Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-06
TEACHERS DEGREE
!! HELD NUPT|AL BAR
New York Instructor Finds
Bachelors and SpinSterS
Are in Majority.
epecial Dispatch to The Star.

epecial Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, January SIS a college
education making the teaching profes-
sion one of Spinsters and bachelors?
This question. if results in a survey
made by Willard S. Elsbree. instructor
at Teachers College. Columbia Univer-
sity. are to be believed, is apropos
A college education. Mr.. ElSbree has
found, reduces the chances of marriage
Of teachers. and this tendency is on
the increase. Especially true of gradu-
ates of womenS colleges. he finds that
the woman teachers are for the most
part Indifferent to marriage and moth
erhood.
Many Prefer independence.
The greater desire for complete in
dependence, coupled with higher stand
ards for the opposite sex. has tended to
lower the proportion of marriages. Mar
riages of kindergarten teachers are
frequent, but the decrease is observed
in the higher grades until the smallest
numbers of marriages are found among
the high school group.
Mr.. Elsbree took year to determine
the number of teachers who leave
school. and to study the reasons why.
His conclusions are enlightening.
Mr.. Elsbree studied the school sys-
tens of l25 cities and towns in New
York State, excluding Buffalo and New
York City. He selected New York as
the ideal State in which to conduct q
survey of this character.
Low Wages Cause.
In finding the causes of the un-
usually high rate of turnover in the
teaching profession. sometimes 'front.'
cally referred to as the teaching pro-
cession," the Columbia instructor re-
vealed that the highest number of
teachers left to take better positions.
and that the school systems were losing
their best teachers because of an aver
age difference Of 5000 a year in salary.
In other words, New York State bids
farewell to its best teachers because
they are able to obtain an average of
SOU more year doing something else.
Dismissal. the fate of those teachers
who lean toward radical ideas and un-
conventionalitieS, ranks third in the
list OF reasons why teachers leave
school. One out of every ten teachers
who leaves is fired" Mr.. Elsbree's data
show.
Dismissals in Small Towns.
More surprising is the fact that it is
the small town and village that does
most of the dismissing of aeachers.
Whether this is because poor teachers
drift to the smaller places. or whether
the village boards are Stricter in reuuir-
ing conservative instructors is matter
of speculation.
From Prof David p. Harry's study
last year on the cost of living of teach
erS in New York State Prof Elsbree
"a tHonr0 hot
lure of the large city to the small-town
teacher.
Attractions of City.
"The beginning teacher hopes to Sc
cure position in the school system of
the larger city; she feels that her
chance for advancement is greater: she
believes that working conditions within
the large system are almost ideal; she
relisheS the idea of the freedom she
will have after school hours: she looks
forward to the chance of seeing and
hearing better theatrical performances,
operas and concerts: institutions of
higher learning. libraries museums,
parks all beckon and urge her to the
city
Some girls from the smaller towns
seem very willing to throw aside the
type of life they are used to in order
TO try new life in the large city. The
smaller community has been victimized
as Main Street; Its social life has not
been dramatized: it has no daily paper
or Chamber of Commerce to bally-hoo
and broadcast its beauties and its
wonders Undoubtedly the larger city
is an alluring bait for the beginning
teachers"
For these reasons the large city draws
the higher type of teacher, experts be-
heve. The large city is able to pay
more and. as the study has shown, the
teacher leaves for a matter of 5000
increase The increasing responsibility
OF the State in paying salaries of teach
ers, however, will help stem the tide,
Professor Elsbree asserts. He urges
thorough study of local salary condi-
tons by the boards of education.
Causes of Turnover.
A tabulation of causes of teacher
turnover in New York State shows that
% per cent of the teachers who leave
do so TO accept a better position
Other percentages are: Resigned to be
married, 81 per cent; dismissed, 10 per
cent: home conditions, Z per cent; Ill
health, Z per cent; to teach nearer
home, per cent: for professional
study, 4 per cent; dissatisfied with posi-
ton. per cent; retired, per cent; to
enter another line of work, per cent:
Death, per cent; maternity, IL per
cent; miscellaneous, 6 per cent.