To find the happy teacher lately
became the scientific quest of Assistant Director Robert Hoppock of
National Occupational Conference. He asked groups of teachers if they
were happy in their work, why or why not. One-fourth of the unhappy
teachers had been so from youth when they had wanted to run away from
home. Thirty per cent of them felt that their jobs made them do things
that hurt their consciences, and 40% thought there was too much
politics in school work. Happy teachers, on the other hand, were more
religious, less troubled by conscience and politics. More of them than
of the malcontents were married.. And they averaged 7 years older, 10
Ib. heavier. To report his findings on teacher-happiness Researcher
Hoppock chose an unhappy time—the 72nd annual convention of
National Education Association, in Washington last week. At that
meeting N. E. A. members demonstrated that even plump, married, mature
teachers can be utterly miserable. As usual, the educators were most
distressed by their financial plight and by the Federal Government's
failure to succor them. George Frederick Zook's swansong as U. S.
Commissioner of Education was a harsh honk at President Roosevelt for
blocking the gift of $75,000,000 which he was sure the House wanted to
make to schools. Education's submerged “masses,” the
classroom teachers complained that many a city was dismissing them
wholesale in favor of young, cheap substitutes. Finally, as the week
drew to a close, the whole convention sulked with a plain case of hurt
feelings. Pedagogs patted their palms as Secretary Robert C. Moore of
the Illinois State Teachers Association blurted out their grievance:
“Our meek attitude and mild resolutions must cease. It is all too
clear that we have little recognition as a power. We determined to
come to Washington in the heat, thinking it probable that the President
of the United States would like to address us. We have sweated and we
have sweltered but not one single personal or official word has come
from him. “General Johnson, who was to have spoken for the
President yesterday, was ill and left town.* We are here. I believe a
great national organization fighting for childhood in a time of crisis
deserves the attention of the New Deal.” The Federal Emergency
Relief Administration has doled out $31,500,000 to pay 50,000
teachers, keep 500,000 pupils in school. Public Works Administration
has spent $112,662,151, and Civil Works Administration many another
million, on building, repairing and beautifying schools. RFC has
earmarked $75,000,000 for loans to school districts with which to pay
their teachers' back salaries. But all this, complained the pedagogs,
has come under the head of unemployment relief, while they want the
Federal Government to acknowledge outright its duty to support
schools. That, President Roosevelt apparently has no intention of
doing.
