Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-05-18
President OF University De- :
clares That Teacher Has
J More To Do Than Merely
Instruct !! : = In Class Room; j /;
Problems OF Economy Are
Largely Up To Them;
! Mis-, N Nelson Talk. On
School Difficulties.

MlsS Nelson Talks On
School Difficulties.
The twentieth annual state high
school conference and interscholastic
contests opened at the University of
North Dakota this morning. The
conference began at 10 o'clock in
Woodworth auditorium. The first Of
the contests were the preiminaries
In the music event. which were held
simultaneously in three buildings ON
the university and Wesley college
campuses.
President Thomas F. Kane's ad-
dress and welcome, Miss Minnie ].
Nelson's talA on high school prob
lens, DR.. L. G. Lords address ON
Symbols" and Clarence l.. Robert
sons report on the schools in the
state featured the morning program
in session at the University of North
Dakota today.
President tKane in opening his ad- :
dress said that the outstanding ques-
ton before the school people of today
is the question of financial support.
The departure of attitude that he
urged upon the teachers was from the
old idea, when the financial problem
was simple, that the teacher had no
other work than teaching in the class
room. A glance at the apportion-
ment of taxes ,convinces one that the
financial question has become ex-
ceedingly important, and the teacher
must help to work out the solution.
+ The president urged that the prac-
tical way to .tdemocratize . the
schools" which is being urged by an
element of our teachers, is for the
school man TO show that he can give
valuable help. as In this case, for ex-
ample, toward the solution of the
the manaEement Of the school; that
|'her can give help Of such q nature that
1t will be sought by the trustees and
other officials in connection. with
problems for which they officially are
responsible. ~ sef - p
He called attention to u the fact
| that the chief speaker called in from
!, Z 81 astaade each. gear yas invited With Ih
the question foremost at the time be
I.fore the schools. The two addresses
kby the outside speaker this year will
be on different phases of school sup
port.
! In their capacity as administrators
| in the school the problem Of economy
comes first of all upon the teacher,
| especially the superintendent and
| principal. We have not yet con-
sidered economy and efficiency in the
the same degree that it has been done
in other lines of business. That is
the program forced upon US by pres
ent financial conditions and the in
evitable growing expense of main
tanning our schools.
| President Kane, who has for sew
eral years past urged upon the As
ISOLATION of State Universities and
other educational bodies a uniform
and the installation of business sys-
tems in the universities of the land
illustrated from university practices
some Of the methods of economy
which might apply as we'll Ito the
larger high schools.
In the course of his address he re-
ferred to the election, on the mini
4 mum wage law. He urged that the
responsibility rests on the superin.
tendent and principal. especially. tc
show the order of the importance Of
the different things in school fol
!. which expenditures are incurred. We
| should remember, he said, that 8
school is an assemblage of teachers
l Other things in comparison are Incl
dentaA even the building and the
equipment. Simply as a matter OF
cold blooded efficiency and good
business, educators must hold out t.
three good teachers and give thu
:; salaries to get them, than fou1
mediocre teachers: that we had bette,
have good teachers for six months
than mediocre teachers for nint
months; that we are advocating at
tractive salaries not alone and no
primarily for the sake Of the teacher
receiving the salary. but for the sak'
of encouraging teachers to get th'
preparation that we need to have II
the school room, and hold in Nortl
Dakota and to attract to the schools
Of North Dakota as good teachers a.
lean be attracted to Minnesota, iowa
Wisconsin and Michigan.
To get the people to help supper
us in this policy. President Kane con
cluded, we must do everything towart
economy OF expenditures In th'
4 schools, and we must do everything
to the lowest terms consistent Will
4 giving our children advantage Of tn
kind Of training in the schools tina
they ought to have.
Miss Nielson Speaks.
q Miss Nelson gave an interestinl
discussionN of high school problems II
the state. The mail bag which twic
each day comes to the state depart
I. ment Of public instruction reveals th
educational problems with which tn
i communities Of the state are crap
Il pling," she said.
One OF the primary problem
brought up by Miss ;Nielson was tina
4 Of taxation and school finance. A
/ the present time throushout educa
\ Ii being made Of this problem, sh
said. and in discussing the question
4 further advised city superintendent
taking advanced work at ,s,Imme
schools to include this study In thei
u list Of subjects. Ways In which NOR
4 economy could be brought about Il
high school work, Miss Nelson dis
Continued on page 8.