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Show "Bingham from Bingham" Retires from Teaching when the request sheet sent out annually by the Superintendent arrived ar-rived asking if I wanted the same job back and I wrote on that sheet as follows: 1 shall take this opportunity and means of announcing my retirement. retire-ment. I shall devote my entire time to Bingham Ranching Enterprises. I do want to thank you personally, person-ally, Superintendent Beckstead, and your board collectively for the tenure ten-ure you have extended to me over the years. James W. Bingham Mrs. Densley, collecting for my party, said she would not have to do that again not for me. She reminded me of the man who said to his neighbor, "Aren't you going to Bill's funeral?" He replied, "Why should I Bill ain't coming to my funeral, is he)" 3. Certification of Secondary science sci-ence teachers. 4. State Superintendent's Coordinating Coor-dinating Committee. At that time, 1 was between wives so these numerous meetings presented pre-sented no family problems. My name together with that of Willis Savage of Delta, and Millicent Lyons of Granite, was on the course of study in mathematics used in high schools of Utah for a full quarter of a century. One of the facts, of which I am most proud, is my helping to foster, over a dozen years ago a movement to get Clasaroom Teachers on a recognized re-cognized footing in Utah. 1 was President of that fledgling group for two years, pinch hit for the president before me, and for the one who succeeded me. Once, in a classroom teacher but now then, that is really looking ahead, isn't it) Utah, first in consolidation, will finally do more of it, and cut 40 districts back to 20, or ultimately, even to 7. Utah will be one of the first to realize the fallacy of collecting money for federal government, then stand hopefully by, hat in hand, and hope for some of it to come back as Federal Aid to Education. Edu-cation. Utah will put in an income tax, even double the present one, for schools. The people who are opposed to Federal Aid for Education Educa-tion must then cease to vote "no" on local leeway. Can't carry water on both shouldersl I can see a new declaration of independence, independence from the Federal governmental control. Most revolutions are fostered by teachers and or farmers and I am both. I am toying with the idea of setting a sign at the southeast corner cor-ner of the 60 acres the ranch house sets on the house place. On this sign I am tempted to emblazen a message which declares that these acres are free of government subsidy sub-sidy of any kind that no payment, by government, in kind, is now being be-ing received by the owner and operator op-erator of these acres. However, 1 am glad that our farm problem is one of over-production, not one of under production produc-tion to the starvation level as is the farm problem of the iron curtain countries. Someone suggested we solve farm problems for both east and west by merely exchanging the farmers. I can look ahead and see the time when Jordan finnHy put its tax levy up as high as the "neighbor to the north" which Jordan had "aped" all these years in other matters. By so putting taxes on a par, the state fund was built up to a point that iordan could go to the state for elp when K.C.C. closed the pit. You see, President Kennedy and his free trade boys finally got barriers down so low that copper could be imported and shipped to Utah for less than it could be produced locally. lo-cally. Jordan did not have to come, hat in hand, to ask for state aid as did Murray when its smelter folded or as did Park City when the mines went way down. This idea of a corporation cor-poration setting up an ideal taxing situation for itself had gone by the board, and state taxes were on a par, state wide. Now, you can all go sit down. From the right of me, the left, and from behind me, sit down! I am particularly thankful for my set-up here at B.H.S. My classes have let me teach "the cream of the crop". Only Wednesday, my Inst section of Chemistry included three candidates who were successful success-ful in that day's student body elections, elec-tions, as well as two who had lost by the narrowest margins. Many who are not here at the moment, sought me out and told me how much they regretted that prior committments were holding them away from this final performance perform-ance of mine. Some admitted that their limited budget could not stretch this far, but all wished me well. 1 am very grateful to teach along with the likes of you. There is no better faculty assembled under one head in the whole of these United States. 1 am particularly grateful, for that head. To be able to go forward and know that his tower of strength was ever behind me, to know that his standards were high enough so that you did not have to compromise compro-mise your own to carry out school policy these made teaching so much more enjoyable. Some of you might not know how devastating it is to teach when you are not just sure which way public relations may blow you, and you have to shut and bolt your classroom door in order to hold your bit of school up to the standards in scholarship and discipline you deemed necessary neces-sary to hold your sanity. 