The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-01-26
Bingham Grange Educational
Meeting

In our issue of Thursday last we
printed an address given by Mrs. l..
A. Bradbury. superintendent of the
Bingham Arson schools, at the Grange
Educational meeting. We are ptsb-
lishing herewith the other two ad-
dresses, one by Supt. Chas. +. Ball
and the other by Prin Maurice c.
Foss of the Bingham School.
Supt. Charles +. Ball was the sec
ond speaker. Mr.. Balls efficient ser
vices in the schools of northern SOM
erset County are we'll known. He
opened his remarks by eulogizing.
with characteristic generosity, the re-
marks of the preceding speaker. say
ing that Supt. Bradbury had given ac-
ceptable expression to a most impor-
tant thought and one which he had
often dwelt upon while a member of
the grange. The subject of his re-
marks was What the Common
Schools OF To-day Should Teach the
Child Mr. Balls remarks were of
wide range. but centering with sue
cinct clearness upon the central
thought The time is far past" says
Supt. Ball. when the teacher Is
merely a young woman who holds the
book in her hand, her eyes fixed I'M
swervingly upon the page, a,king
fixed set of questions and waiting for
I fixed set OF answers. Those teach
ers were all too common in past
times. If the pupil could answer as
desired he was smiled upon as a bril-
liant pupil. If he could not answer,
the teacher often answered for him.
making ii appear. perhaps, that the
recitation WAS the pupils own work.
A few such teachers remain, but hap
PLY their numbers are few. The we'll
trained teacher knows the subject so
well that sRc ddres close the book,
meet the eyes of her pupils and un-
dcrstand their thought and personal
| ity. and SO develop the subject to be
! Taught that the mind of the child I'M
| folds. graSps eagerly the truth of the
| lesson, and gets from it something
thai will be, Ql, use TO Inn all his life.
| Thinking people are coming to under
stand the value of such service. and
| such teaching, and revolt at the
| thought of going back to the old way.
| The. Wage Question as agitating the
commercial world, and. the question
arises, naturally enough, that teach
ers wages Should be subjected to the
same reduction as that of the un-
Killed laborer. But how did tile sue
cessful teacher acquire her learning
| and skill?
There we the eight or nine years in
| the grade schools. four in some stan
dard high school and two years in the
normal sehool. All this time. the
! wonldbe teacher was earning nothing
| A few teachers have worked up to ii
| high degree of efficiency who have
never attended a normal school, gain
| ing their knowledge of teaching by
experience. Let me say right here
! that while ! know that certain un-
| trained teachers of my acquaintance
| have attained to remarkable degree
| Of efficiency through experience, yet
we must maintain that such expert
enee MAS gained at the expense of the
| pupil. and many errors were made
| that the trained teacher with broader
| vision and greater heXibility of
thought would have easily avoided.
Now these skilled. efficient teachers
are placed side by side with the un-
| skilled laborer in the argument for
I wage reduction We have the instance
OF woman who has spent practically
nothing on an education who com
mands today wage larger than any
! teacher in the common schools of the
J state would presume To demand. The
fairness or unfairnesS of such stu
alton belongs to the study of the econ
omic conditions of the country. When
wages went up to the breaking point
| and cost of food and clothing were
| corresponding high, we cautiously
added d few dollars to our teachers
pay partly to induce a sufficient mum
| her to stay with us. but mostly be
cause we thought it right that they
have enough to pay for food and plain
| clothing. The salaries were all too
meager, but many stayed on the job
for love of the work Now the Ques-
| ton is urgently asked. shall the
| teachers suffer decrease in wages
| because of the general money depres-
sion? Let us predict the result. re-
membering always that 1t is not the
| pleasure or welfare of the teacher we
are seeking, but the good of the child.
There has been during the past two
| years call for normal-trained
teachers and college-learned teachers.
With the promise of fair return for
their efforts. our young men and wo-
men have crowded the normal schools
| and colleges. and the graduates are
already coming forth to recruit the
ranks of the teaching profession.
We are feeling the benefcient eff
fects of this improved condition as
effecting the attainments of the chill
dren in the schools Cut the wages OF
your teachers. Place those men and