The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-02-04
Country School Teachers.

According to report made recently to the
American Federation Of Teachers by Josephine
Colby. field secretary, no back to the land"
movement will be successful in the United
States. until as first step country school
teachers are given extra pay to compensate
them for hardships they undergo in their
work. The field secretary claims that Door
rural schools are responsible in very large
measure for the national drift Of farm people
to the cities. tr
She makes the point that zone of the main
reasons for the desertion Of farms BY. young
men and forward looking married couples is
that country schools cannot compare. under
existing conditions, with city schools in giving
children opportunity for development Even
now, when unemployment and wage cuts are
more prevalent in the cities, there has been
no corresponding slump in the shift Of the
rural population to the urban centerA Country
and small town schools continue to grow
worse because their trained teachers 70 to the
larger cities where higher pay prevails. and
because the teachers they secure are far more
poorly prepared than ever before
1t is not hard to understand that this con-
dition Of affairs should exist. There has been
teacher shortage for some time past, and the
big cities have raised salaries, while the coun-
try schools. in the main, have not. Conse-
quently avery large proportion Of country
school teachers Of the highest ability have been
enticed away from the little red school house. /"
Miss Colby makes the point that the average
salary OF teachers in 1-room rural schools is
1aoa thon
remarks. will remain in the rural districts.
boarding around walking to school in country
mud, enduring rigorous weather, when she can
get better pay. higher cultural environment,
and greater comforts in : city,"
,Oneis inclined to agree, with the field secre-
tary in all OF her conclusions. and certainly
we believe that the salaries Of Country school
teachers should be raised.
Much as We sympathize with the undergrad
teachers, our chief concern is for the children.
Time was when country boy or girl who en-
tered city school could demonstrate that the
foundation laid in the little country school
house enabled Its possessor to distance CITY
boys and girls in many branches Of study. CITY
teachers have often commented upon this fact.
and have attributed 1t to some painstaking in
structor like unto the "Domsie" Of Ian Nc
Larens charming Scottish sketches who took
great pride in the success Of his pupils and
who worked hard over them. bringing ont the
best. and inclining them to love Of learning
for its own sake. Z,
But the "Domsies" for the most part seem
to have emigrated to tho cities. and the chill
dren In many rural sections are suffering the
consequences. Not that there are NO longer
any competent teachers in the country dis
tricts. We do not mean that for moment.
But a. Miss Colby's conclusions are the result
Of careful survey Of the country We believe
they must be based upon hard facts and there
fore We accept them. We are certainly within
the truth when We state that country school
teachers are not what they used to be as Z
class.
Tho remedy lies in giving them generous
wage II 10 hard for NJ to understand Why that
i not done. II would sesm tube sucA IN OBJ
vicus step hack 70 the land"