Albuquerque morning journal., 1921-03-21
The First Grade Teacher.
BY Il TaXpaying Parent.

~ &C A"NDNJihS hANA
The incompetent teacher, like
the poor, we shall always have
with us. 1t is the peoples fault,
primarily, for anything can be had
if demanded by yox populi. l have
heard patrons says: I'VE don't
need such a highly educated teach
er; it doesn't take SO much, after
all, to teach up to the eighth grade,
and Mary Jones is such nice
girl!' And they get just what they
demand and pay for.
Perhaps if wages were high
enough to crowd the professor,
higher standards would weed out
the poorly prepared ones. Califor-
mia, which pays a good wage, can
almost have her choice among
teachers. No teacher shortage there
in the way it is felt in some east
ern and middle western states. 1t
is doubtful if the average patron
believes there is teacher short
age, anyway, as schools generally
find some one to run them. When
the duly qualified lists are used up
the unduly qualified are called
upon. A couple years ago a man
taught in New Mexico who had a
second grade certificate in Ken
lucky in the eighties! He taught
on a permit, of course, but the
point is, the school kept on! With
the schools all supplied, the teach
er shortage seems unreal.
If the minimum salary for first
grade teachers was raised, the
standard as to qualifications would
likely be, too. Wages that men
cannot afford to work at are insult
ficient for the teaching body.
George Washington, a biogra.
pher says, was taught by man
who soon was outdistanced by his
pupils Mr.. and Mrs. Washington
augmented the teachers work by
studies given at home. 1t is large
ly to them and to his brother, Law.
renee, no doubt, that we owe those
carefully executed copy books pre-
served at Mount Vernon which
should be regarded as a shrine
rather than "the grave of another
great man to quote "a County
Teacher
Gene Stratton Porter tells OF
the wonderful erudition of Lad.
die" in her book of that name. His
knowledge of orthography, at thai
spelling match certainly holds
readers "spelP'-bound. But though
that rural community, too, had Its
teacher problem "Laddie'' couldn't
be persuaded to take the schoo
There was not enough in it for
him. The shortage of competent
INSTRUCTORS existed in Washington
Itime-exists today. ~. 81.
A Red Cross nurse said that ir
France, while nursing British
/ Tommies, she looked, forward will
patriotic pride to work among hel
own countrymen and felt honoreC
in being detailed to nurse the frs
American wounded brought il
from that sector. Imagine her sur
prise and dismay when she learned
that among those men from
Somewhere in the United States O
America" not one could be foun(
who was able to write home of tn,
death of comrade. Poor school
in that locality!
County Teacher" is right il
saying that it is Miss Blanks owl
business as to whether she does o
does not want to use fractions il
grading the fifth grade spelling
lesson, but what a wonderful op
portunity she misses for teachinj
the children how to arrive at thei
own exact standings. And fraction
are studied intensely in the fittl
grade you knowl And teachers ar
fond of relating arithmetical pro
cess to the child's experiences.
County Teacher" says that 9TH
great need in New Mexico ...... i
for more of the three RS and les
of such things as drawing lessons.
But how can 4 teacher teach tn
three RS if she doesn't know them
Supposes she teaches FEBRUARY
for February Suppost that Il
reading she says "caress" for "car
cass," or tells pupil to say
''trenchery" when she meet
"treachery" on the printed pag
and that Washington Marie
Martha Curtis" instead of MAR
tha Custis?"
Should even n 'young and mex
perienced'' teacher put map upo
the wall with United States