1 want to acknowledge publicly my thanks at being privileged to teach under your guidance, Mr. Jensen, and to have taught with you when we were on an equal footing. We did put on a spectacular candlelight service or two, didn't we) I have been at B.H.S. almost as many years as I have been at all my other high schools put together. I used to change every four years-was years-was a tramp school teacher have been accused as many teachers are, of being an "old maid" school teacher of either sex or of neither sex, and whether married or unmarried un-married still an old maid school teacher. After I get checked in, my junk hauled to the ranch, I'm going to sit in a Kennedy type rocking chair, then after two weeks, I'll start to rock, just a little. VALEDICTORY Now I come to my valedictory. Our earth still rotates round the sun, and the moon orbits the earth. Men of the east and west have orbited or-bited the earth. Much hardware is thrown up into orbit, but we have an atmosphere to protect us. All but the biggest chunks of orbited debris burn in that atmospheric cushion ere they hit Mother Earth again. So carry on. May Buddha continue to smile on you. May the sayings of Confucius bring you content. May the Hindu teachings warm you. May the sayings of Lao Tze guide you to peace. May Zoroaster and his life be an example to you. May the life of Mohammed show you its stark realism. May the love of Jesus, the Christ, abide in you. May God bless you all. And may I aay humbly, but in full sincerity and to each of you I'm not afraid to say it I love you. I love you one and all. And now, Farewell. JAMES W. BINGHAM Following ia a brief summary of James W. Bingham, who this week retired from the teaching profession profes-sion after thirty-nine years of service ser-vice in education. He was born in Westmorland, Kansas, just before the turn of the century. Primary and elementary schooling school-ing in Pueblo, Colorado. Attended seventh and eighth gradea in a small rural S grade, one-room school built by homesteaders home-steaders in eastern Colorado. The first year (7th grade) was of five months duration, the second year (8th grade) was much longer 7 months, but passed the county-wide 8th grade examinations OK. Freshman High School, Wamego, Kansas, the rail point city which served his birthplace area. Spent his other high school years at Colorado Springs High School where he graduated with high honors. Served two years in the Army. Attended the Utah Agricultural College (A.C.U.), Logan, as it was known then, now U.S.U. winter and summer and graduated in three years. Three 1 2-month years, rather rath-er than four 9-month years. Made Phi Kappa Phi at A.C.U. Taught , at Malad, Idaho, High School one year, Richfield High School one year, Carbon County High School four years. Park City High School four years, Helper Junior Jun-ior High School, one year, Carbon County High School (second tour of duty), four years, Carbon College Col-lege High School, five years, and Bingham High School 19 years. Attended many conventions of the National Education Association and the Teacher Education and Professional Standards Commission Conferences just ahead of the annual an-nual N.E.A. Convention, and Summer Sum-mer conference of the Department of Clasaroom Teachers after the N.E.A. Conventions. For example, Kalamazoo, Mich., T.E.P.S. Cdnference ahead of UEA Convention in Detroit, DeKalb T.E.P.S. T.E.-P.S. ahead of Chicago NEA, Albany ahead of New York City NEA and Newark Delaware D.C.T. after. Parkland, Wash., T.E.P.S. ahead of Portland, Ore., NEA and so on. Attended seven straight in one stretch of time. LOOKING BACK In looking back over the years I note that I was a director of the Utah Teachers Welfare Association for several years at its inception. I was one of seven directors elected annually. My motion put in the idea that we charge $1.00 per thousand each assessment date whether deaths occurred or not. That gave the U.T.W.A. a reserve in its early days which let it survive the State Insurance Commissioner's ruling that any mutual company had to have a reserve equal to the full amount of its largest policy. Gideons Gid-eons and several other mutuals went down and out under that ruling. rul-ing. I drove to Salt Lake in the pickup truck which was my vehicle ! at the time. I I lobbied the state delegations from both Carbon and Utah counties coun-ties on teacher retirement. 1 served on its early board and am named in Dr. Moffatt's book, "A Century of Service" in this connection. 1 was president of the Carbon County Teachers Association two consecutive terms. Mr. Cannon, present Music Supervisor for Jordan Jor-dan District was on my executive board and helped us work out a 12-month 12-month 12-payment salary schedule sched-ule for Carbon County School District. Dis-trict. Our data were used by the Utah Education Association when the state went on an annual 12-pay basis. The Mathematics Outline and Study Guide I helped prepare under State Supt. C. N. Jensen was used by Utah High Schools for a quarter of a century. Study Guide in Physics and Chemistry, Che-mistry, Biology and General Science, Sci-ence, which I helped prepare in Summer School Work Shop in 1958, ia still the science outline in the hands of high school teachers in Utah. Retire to his ranching properties in Utah County with Post Office address Spanish Fork, Route Two. These remarks were prepared by Mr. James W. Bingham for presentation presen-tation at a dinner arranged by my colleagues to honor three of us me upon my retirement, also Mr. Hausknecht on his retirement, and Principal Joel P. Jensen on his transfer to the new Hillcrest High School as its first principal. Mr. Toastmaster, fellow workers of Jordan School District, their wives and escorts. This all started 1 have been building representative representa-tive and faculty representative each year I have been "Bingham from Bingham" except one. As 1 review my professional activities ac-tivities 1 note that 1 have been to more annual meetings of the N.E.A. than I can count without taking my shoes off. I went to seven straight, and to the meetings of the Teachers Educational and Professional Standards Stand-ards Commissions held prior to the annual Convention of the N.E.A. as Kalamazoo ahead of Detroit, or Parkland, Washington, ahead of Portland, Oregon, or DeKalb ahead of Chicago, or Fort Collins ahead of Denver this year. I, have used a private ceremony at these conventions, conven-tions, 1 have spit in both oceans. 