Benton County, Indiana - Tub Teacher^ Superintendent and Principal, 1906

The teacher must be a person of good moral character. He must have a license issued by the State or county superintendent before he can legally contract with a trustee for a position in the schools. Licenses are of several kinds. Primary, common school and high school licenses are issued by both the county and State superintendents. A sixty months' license is issued by the State Superintendent, and eight-year (professional) and life State licenses are issued by the State Board of Education. A diploma granted by the State Normal School is equivalent to a life license. The primary, common school and high school licenses are issued for periods of six, twelve, twenty-four and thirty-six months. When an applicant makes an average of 80, not falling below 70 in any one subject, he may be granted a six months' or trial license. A twelve months' license is granted on an average of 85, not falling below 75 in any one subject or in success ; twenty-four months', average 90, not falling below 80 in any subject or in success, and thirty-six months', average 95, not falling below 85 in any subject or in success. The minimums and averages given apply to all licenses issued for one, two or three years. The success of teachers in the rural schools is graded by the county superintendent; that of town teachers by town superintendents. The success grade of the teacher is based on his natural ability, personality, scholarship, professional training, class and recitation work, industry, interest, governing ability, neatness, care of school property, keeping records, reports, cooperation with other teachers, the trustee and county superintendent, and lines of library work. The schedule of items on which success is graded is prepared by the State Superintendent.

All teachers' contracts are on forms prepared hj the State Superintendent, and are divided into three classes, all contracts in each class reading alike. One form is for teachers in the district schools, another for teachers in schools where a principal or superintendent is employed, and a third is for principals and superintendents. The Appellate Court of Indiana has recently decided that a teacher can not collect wages from a trustee unless a written contract has been signed by the teacher. A teacher may be removed from his position for incompetency, cruelty, gross immorality or neglect of business. A teacher has no right to place any reading books but those belonging to the Young People's Reading Circle in a school library without the consent of the county superintendent, and must obey his instructions in reference to the course of study, making reports and such other reasonable regulations as he may establish for the good of the schools. Teachers must make all reports asked for by trustees, and twenty-five per cent, of their salaries may be withheld until all reports are completed at the close of the school year.

In "Education in Indiana" State Superintendent Cotton says: "The teacher is required to enforce in good faith the rules and regulations of the county board of education ; to exercise care over school property; to use kindly means of enforcing obedience. The district teacher is required to attend township institute one Saturday in each month, and the town and city teacher is required to attend such meetings as the superintendent shall call. The teacher is expected to make his schoolroom as cheerful and attractive as possible. He is required to do professional reading and to take at least one good school journal. He is expected to take part in the life of the community. He is by law required to make reports to superintendents, trustees and truant officers." He is expected to read the books selected for teachers by the State Reading Circle Board, and attend teachers' associations and county institutes. The wages of the teacher must not be less than the minimum described in the sixth chapter of this book, and trustees are subject to a fine of |100 for attempting to require him to accept a salary less than that prescribed by law.

The superintendent (or principal if no superintendent is employed) of a town or township graded school or graded high school is the medium of communication between the county superintendcnl mid llic teachers in IiIk kcIiooI. He lias charge of the school huildiiij; and rejtoits to his school lioard or trustee on its condition. He executes the rnh^ and regulations adopted by his school board or trustee, and adojits such other rules and regulations as he may believe best for his school. He sees I hat (he course of study is i)ro[)erly carried out and requires the co-ordination of llie work of the teachers under his supervision. He provides examinations, calls meetings of his teachers and decides on controversies that arise within his school, unless he chooses to refer tiicni to the trustee or school board. The refusal of a teacher to ob<\v the instructions of the superintendent or princijjal of the school is "neglect of the business of the school/' and may be sufficient cause for the dismissal of the teacher or the revocation of his license.

The law requires numy duties of the teacher and then throws around him the strong mantle of its protection. If a teacher has been granted a license to teach and has legally contracted for a school he can only be dismissed for immorality, incompetency, cruelty or neglect of business. ''An act is considered as immoral which is inconsistent with rectitude, contrary to conscience, wicked, unjust, dishonest or vicious." Cruelty is the infliction of unnecessary mental or physical pain, as angrily calling children harsh names or intentionally striking them on diseased parts - freshly vaccinated arms, sore ears, etc. Incompetency is lack of sufficient knowledge or ability to fill the position the teacher has applied for and been employed to fill. Neglect of business refers to the many general duties of the teacher. The school rooms and grounds must be kept in proper condition, the school opened and closed at the proper times, the proper recitations heard, the rules and regulations of the county board of education, the trustee or school board and the county superintendent carried out, and all other general interests of the school cared for, or the teacher may be amenable to the complaint of "neglect of the business of the school." Though complaints may be made against the teacher for any of the causes given, the complaint must be sustained by sworn evidence given before the trustee, school board or county superintendent before the teacher can be dismissed. The teacher can not be required to close his sche)ol for any cause or at any time during the term without receiving his salary for the time it is closed. He can not collect pay for time lost by his own acts, but the schoolhouse may be destroyed or the school may be closed on account of sickness, or for; other reasons, without affecting, the continuance of his time and salary unless he chooses otherwise. A teacher is entitled to pay for legal holidays, even though he does not teach.

