The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1921-03-23
SCHOOL NEWS
AND VIEWS

an excellent article in the January is
sue of the Kentucky High School
I Quarterly on The Professional Grow
tn of Teachers He gives a clear analy-
sis OF the weak points in our present
/ system. and of the fundamental es-
| sentials in an efficient system
Any attempted analysis naturally
leads to the poor pay OF the teacher
as the prime cause of the inefhciency
in the public school of today. Prof.
Peters cites an instance in a certain
Massachusetts, town of 10000 where
| eighteen years of service are required
! for teacher to reach the maximum
pay which is only 81 $50 per year.
But cases may be- cited in Kentucky
where after twenty years of service
, the maximum is only $40 per year.
When O. w. Holmes was practicing
! medicine for living and writing
poetry for the betterment of human
/ ity he realized that his humorous
poems reduced the number of his pro-
fessional calls so he wrote:
ITS a vastly pleasing prospect when
you're screwing out laugh
i That your very next years income is
diminished by half;
| And a little boy trips barefoot that
| your Pegasus may go
And the baby's milk is watered that
your Helicon may flow"
1t is equally true of the teacher that
he can not give his best service to
the school and community while face
to face with the nightmare of provid-
ing the bare necessaries for himself
and his dependents.
We hear little complaint of inefli-
Gent lawyers. doctors, dentists, engi-
neers. architects. biologists, plumbers,
or carpenters. If one is not satisfac-
tory you pay the price and get one
that is You pays your money and
takes your choice"
You cannot legislate qualification
into the profession. Fixing legal
standard drives out the more ambi-
tious unless the remuneration is in
keeping with that in other professions.
But better pay is coming and with
it better preparation must come. The
law of competitive survival must be
permitted to select and reject This
is the only known method of class
improvement in all the natures plan.
The following letter has been sent
to each rural teacher in the county
and gives an outline of the plan for
Al, Af he cta arH
of instruction in the rural schools.
Dear Teacher /: | am enclosing
herewith your certificate of member
ship in the X. +. A. The small card
should be presented at the Secretary's
desk to secure admission badge. The
larger slip must be presented to the
ticket agent when you purchase your
ticket in order to secure reduced
rates to Louisville.
Breckenridge county stands 100 per
cent in membership in the K. f. A. If
we can make the attendance 100 per
cent ours will be the banner county
in the nation. Will you help to make
it so? April 10, to the -.
Beginning July /, 1922 every appli-
cant for a teachers certificate must
have had one year high school work.
Many teacher cannot attend the State
University, State Normal, or High
School. For the benefit of those teach
ers we are planning to bring the
school to them If we can secure an
attendance of so teachers we will hold
a five weeks summer school i'll Hard
insburg for which credit will be Civ
en- in high school, State Normal, and
the State University.
The school will begin June 6, and
run six days a week until July 8. The
last week of the school will be the
regular institute and every teacher
must attend that week. The tuition
will be $40 which will be used in de-
fraying the expenses of the school
Board can be had for about SIS per
month. The whole five weeks need
not cost over $50 and it is your OPP
portunity to begin your high school
training. The plan is to make the
summer school a permanent institu-
ton for the county.
The teachers salary has been in
creased: the opportunity is provided
for professional training; those failing
to take advantage of the opportunity
will not be recommended for posi-
tons This is the first step toward
certihcation without examination. Ger
tainly we are going forward.
If board cannot be secured at rea-
sonable rates we will secure large
tents and erect on the school campus
and those desiring to do so may camp
during the term. In this way it will
cost less than remaining at home.
If you desire to enroll for the sum-
mer term please send me your name
and address at once. as the whole
plan now depends upon securing the
so students"