Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1921-06-01
TEACHERS UP STATE FIRM FOR
SCHOOLS DESPITE NEW LAW
COUNTY SUPT. JUMP OF NEW
CASTLE SAYS GIVE LAW CHANGE
President Miller, of the State Board of
Education Urged Teachers to "Stand
By the Ship" in the "CruciaI Test,

ny TIE Onlp IN the Crucial Test"
Teachers of rural New Castle Coun-
ty and school officials of both county
and State gave an impetus to the
school questions of the comm wear,
despite the new school law. The firm
resolve of the teachers was manifest
ed at dinner given at Lambros, Will
mlngton by the teachers of New Castle
county to the State and county boards
OF education. More than 100 teachers
OF the 1872 in the county were present.
1t was the first occasion at which the
sentiment of the teachers themselves
relative to the adoption of the new, or
revised, school laws by the late Legis-
lature has been developed. Under
the new laws the present County
Board of Education goes overheard on
July l and it's activities are taken up
by the new State Board of Education,
members of which yet are to be named
by Governor Denney. Positions on
the new board recently were offered
by Governor Denney to both P. S. du-
Pont and George B. Miller, retiring
members of the old or present board,
but were declined with thanks. Mr..
P. S. DUPONT had been invited by
the teachers to be present, but was
prevented by pressure of business
from attending. So, too, DR.. A, r.
Spaid, retiring State commissioner of
education, who was taken i'll. Mr..
Miller, president of the State Board
of Education, occupied a prominent
seat at the head of the table. Beside
him sat George L. Medill, president of
the county board, and Wilbur H.
Jump, the county superintendent.
Proud to be a Teacher Despite Pay
w. K. Yerger, principal of the du-
Pont school, the POSTMASTER, himself
sounded the keynote of the evening in
his Introductory remarks. eve deal
with human beings he said, "with
souls, with personalities, every day.
Character and its development is our
work. Our profession is the greatest
in the country. l am proud to be
school teacher, in spite of the low pay
and lack of public appreciation. The
profession of teaching is a mighty
lonely life in many ways, but a plea
SAINT one. The public attitude toward
it is changing, due, believe, largely
to the influence of the parent-teacher
movement" President Miller, of the
State Board, received something of an
ovation as he arose to speak, the as
sembled teachers rising and applaud
ing him with vigor. He expressed his
high appreciation of the services rem
dered by the country instructors and
affirmed Mr.. Yerger's statement that
the teaching profession was the
greatest in the world" "It's due to
our teachers" he continued, "that we
have the right kind of citizenship"
President Miller then urged all pres
ent "to stand by the ship" at this
Crucial time" The new school laws
may work out better than we expect"
he said, "and then we all shall be
grateful to you for your confidence in
us" He concluded by expressing the
belief that all teachers would be re-
tanned under the new dispensation.
Admits New School Code Has Faults
Mr.. Medill, president of the county
board, suggested that Mr.. Miller and
Eugene H. Shallcross, a member of
the present county board be recon-
mended to the governor for member |
ship on the new state board. Things |
have happened rapidly in our admins
istration," he added. 81 rather. feel |
that the new school code was too much
for the State to abide by. Then the |
law of 1920 and now the law of 1921
was framed along lines INFESTED and
untried." P. E. Strickland, of the
county board, expressed his apprecia-
tian of the work of the teachers and
urged them not to close heart because
the new school laws were not ideal"
Wilbur H. Jump, county superinten-
dent, was warmly greeted as he arose
to make his boast. He praised Mr..
Miller as a imam in an emergency"
and said he had found the present
state board of utmost assistance. Mr..
Jump expressed the belief that the
present school laws were favored by
the teachers as a whole, and that the
laws which will become effective on
July will prove a disappointment.
"Yet give the new laws chance" he
urged, pleading that teachers should
be "optimists," not "pessimists." Miss
Ina G. Barnes and Miss Ruby A. Mill
er, county supervisors, and Miss Ruth
Jones, attendance officer, pledged their
adherence to the work of the county
schools, following which "round ta-
BILE discussion" by the assembled
teachers was held.