"If any parent, guardian or other person, for any cause, fancied or real, visit a school with the avowed intention of upbraiding or insulting the teacher in the presence of the school, and shall so upbraid or insult the teacher, such person, for such conduct, shall be liable to a fine of not more than twenty -five dollars." So speaks the law. The school room is the ''teacher's castle." In it he has about the same protection and the same rights of government that each citizen has in his own home. Whatever punishment a parent has a legal right to inflict upon his child the teacher has a lawful right to inflict. "In the school, as in the family," says the law, "there exists on the part of the pupils the obligation of obedience to lawful commands, subordination, civil deportment, respect for the rights of other pupils and fidelity to duty." A teacher may punish a pupil as a parent may punish a child and "he can not be prosecuted for assault and battery."

It is the teacher's duty to place each pupil in his school in the classes that he thinks will be the most beneficial to the child, and to adapt the work of the school as nearly as possible to the State course of study, being sure that the pupil understands the work of the year in hand before he is promoted to the next. This is the teacher's most difficult task, as parent and child often think the latter should be promoted when the teacher knows that such promotion would be an injury to the pupil.

1. Teachers are required to be at their schools in the morning in time to have rooms in i)roper condition for the reception of pupils, and to remain at the schoolhouse during the entire day. In town schools one teacher is required to remain unless a janitor is employed. Teachers shall see that schoolhouscs and out buildings are kept in proper condition,

2. No teacher shall, under any circumstances, employ a substitute teacher or leave the scliool in care of a substitute without tlic trustee's permission.

3. Under tho law the teacher lius control of the pupils on the road to and from school, and should take cognizance of any infraction of the law governing the school.

5. Teachers, during the term for which they are employed, owe it to their schools to give their entire time and attention to the work of the school.

7. Teachers will be allowed pay for one day's teaching and one township institute for two days' attendance at the county association : Promded, That no township institute be held the month in which the association is held.

10. Teachers are required to provide themselves with a copy of each text book used by their various classes. The county superintendent is instructed to see that this rule is enforced.

12. Teachers should exercise a watchful care over the conduct and habits of pupils during the noon and recess intermissions, and especially must forbid disorder or rude conduct in the schoolhouse and on the playgrounds.

13. Teachers shall require all pupils to spend at least fifteen minutes daily in special drills in writing with pen and ink, and shall give personal supervision to the writing exercises.

The sum of $6,832,321.70 was paid the teachers of the State in 1904 - an average of |420.32 for each teacher. The average daily wages of teachers in the townships was: Males, |2.57; females, |2.37. In towns: Males, |3.45; females, |2.59. In cities: Males, |4.52; females, |2.75. Counting 313 days to the year, the average was |1.33 a day for each teacher. There are at present 16,256 teachers in the schools of the State. "'Of this number," says a recent report, ''1,278, or about eight per cent., are college graduates; 1,321, or a little over eight per cent., are graduates of the State Normal School; 1.2.j0, or about eight per cent., are graduates of private normal schools; 6,427, or about thirty-nine per cent., have studied one or more years in some university, college or normal school ; 3,958, or twenty-four per cent., are high school graduates only, and 2,022, or more than twelve per cent., have only a common school education.-' Of the ninety-two counties in the State Benton ranks seventh in the qualifications of her teachers, no common school graduate having taught in the county for seven years. The average length of time that the teachers in Indiana remain in school work is about four years. It will be a proud day for Indiana when her people come to feel that a well-qualified teacher of superior natural ability should receive sufficient pay to enable him to give his entire life to the profession. In this connection it may be interesting to know that if each tow^l- ship in Benton county was now paying the same rate of tuition tax that is being paid in the towns of Boswell, Earl Park and Fowler the rural teachers could be paid annual salaries as follows: Bolivar, |729.10; Center, |1,441.56; Grant, |800.18; Gilboa, IG83.65 ; Hickory Grove, |G69.41 ; Oak Grove, |1,524.01 ; Parish Grove, $1,097.84; Pine, |513.69; Richland, |1,082.64; Union, |702.57, and York, |1,003.74. With .^ome of these amounts as a salary the teacher could well afford to spend each vacation in making a thorough preparation for his work during the succeeding year. Excellent results would be sure to follow. Though this may seem to be extravagant, it might not be improper to remember that "money wisely exl)ended for schools is an inrcstincnt and yields greater dividends than that invested in anything else - dividends in the form of increased earning power of the people - dividends in good eitizenship - dividends in knowledge, skill, power and character."

The writer is very proud of the teachers of Benton county. With rare excei»ti(nis they have ever been faithful, zealous, loynl and devoted to the great work of their chosen profession; a goodly, cnltui-ed, progressive and determired (-om]>any in the great aiiny of teachers marching to victory over ignorance and idleness.