The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-12-08

honor and privilege to have Judge
Cray with thefn.
Mr.. A. B. Morse, head of the his
tory department OF the State Teach
ers college spoke at the High school
,, assembly this morning on ideals In
Education His talk was part of
| the program carried out in observ-
alton OF Education Week.
Today was School and Teacher
Day" and hundreds OF parents visit
ed the schools throughout the city
and took the opportunity to get ac-
quainted with their children's
teachers.
To make Minnesota schools equal
to the best, to give equal educal
tional opportunity and to safeguard
the commonwealth are the aims OF
the Minnesota Educational associa-
ttion. To realize these aims it pro-
posed certain measures.
Among these is the revised pen
sion law. The law provides state
teachers Insurance and retirement
fund which shall be made solvent
and permanent. 1t is hoped by this
means to attract the teaching pro-
fession able young men and women
and to provide suitable incomes
for those who have given their
] lives to the profession.
/ The teachers service or tenure
law provides for the establishing OF
length of tenure service on good
and faithful work. Teachers shall
not \be dismissed except for cause
and then after having been given
proper hearing. The act intends
to remove a serious objection, to
the teaching professlon-namely
the uncertainty of tenure.
Over the Memorial Amphitheatre
at Arlington National Cemetery are
carved these words: I'VE We as
sumed the soldier we did not lay
aside the citizen" This is typified
the spirit of those who fought IN
the service of the nation. What
worthier task could be undertaken
than the fashioning of the Ameri-
can public school for the production
of good Americans.
i Without an adequate, and well
prepared teaching force, our schools
can accomplish only part of their
task. A recent survey shows that
only one fifth of the teaching force
OF the United States has an educa-
ton equal to the standard of prep
aration demanded by all civilized
countries as constituting the barest
minimum for elementary school
teaching. Teachers colleges and
Normal schools prepare but small
fraction of the teachers needed
each year. Those prepared supply
elementary and Junior high schools
leaving rural schools unimproyided
for. In order to supply the demand
for teachers, especially in rural
districts "the bars have to be let
down." because regulations have to
be set aside, thousands OF imna-
ture and unframed teachers are
given temporary certificates to
teach.
Teaching is the highest form of
social service. Yet in the United
States during the school year 1921
% there were forty Thousand teach
ers who received a salary of less
than $500. Eight thousand teachers
v ere paid less than $500 for the
1921 30 school year.
If public schools are to be of the
highest possible service to the com
munity, the state and the nation,
the teaching profession must be
elevated and strengthened 1t must
be made attractive to persons of
high ability and character Those
qualified by nature and training to
be successful teachers will never
adopt reaching as life work if
they are treated cas- were hirelings
with no security of position" The
teacher who is most indispensable
in the whole process of education
must be preserved and her opinions
and convictions must have due re-
spect While there must be au-
thority and leadership her initia-
tive must be considered.