Year: 1866

Il p0dy III the St8te. z+st.sss=*I sHs9af .z9#F


a. a s. L. SMITH, Agent.


Omcs with Rothrock = Wolf T1ptna, Iowa.


For the Upton Advertiser.


NJ. EditOr:-I am q schoolma'am,
and should like, through the columns OF
your paper, to say something about
school teaching. am one Of that large
class Of people who have to work for q
living; to the work / have not 80 much
objection, but do like to receive Just
wages, and fair treatment besides. And
1 do complain bitterly Of the treatment
teachers receive in this county, not only
from ignorant selfish DIRECTORY, but also
from the Board Of Directors, who are
constantly on the watch lest teachers
should receive their just earnings. They
not only have the wages as low as a
teacher can live on, during the winter,
but meet in the spring to lower their
wages for the summer term. But this
is not much to be wondered at when
people will elect for district Directors
men who have noeducation themselves,
and Of course cannot see the value of it
In others. for instance, there is Direc-
tor in Center Township who can neither
read nor write, in this enlightened age
of the world too. Now what does such
a man know about hiring teacher, or
assisting her in the government of the
school? Much has been said about
school teaching - profession, the re-
sponsibilities of teachers and their high
calling; but I fear it will be some time
before the profession is elevated much,
the way things are at present. know
there are many persons who teach
school nowadays, or who pretend to,
who have no business in a school room,
who lack education, experience, and
natural fitness for the position they oc-
cupy, but that don't seem to make much
difference, such people seem to stand
about as good chance to get schools as
those who are naturally fitted for the
business, besides possessing education
and experience. Suppose 1 give little
of my experience, that you may better
appreciate the delightful pleasures of
teaching school: l engaged a school for
the last winter term, at twenty-five dol
lars month, (the wages of a second
class teacher, and but few aspire to
first-class). The school house was said
to be warm, comparable and convent
ent; the neighborhood pleasant and
agreeable, enough so, it was thought, to
make up for the low wages. On going
to the school house I found it a poor,
shaky building, on the open prairie,
with no shelter from the cold, bleak
winds that swept in full force over the
prairie. The doors and windows ratified
and shook in the north wind, which
crept In through the many avenues left
for it, and came putting up through the
gIeat cracks left in the floor, a stroug
precursor of cold feet for long weeks to
come. Well, was not to be discour-
aged at trifles, SO l thought if got q
good hot fire made every morning before
l came to school might get through.
But 10! when came to enquire, not q
boy or anybody could be got for love or
money to make fires; in short, the
schoolma'am must do 1t herself, that's
the way they most always used to do. 1
did not like this very well, but it had to
be done, 30 I said as little as possible and
went to work ut 1t. I found it was not
easy to make fires without kindlings,
and l had to carry them down each day
to make each successive fire-the Direct
or, suppose, thought he did very we'll
to provide coal. Well, I worked on
against wind, storm and snow, making
the fire every Monday morning after 60
Ing from home, q distance Of six miles.
very often against cold wind or snow
storm all the way. must 60 home ev-
cry Friday night or pay extra for my
board, 90 my Director modestly inform
ed me; and - only paid s. from Mon
day noon to Friday noon, I concluded
to spend - much time at home a pos
dbie. So you can very plainly see that
after my winters hard work I would
have but small amount left. Let us
see, | received 81 per month, and paid
IS per month for board, which would
leave me $14 clear each month, or $42
dollars for three months. Isn't that
heavy pay for . winters exposure to
storm and cold! It was but q short
time ago that they were trying to raise
the grade Of the certificates still higher.
That is well enough; but why don't they
raise the wages also? The Inducements
are very small for young people to quail
~ themselves for teachers, think
It costa aOmethin0 to oct an education.