One Thousand Ways to Make a Living; or, An Encyclopædia of Plans to Make Money

by Harold Morse Dunphy

4. Positions in normal schools, colleges, and universities.

The greater part of the teaching in the elementary schools is in the hands of women, and much of it should continue in their hands since they are better suited than men to teach the lower grades. But children, especially in the upper grades, should come in contact not only with women, but with some men as well. More teaching in these grades, therefore, will doubtless in the future be put into the hands of men.

In the rural schools, except where schools have been consolidated, a teacher usually teaches all subjects in all eight grades, or in a number of these grades. In city schools in the regular grade subjects, each teacher generally handles one group of children, all of whom are in the same grade. In the upper grades of the elementary schools in cities, particularly in grades 7 and 8, each teacher generally teaches one subject, and teaches that subject to different groups of children in different grades. Under these conditions the teacher has opportunity to specialize along the line of his choice. One may specialize in the regular old line school subjects, such as history, reading, arithmetic, writing, and geography, or in the newer subjects, such as music, art, and agriculture. Art teaching offers an attractive field. So do agriculture, woodwork, foundry, forging, sheet-metal work, concrete construction, simple electrical construction and wiring, printing, shoe repairing, and mechanical drawing. Except in the largest cities, the teachers of industrial art subjects are usually called upon to teach two or three such subjects. One’s preparation for the teaching of these industrial art subjects should include first, a knowledge of the shop side of these lines of work; second, some knowledge of the everyday problems of industrial production, distribution, and consumption; and third, some knowledge of the method of teaching.

PLAN No. 1102. MEN TEACHERS NEEDED

Men who have strong sympathies with children, who have seen life outside of their own town, State, or country, who, like our soldiers returning from the front, have faced death with as much bravery as they have faced life, such men know what it means to overcome difficulties, and the experience and ideals of such men are needed for the proper education of our youth. The influence of such characters should be felt before the close of the elementary school, which is the most important part of any educational system, the foundation on which higher education is based, and which, therefore, offers a field not unworthy the finest type of soldier.

There is a growing demand for men teachers in the best high schools and normal schools, and this demand is likely to increase as the result of the war, which has shown more clearly the need of the influence of men in our secondary schools and which has drawn many women into industrial occupations that were formerly closed to them.

This demand for men teachers is especially noticeable in the special subjects in high schools, and it is growing even in the regular subjects. Even in English, which has been taught pretty largely in the past by women, there is a growing feeling that more men should be employed. Heretofore, men fitted by nature and training for teaching English in the high schools have generally gone into journalism or magazine writing.

In the teaching of mathematics in high schools, applications rather than pure theory are being more and more emphasized. Here men generally have a wider range of information and experience than women, so that the teaching of mathematics in high schools should offer increasing opportunities to returned service men.

The method of teaching history, too, is gradually changing, so that it is more attractive to men than formerly. Particularly attractive should it be to returned soldiers and sailors, who have had such an important part in making history during recent months.

The teaching of modern languages is tending to open up somewhat to men. There will be a growing demand for teachers of French and Spanish, and this demand can not readily be filled satisfactorily for some time to come. It should open up good opportunities, therefore, to returned soldiers and sailors. French has been neglected in American secondary schools, particularly in the central and far West. Spanish, until a very few years ago, was almost unknown in high-school courses. Recently it has been introduced rapidly. It is not certain, of course, yet that it will continue to develop under normal conditions, but it is certain that South American trade will grow faster after the war, and this fact should encourage the spread of the study of Spanish.