question seriously and Il see
whether 1t is not mistake to have
the institute come at that time.
Some of the teachers in the town
schools at Blackfoot, who live in the
middle west, take a trip home at the
holiday time and II they had but one
week, 1t would not be worth while
for them to take the trip. Having
two weeks enables them to get their
feet warm and visit little before
they have to start back.
Teachers say they have lot of
heavy work in the fall that is rather
distracting because it seems useless
and discouraging The pupils that
work until the harvest is over come
stringing in thru October and No
yenlber and all of those that are be-
bird their class work have to be
coached out of school hours to get
them caught up. Folks who suppose
The teachers work is finished after
4 o'clock have another guess COM
ing. Besides getting ready for lay
ing out the studies and doing the
work there is all this
coaching to do. Loyalty to the in
crest of each individual pupil makes
hem ambitious to do their very best |
Tor each one and so4rthe 4 coaching
goes on! It multipliesi the, burden ]
II ire teachers and by the time the |
Holiday season comes they feel the |,
reed Of rest. IL they do not coach |
hese students enough. so that they
an pass In their examinations Il
nutiplies y the troubles for the
URLS, the teacher is blamed for not |
uEntng out the work properly, It
,eing habit Of the public to blame
ne teachers in part at least, for the
ailures Of pupils in her room. III
'uph fails, 1t means q big loss of
lima ito the pupil and II the pupil is
'assed without being as far as he
hould be, 1t lowers the standard OF
ne school and lowers, the quality of
ne final output. The business man
Vho puts the students to work in his L
tore finds lack of thoroness and L
flames the school for not doing the
round work properly. .-rttFF,ase s,ss;,
Teachers say that the Idaho school
ystrm is SO progressive they have
o keep working up with the system
nd If they are ambitious and want
0 work up to better positions, LII
ares a greater amount of effort and
ime devoted in summersschool. They
ay teacher should go to summer
chools at least every alternate sum-.
1er II they merely want to keep up
nth the profession and the times.
his means several weeks expense |
'ithout any income and when, a
eacher gets her tenth payment max
lg one months extra pay in addi-
ion TO the actual number of weeks
ut in at work in the school room
he feels that 1t is due her as part
,m ensation for the extra work she
as to do to prepare for the coming
ear gsA
There is new course of study or
lther an old study to be presented
! new methods that we're going to
II YOU about in the next issue of the
aTer. Tt is gripping subject and
you don't want to get interested in ! {
you'd better not start to read the 8
ticle. IL