HUMAN INTEREST

Kathy's fate Parents who had never heard of San Marino sat with Kathy's -mother and father in that car in the vacant lot and helped them to pray. Men worked around the clock to dig a hole from which they could reach her. They used an expensive well-digging rig that usually corns its owners came an hour. But nobody had thought about who would pay the bill; it was just that there was a little girl down a well, alone and hurt and frightened, and she had to be saved if it could be done. All of a sudden in a country which. loves to turn a profit, money didn't matter anymore. Something like Kathy Fescues had happened to America once before, where. Floyd Collins was trapped in a Kentucky cave. For days the story o: the attempts to rescue him was on the front pages o: every newspaper in the country. All America heard Floyd Collins crying weakly for release from his prison, and ail America prayed that his cries would be answered. He we never rescued. Nor did Kathy
live.

What is so important in the cases of both Floyd Collins and Kathy Fiscus, however, is the capacity Americans have for sympathy and generosity and unselfishness when confronted with tragedy in its most personalized has form. Humanity, which has had little to recommend it in recent centuries, locks vary good when a little girl falls into a well.

THE INTERVIEW

Pertinent comments, expression of viewpoints, explana¬tions of programs, find a ready medium in the interview type of story. Everyone-in the community is interested in what a teacher has to say, what he thinks, and what activities are included in his program.

How many would have felt as one teacher did, the neces¬sity for clarifying some of the issues in a community-wide difference over salary increases for teachers? This teacher was quoted:

Let me say at the outset that every teacher I know is in !aching by choice; we like youngsters, we want to work with them, or we would not have chosen teaching for careers. As some of our critics say, some of us would stay in the classroom if we were paid less than we are. '

But a decent wage has a good effect on the total job any or the does, including professional persons like teachers. we ; don't begrudge any plumber, electrician, lawyer or doctor the wages or fees he is paid. Neither do we think that any, one of these fields of employment compares favorably with teaching. There is no other job which requires the ruction, control, and leadership of from 30 to 40 children sq important a function as education-and we know it. We as know that many of you in don't know exactly tat we do or how we do it. I know I speak for every teacher we I invite you to observe a school in action. We hope you stay for the morning or afternoon session, but at ]cast me in for an hour. Then you tell us whether our salary requests are unreasonable. One other thing. I know I'm no politician, and most of my fellow teachers aren't either. We o4n it takes mountains of information to understand the political aspects of any given issue, including teachers.

Another teacher had this to say

Every boy and girl should have trees to climb, tools to work with and even dirt and water in which to play. We don't do badly with our sand boxes an~ our shop rooms, and our miniature houses which the children can call trees, bills, trains, airplanes, ships or whate4er they like. Our final aim is to develop the social, physical and intellectual attitudes which will make curative' members of this complex Society and we succeed pretty well. ….

THE TIE-IN STORY

Almost every day items of interest appear in newspapers or magazines which pave the way for the teacher to follow them up with stories of contra, comparison, approval, or disapproval. In the process of so doing, he has the oppor-tunity to interpret or explain the educational program of the school. For example, a noted press service carried a story over its wires, quoting al leading educator who con¬demned the stress on athletics 6n schools and colleges. The

aries. And we agree with Mr, when he says that Aers' salaries should not be made a matter of politics. vr ~salaries ought to be based on our competence and the vs we do. On this basis and this basis alone we ask for ary increases.

ss to say, the impact of an interview of this type is and even in the heat of controversy such an inter¬;fle~Cts a desire to have.the work of the school and aer~ brought to public attention.

rve, the merit of the following excerpts from two ws. The first teacher quoted had just returned from work as an exchange teacher: