The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-02-10
EDUCATIONAL.
NV LILLIAN L CHLoUPEK)

In 1920 only 35 per cent of the
teachers in rural schools in Wisconsin
STAYED more than a year in one place.
In some counties only "a per cent stay.
A factory or business employing
over $500 people, as do the rural
schools in Wisconsin, would do some-
th'ng about it, if sixty-five out of every
| undred employees moved at the end
of year. They would call in experts
and demand to know what was the
matter. They would count the cost of
such an enormous turnover and take
steps to remedy it.
And what would be the cost to an
industry of an abnormal labor turn
over? Experts say that every time a
firm loses a man it costs from Sif to
SIR to replace him. If that is true of
teachers, it costs the country people Of
the state between SlsS,980 and $780,
1875 a year to replace teachers.
Perhaps it doesn't cost that much in
actual money, But it does cost that
much and more in efficiency, In city
school system with a good superintend-
ent and carefully worked out pro-
gram the loss of a few teachers will
not seriously IMPAIR although it does
affect. the efficiency of the whole syG-
tenn.
In the country school it is infinitely
worse. The teacher gets very little
supervision and it is conservative es-
innate to say that she is only rs per
cent efficient in a new place the first
year if she is an experienced teacher,
and only 50 per cent efficient if she is
teaching for the first time.
out of those two-thirds who moved,
in 1920, So per cent were teaching
for the first time Only ~ per cent
were rs per cent efficient and So per
cent were 50 per cent efficient, we may
assume.
Penny Wise Pound Foolish.
Put it concrctely. Suppose that the
town of Spring Green had teacher,
Nellie Jones, who was satisfactory. In
June she was offered So more a month
to teach in Rock Falls. Spring Green
let her go and hired a new teacher,
Mile Meter Mile Meter was eX-
perienced- only able to give so
per cent as much to that school as Mel
lie Jones could have given there after
a years experience and acquaintance
ship. She knew the children and their
lives. She knew just which child to
encourage with praise and which child
to stimulate with criticism. She had
the parents working with her-she had
cultivated an excellent spirit among
them of cooperation. They were be-
ginning to take interest in the schools.
She knew Just what repairs and new
equipment were needed to do the best
work; she had a garden planted and
the parents and children were imprOy-
ing the school grounds, All that is
dropped with the coming of the new
teacher. She has got to get acquainted
with new people, and new conditions.
Time that's he could devote to teaching
and personal work goes into treading
exactly the same path that Nellie Jones
had trod, and she is not much further
along in accomplishment than Nellie
Jones was at the end of her first year.
And so it repeats itself from year to
year,
School Growing, Not Going Concern.
A school is a growing concern. Its
usefulness should show gain each
year. Communities which have not
kept their teachers for several years
have no idea of what a good school is
like They have never seen one, They
saved perhaps $4,000 that year in
salary, and if their total cost for run
ming the school was Sll8l, they lost
50 per cent of that, or $500, in eff
cheney and school spirit.