Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1926-03-12
UNDERGRADUATE;


ii ,e to the appointment of one
of his daughters to a teaching
position and the salary now be-
ing paid another daughter.
The school law specifies that
the County Superintendent shall
nominate all teachers for ap-
pointment by the Board Of Edu-
cation. This for the obvious
reason that he is by virtue of his
position and training the one
best qualified to judge the quali-
Ifications, fitness and aptitude of
those who are to teach the
schools in his charge.
The law further requires the
County Superintendent to CLASH
fly the teachers certificates as
First or Second Class. Second
Class teachers are not entitled
to any increase in salary ordinar-
lily accruing from experience.
Thus the intent of the law can
be plainly seen, i. e., the County
Superintendent's judgment is
to be used in selecting teachers
and he is given a check on their
salaries to the end that more
efficient work in the schools may
result. Mr.. Edelen's insinua-
ton that it is necessary for
teachers to incur favor with the
Superintendent to obtain their
positions is out of place and just
ly resented by the teachers.
The law fixes only q minimum
salary schedule, less than which
no county is allowed to pay its
teachers. At the time of the
passage of the bill some coun-
ties were paying their teachers
more than the present minimum
and / do not know of any coun-
ty which does not now pay more
for some positions. The Charles
County Board has found it neces-
sary to pay more than this mini
mum. in some instances and is
entirely within the law in so do
ing. Let US take a situation in
which a school has become hard
to discipline, in which the chill
dren are not interested in their
work and SO do not attend school
regularly. In another school, |
several miles away perhaps, is a |
teacher with ability to discipline
and make her work interesting. I
She is teaching her home school
which may have no problem Of j,
discipline. The County Super
intendent has authority to trans
fer this teacher to the first
school, but to do so would GER
tainly be Furnishing her for her
ability, if no increase in salary |
were allowed her. For some
schools, usually those out of the
way, hard to reach, with not
enough children attending to
make it interesting to a teacher,
in a neighborhood where desir-
able boarding places are hard to
obtain. it has been consistently
hard to secure teachers.
When teachers certificates
were issued on the basis Of
schooling, plus an examination
in elementary school subjects, a
High School graduate, with one
summer school to her credit,
could obtain a Second Grade
certificate and obtain seventy-five
dollars per month in her first
year of teaching. Under the
present regulations, a High
School graduate must have two
summer schools to her credit be-
fore she can obtain even a Third
Grade Certificate and become en-
titled to a salary of sixty dollars.
When requirements are thus
raised, an injustice would be
done High School graduates who
had gone through school intend
ing to teach, unless the Board
made some adjustment in their
salaries.
When Mr.. Edelen's younger
daughter applied for q school,
early last summer, l had on file
the application Of four First
Grade teachers from other coun-
ties, and it seemed likely wei
could fill every vacancy with a
First or Second Grade certificat-
ed teacher. The law requires
that teachers holding the higher
grade certificates shall be ap-
pointed before those holding the
lower grades. Prince Georges
county appointed no new teach
ers last year who did not hold a
First Grade Certificate, until
just before school opened, when
it became necessary to appoint a
few with lower grades. The
same condition prevailed here.
My advice to Miss Edelen was
exactly what / should give to
any other High School graduate,
exactly what | have followed in
the case of my own daughter,
that was, if she were really in
terested in teaching school. and
expected to stay in the work
long enough to become really
useful, she should. by all means,
60 to a Normal School and get a
First Grade Certificate, which is
now the standard for Maryland.