The Scranton Tribune

THE TEACHER QUESTION
Another Public School Principal Gives Opinion About Controller's Remarks.
BELIEVES
THEY
ARE
UNJUST
Says That if the Board of Control Paid Reasonable Salaries It Could Command the Entire Time of Those They Employ as Teachers—Proceeds to Make Some Comparisons on the Salary Question
The recent interview in The Tribune in which the remarks of a member of the board of control was quoted to the effect that it was the intention of the board to increase the salaries of principals, but that it would be accompanied by a weeding out of those who do not devote their whole time to teaching, caused no end of comment among the principals of the city schools.
All manner of comments were indulged in, many of which were not favorable to the wisdom of the controller, whose remarks, it might be well to have understood here, were directed against those principals who, in his opinion, neglected the duties of their positions because they were so engrossed in other occupations in which they were engaged as side issues.
Saturday's Tribune contained an earnest protest from one of the principals of the city concerning the remarks of the controller quoted. Another gentleman, who is one of the best known educators in the city, was met yesterday by a Tribune reporter and in the course of a discourse on the merits of the controller's position the teacher said:
THINKS CONTROLLER UNJUST.
"For a school controller to boldly assert that there are many incompetent teachers employed as principals in our city schools, without giving facts is unjust and unfair. If his assertion has an element of truth in it why not make a sweeping reform now? The task will be just as difficult and unpleasant a year hence as it would be to-day. A controller who knows that incompetent teachers are employed, even for a year, is unjust to himself and the ward he represents, if he holds his silence in the board of control. Newspaper talk about the incompetency of teachers is not what the people want. They want a man who has the courage to act when he faces incompetent work.
"Procrastination is the thief of time, and the man who employs knowingly incompetent workmen robs the public vault. Are these charges correct and founded on fact? Let us see. Every teacher holds a certificate which affirms his competency and which the board cannot disregard. Second, the superintendent has put the stamp of his approval on our work by not condemning it. He is the judge and overseer, and as long as he commends our work he is the responsible party and not us.
OUTSIDE OCCUPATIONS.
"There is more truth than poetry in his statement concerning work done outside of the school doors. Some of us are in building and loan associations, some in law, some in real estate, some in stocks and bonds, some in newspaper work, in fact all but one or two are engaged in work not strictly pedagogical. But, my friend, the great number employed in other work than school teaching argues conclusively the absolute necessity of such work. If 95 per cent. of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western foremen were to engage in work outside of their regular employment for the sake of a few extra dollars, you would not, owing to the number doing such work, draw the conclusion that the foremen were penurious men and money-makers, but in reason you would admit that their compensation was not enough.
"If a lawyer engages in real estate it is because his practice does not pay. If a physician begins to lecture around the country it is because his business does not pay. Let reason enter into our case and the people will support us. Prove to the people that we are as well paid as teachers doing similar work in cities of 80,000 or 90,000, and they will demand our whole time, but as long as we are 30 per cent. below the average salary made from twenty cities nearly our own size, they are willing to do us justice. The people want good schools and are willing to pay for them, and were it not for the active opposition of one member of the board, the salaries of many principals would have been raised several years ago.
I voice the sentiment of our teachers just as correctly as the member of the board voiced the sentiment of controllers when he said they wanted a sweeping reform. I give you the best thought of our best teachers, gleaned in work and conversation.