The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-12-29
A MESSAGE TO THE TEACHERS
Is Your School Public or Private?

A MESSAGE TO THE TEACHERS
Is Your School Public or Private?
What sort of a school are you teach
ing in--apublc school or private school?
You think, of course that you are work.
ing in public school, but are you? Isn't
it just sort of private concern of your S
the pupils and the school boards? How
many people of the public who put up
the money for that public school are re-
ally interested in it and know thing a
bout it? 1t isn't public school, is it,
until they do know something about it
and are interested in it? Do you suppose
if any person who paid taxes for that
school, knew that the front door step
was broken, that the school house had
not been painted in ten years, that the
books were worn to tatters, that the
children's eyes were suffering from poor
light, that the board can't keep its
teachers because other schools pay more
do you suppose that if the public really
knew these things personally from OBJ
servation, they would let them go on?
They would not, They would not, es-
pecially, if they had seen that splendid
reading lesson you gave last week, if
they had seen that bad boy transform
ed into a useful citizen in school, if they
really knew and understood what you
are doing every day to make fine, self
reliant citizens out of boys and girls
who go to their school,
Do you wonder sometimes when taxes
are high land sometimes when they
aren't) why school budgets are continu-
ally being cut? There S a reason" " just
like postum. You don't give money
gladly for something you don't know
anything about. Neither do other people.
Most people do not know anything about
the schools. The school boards are ter
ribly handicapped in their work for the
schools by the Indifference and lack of
knowledge Of the rest of the communi-
ty. When they want to do anything
progressive and up-to-date for the
schools, there are always people to say,
ut costs too much" without knowing a
thing abont it But why don't they
know thing about it? Why aren't our
public schools really public? Well cheif-
" becouse we haven't told the public;
because we have been willing to let the
schools be private. .
Two years ago, the Wisconsin Teach
ers' Association organized a Publicity
Committee to tell the public" to tell
them that their schools were in danger
for lack of qualified teachers: to tell
them what education means to their
children: to tell them that democracy,
health and happiness cannot exist with
out education; to tell them that the
schools are their most important busi-
ness, that the future of the nation, the
state, the county and the boys and girls
who go to school depends on the kind of
education they get in their schools; that
they, the public are the ones who deter
mine!whether the public schools shall
fail or succeed.
The Publicity Committee has been
doing this work Of making the public
schools public for two years. II
has aroused so much interest in the
state that the newspapers are devot-
ing three times as much space as they
dd.in the beginning of the campaign tc
the interests Of the schools. Organiza.
| tions all over the state are working foi
better schools; teachers salaries have
been raised. At the beginning of the
campaign not 50% of the teachers OF
the state were able to support them
selves twelve months on their salaries
Now there is not a single teacher in the
state who has not had a substantial
raise in the last two years. The tralneC
| teacher Is beng recognized anu appfecl
ated. You, who have put in your time
and money getting training for your
work, are not likely to be pushed aside
any longer for some youngster just cut
Of the grades or high school who has
not spent a cent on training. As re
suit more people are entering the train
ing schools for teachers; more pro
fessional spirit is being felt Throughout
the teaching body.
At the last meeting Of the Wisconsin
Teachers Association, it was unanim
ously voted voted TO continue the worl
Of the Publicity Committee. Farseeing
Continued on page y