1 have "spat" in the Gulf of Mexico, and I have "spitten" in the Mississippi Miss-issippi River. At one time I was on four different differ-ent committees for the State of Utah! 1. Secondary Science Text books. 2. Curriculum study in Chemistry and Physics. planning conference in San Francisco, Fran-cisco, I sat next to the representative representa-tive of Classroom Teachers of California, Cali-fornia, Southern Section. While waiting for an afternoon session to be called to order, 1 casually asked her how many people were dues-paying dues-paying members of the section she represented. She replied, "A few over 32.000." 1 admitted 213 paid up members, some of which were you folks here within the sound of my voice. Your dollar, back there during that year helped to swell our paid up membership to the 2 I 3 that 1 could so proudly represent. I did find that my ideas found recognition rec-ognition in that planning conference, confer-ence, and were put into action that succeeding spring in the Fresno, California, Conference of the Department De-partment of Classroom Teachers of the National Education Association as it met as the Southwestern Region Re-gion that next March. 213 to 32,000' plus. Could that be part of the answer to California's leadership in teachers' salaries and teachers' welfare) I now have to leave my interest in Classroom Teachers Organization in your tender care. The Utah State organization of C.R.T. ia now locked lock-ed in committee a committee of the U.E.A. You will need to get that potentially powerful organization organiza-tion out of committee and onto the flooi- Get it out, organize it formally for-mally at the grassroots level, and help it to solve many of the problems prob-lems which now beset the teachers of us. If I could live on in your professional pro-fessional memory as "Mr. Classroom Teacher" that would be the highest high-est compliment you could pay me. LOOKING FORWARD Now, let us cease to look backward. back-ward. Come here, stand with me, some to the right, some to the left, some of you tall ones behind me. The weight of these years has bent me somewhat, so you can see over. Look over me, don't overlook me I Now look ahead with me. Shut one eye and squint the other oth-er and look ahead with me. See ahead there Jordan School District Dis-trict finally awakened to the fact that high priced buildings do not necessarily make good schools, but that high priced teachers must staff those high priced buildings. Jordan District finally revised the revenue base, and put much that used to go into Capitol Outlay, over into M&O so teachers could bo paid adequately. ade-quately. She, (Jordan District that is, changeable and whimsical as a woman, isn't she)) realized that, in educating all the children of all the people, it did not have to be done in the middle of the day. She finally came to realize that factories, when demand mounted and orders piled up, did not keep building so that workers could be on day shift No, factories put on another shift. So it is, there in the fliture with our high schools. See, that huge new high school is organized so that one set of students stu-dents and teachers is ready to go at 7:00 a.m. runs 5 one-hour classes, class-es, then at 12:00 goes to its auditorium audi-torium period, after which buses take them home. The next set of students and teachers, who have their auditorium period over by 12:00 goes on through its 5 one-hour one-hour classes. The buses gather the first group and get them to school for the 7:00 o'clock opener. Then the buses go gather the second group and get them to school by I I .00 for its auditorium period. After the first group's auditorium activity, statistical statis-tical period, buses take first group home or to work; then take the second group home just after 5 :00 o'clock. Modern trends in education tend to require a student to be "on his own" 40 of his school time, do his reading and studying, without the close supervision of baby sitters, naively called teachers. This arrangement would require a self-starting type of secondary pupil, but she (Jordan District, that is) has not been asleep. Recognizing Recogniz-ing that delinquency does not suddenly sud-denly happen overnight, she has watched delinquent tendencies in the lower grades, and with a system which even held some of the little "holy terrors" in limited restraint, has developed a crop of secondary pupils who can "people" those groups 1 pointed forward to, previously. pre-viously. One principal could handle both groups, with a vice principal over each corps of teachers, one for the first or A.M. group, another vice principal for the second or P.M. group. School would be held without with-out interruption. All assemblies would come in the auditorium period, per-iod, games would be played at night or on Saturday, but school will be held daily, on schedule an inviolate invio-late schedule. 1 also see ahead there when the Superintendent of Jordan School District finally stood with the teachers teach-ers in a salary discussion, finally took his place as the champion of the educators within his district |