The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-09-12
Do Schools Exist for
Children, or for
Bridgeport Teach
ers' Association
Should the Schools
Be Run by Experts,
or by Politicians.

Do schools exist for teachers,
or for children? Are school
houses places for refined and
cultured idleness, or are they
hives OF iadussry in which the
boys and girls OF Bridgeport
gather the honey OF health sod
learning?
In considering what IS best
for the education of the young.
are the most famous experts to
be consulted and their advice re-
ceived and acted upon, or is
direction of any one who musters
a few votes in political
primary?
Should the schools be directed
by the Board of Education, in
the light of expert advice, or
should they be directed by
politicians from the floor of
political conventions, for the pllr-
pose of getting votes. and political
jobs?
When Board of Education
has consulted experts, when it
has acted upon a consensus of
their overwhelming advice.
should the very persons who are
under the discipline of the
schools appear in political pri-
maries, and resort to. political
methods to shake off just
control? sI,;r
These questions are not
academic. They are real. The
Board of Education found the
schools in sad shape. The
teachers worked on no regular
schedules. Some worked three
and one half. some four. and
some four and one half hours
a day and some five. They all
drew the same money. Only the
children got the worst of 1t.
The Board consulted experts.
The Chamber of Commerce Con-
suited the wise and the famous
educators of this country.
Bridgeport Teachers Association,
combed the United States in
search of experts who would
agree with them. for they were,
6ratd they would have to do
bore work. They didn't SAY
Dat. They PRETENDED they
.iere terribly afraid CHILDREN
Slight suffer.
So the Association asked for
tame in which to assemble its
Nse. and got it And what a
ease! 1t came to the Board, all
gym patty for the children. but
without a witness. Reluctantly
the witnesses We're furnished the
replies from the experts who had
been consulted These replies
were overwhelmingly upon the
side of the board. upon the side
OF the children, and completely
against the position. Of the
Bridgeport Teachers" Ass ociation.
Upon this page today Is printed
the facsimile letter written by
Commissioner Meredith. which
had to be almost dragged from
the possession of the Bridgeport
Teachers Association. It will be
seen that Mr.. Meredith supports
the longer day, and goes far
beyond the 200 day year. He
favors the all year round school.
This Is best, but it is ahead of
public continent in Bridgeport.
The mask is off The associa-
ton is frankly out for itself. 1t
about what the schools ought to
be, or about the needs or the
necessities of children. It says,
The Board of Education has the
audacity to demand something for
the money. 1t wants a full days
show them. We have it's votes.
Well create a Board of Educa-
ton after our own hearts?
What do the people think of
that? What do the mothers and
fathers think. who have children,
whose lives are being wasted, by
lazy educational methods, in
which salaries and Wording hours
are everything and children,
merely a pretext for the payment
of salaries.
No one would Cypress teachers,
a useful and conscientious por-
ton of the people. They are
asked to work eleven hundred
hours a year, instead of nine
hundred. They are asked in
other words actually to work zoo
days a year of IL hours each-
1t this too much to ask Most
people work more. And what
about the children who can't keep
the pace, who are left behind
stuffed and stuffed with education
delivered in harmful and ugly
haste to create more leisure for
the few teachers who prefer
politics to diligence in their pro-
fessions The Bridgeport eachers'
Association is in no, TUE sense
representative of the dignity of
the teaching body of Bridgeport.
1t is a pernicious little. trouble
making organization, which once
did a good work in raising