Omaha daily bee., 1890-09-14
THE TRAINING OF TIE ACfERs.

THE TRAINING OF Tt; ACITE1RS.
Judged by the bestold world stand
ards, the training of teachers in the
United States is capable of being very
greatly improved, Our infcri GRITTY in
this respect Isl in n large measure due,
as stated by President Hall Of Clark uni
verSity imam article ON this subject in
the Forum, to the fact that we are in
America too sclf-satisfied and too indif-
ferent to what is done elsewhere.
Every respectable man of science
learns promptly of every inn por-
tant new discovery Or treatise in his line
through out The world, but our profeS-
siona sc hool for teachers, s,says Prof Hall,
our city and state supervisors, and even
our highest educa tional institutions are
conducted without utilizing, Or even
studying, the eXperienc of 9th er lands.
In the normal school the Prussan
minister Of education is quoted by Pro-
fessOr Hall as asserting, is found the
key to the merits and demerits of any
school system. Upon the guam
tity and quality of the pro-
fessonal training of teachers depends
the value of any system ofinstruction.
Not only is this true, Professor Hall be-
lieveS, but it is also indisputable that
there is no part of the educational sys-
tenn so prone to deteriOrate and ''because
not only sterile but injurious" The first
need of teachers, even in the lower
grades, is a bette knowed ge of the sub
jects taught. Professor H all urges that
teachers sh ould be far beyond their
pupils, even Of the brightest ones, and
should be able to command
the choicest resources of their subject.
Breadth Of mind and the ability to i'm
part instruction in any branch are best
obtained by careful labor in some chosen
mental field. To this end he believes
thatthe broad curriculum Of the normal
schools should be recOns tructed with u
view to greater attention to special
topics. Teaching, says this eminent
educator, is in no good sense profess
ional till teachers are far beyond the need
of keys and translations. Even reading,
school math ematics, history, geography,
languages and writing are far more ef
fectuall y taught by teach ers who have
been tempered FOR their work, by the
glow that comes from growing insight
into some chosen mental field, and who
know what devotion to truth for its own
sake means; who have de veloped some
interest in heir subject and enthusiasm
for it.
Prof. Hall would have one school lay
lightly more stress upon letters, history
andliterature Others, perhaps, upon lines
of scientific research. General training
only does not fit aperson TO enter into
the world as teacher in these days,
when all its intellectual spheres are
ruled byexperts- Me- xt after proficiency
in the subjects, Professor Hall placesthe
history Of educat ion and the institutions,
methods and laws of tOdayin this and
other countries. Every European gov
ernment, he says, keeps expensive agen-
cies TO learn promptly the latest changes
and improvements in all political
and military matters in other
countries, and strives to be the first to
ad just itself to every new condition and
10 avail JSellOl lh NlulluldCUutpTS, DUSl-
ness men and scientists follow the course
of modern thought and discovery in the
branches which engage their attention.
The same thing should be done in the
in terest of education. New departures
have been made in educa tior al me thods
in a number OF European coun tries,
but in the United States leaders
are too much absorbed in serv-
ing the interests of single insti-
tutions to study and profit by these for
eign experiences.
Prof. Hall suggests three things
which he believes will ad vance the cause
of education by securing better training
for the Teachers These are: First,
more thorough knowledge of the subject
taught. Second, a Knowledge Of thehis-
tory of education, educational institu-
-tions, and the methods and laws Of our
own country and OF other Countries,
Third, more careful attention to psy-
chOlogy