The Washington herald., 1921-11-30

or i'll. and hoping for the day when
they will have only thirty-five
pupils to a room.
Beautify Their Sch oolrooms.
And while they are hoping they
are helping. Many a dingy room has
been beautified by good prints taste
fully framed, but the teacher bought
the pictures. and. one by one, as she
could spare the money from her
slender purse, she had them framed
and placed about her schoolroom.
Many children below the seventh
grade have been given a |longed-for
chance at hand work because their
teacher or principal. after begging
the crumbs that fell from the man.
ual training table, only to find that
lumber was so scarce none fell, put
her hand into her own pocket and
bought the material for the children
to use. Many little children sit on
decent kindergarten floor because
their teacher every day collects old
newspapers and spreads them over
the dirty, Fotted boards.
Sometimes you will meet a teacher
or principal going to school with
can of paint under her arm. She
has purchased 1t to cover some dingy
spot. which she has frequently asked
to be repaired. Sometimes she car
ries a package of flower seeds or
grass seeds to beautify a little cor
ner Of an unattractive school ground.
Often the teacher buys a window
box and few ferns to add cheer to
her dingy schoolroom.
Win Friendship of Mothers.
A few teachers were found doing
| the finest kind OF Americanization
work among the parents of their pu-
| pills. After a visit to the 10-cent
store to buy toys. one teacher spent
the hours between the close OF school
and dinner visiting the homes. where
| she had found distracted mothers,
| and showing the children how to
amuse themselves with toys and busy
| work
It was OF such a teacher that an
italian mother said to one of Wash
! ington's Americanization workers:
The best friend God ever gave
me was Miss Blank, of the Webster
| School,
These are but few of the many
things that the Washington public
school teacher Is supplying. And
| in return for this whole-hearted
service. this valiant effort to make
good citizens OF the children under
her care, she receives. IL a begin
ner, $1,000 per year. plus the bonus
of s240. And after ten years of
service she may, at yearly raises
] of from s25 to $40. reach the maxi
mum of $1,000. plus the s24O bonus.
Loses salary IL Ill.
Can you imagine any industry or
| business giving a faithful and eff
hcient employe a yearly raise Of
$3.50 cents week-as an incen-
tive to success. If the teacher Is
| III during the school year she can
have no time off without losing her
salary. She gets only the difference
between her salary and the s230
per day she must pay the sub
stitute who takes her place.
Recently a teacher in one of the
old condemned buildings broke
down under the strain of talking
| above the noise of the railroad
yards. which are within a few feet
OF the school house. The doctor
said she must give her voice a
month Of complete rest. If she
had asked for sick leave she would
have had the difference between
ner salary and the amount paid the
substitute to help detray the ex-
pensc of her Illness
But this teacher knew the in
competency of the average substi-
tutes and that her pupils might
have five or six different teachers
during the month. Therefore she
did not ask for a sick leave and a
substitute, but for a leave of alb
sence and a temporary teacher. In
this case she salvaged nothing
from her salary, but as she ex-
pressed it, gave her pupils a fair
deal"
But all the teachers are not of
that type, l hear the cynical reader
say. Certainly not. No public
school system ever had teachers en-
tirely of that kind. But Washing
toms public schools have such a
large number Of teachers with the
real missionary spirit that 1t fixexs
a high standard for the whole
teaching corps.
Tomorrow New Schools" will be