Education: Big & Strong

Four years ago, when Rose Freistater, 26, of The Bronx applied for a teaching job, New York City examiners put her on the scales, shook their heads when the needle clocked 182. Refusing her a permanent job, they made her a substitute biology teacher, told her to train down to 150. For six months she rode horseback, hiked ten miles a day. dieted to the limit, became so weak that she ''could hardly pick up a thread.'' Then the examiners asked for her weight, still shook their heads when she said 160. Thoroughly demoralized, she stopped dieting, promptly swelled to 181. Last summer, not an ounce lighter in spite of four fretful years, Miss Freistater appealed her application for a permanent teacher's job to State Commissioner of Education Frank P. Graves (TIME, July 29). Said Rose's husky father David: "Rose is not fat. She is just big & strong." Said Rose's counsel: "You can see for yourself she's not fat. She's just built like a football player." Said Rose: "I'm built heavy like my brother, and he has given a number of blood transfusions. If you can give blood transfusions why can't you teach biology?'' Fortnight ago the New York City Board of Examiners answered Miss Freistater's appeal: "Teachers should be acceptable hygienic models for their pupils in matters of weight." Fat people have "relatively higher mortality and morbidity rates than persons of normal weight.'' Too many Rose Freistaters would "constitute a drain on the teachers' pension fund." Convinced that no diet could save Miss Freistater from expanding, sooner or later, to her normal 182, Board Chairman Henry Levy explained: "Teachers must climb stairs, take part in fire drills and be able to handle all real school emergencies. ..." Last week Commissioner Graves fixed Dec. 11 for a hearing on the appeal. Meanwhile Miss Freistater announced triumphantly, "I'm ready for them! I'm down in the hundred and fifties!", begged the Commissioner weigh her himself.