The herald., 1897-04-19
|NEEDED EDUCATIONAL LEG|SLA1|ON|



provided for a new Normal school; 1t
gave slightly increased appropriations
to each of the already existing Normal
schools, and II gave a liberal support
for the public schools. II failed, how
ever to pass one measure which. had 1t
become a law. would not only have
saved the different counties much mon
ey, but would have done more to ele-
vate the schools than has any other act
since the new constitutions went into
effect.
Under the present school law exami-
nations for teachers are held, twice each
year, each time at cost of several hun
dred dollars to the individual counties.
Were this necessary in order to provide
enough teachers for the public schools
no fault would be found with the pres
ent law, so far as this question is con-
cerned. The law, however, permits the
granting of three grades of certificates,
high school, grammer grade and primary
grade. The two latter license holders
to teach in the district schools. The pri-
mary grade certificate calls for low
scholarship and meager ability. Pupils
who have but just finished the grammar
school work are often able TO pass these
examinations. Those who are certifi-
Gated in this way are legally empowered
to teach in more than half the schools
of the state. Many think school work
an easy way to earn little money ana
so Cram up for a short time and pass
the examination. They have not the
least conception Of the magnitude and
Importance of a teachers work. AS the
law now is, there are about 1000 of these
so-called teachers in the state who are
seeking positions. This serious men
ace to the efficiency of our public school
system. This fact is recognized by
many of the educators of the state, and
at the last biennial meeting of the
county and city superintendents
change in the existing law was advo-
Gated. A bill was. therefore. drafted by
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Samuel T. Black, and introduced in the
late session of the legislature al senate
bin All, that would have saved large
amount of money to the state and at
+ the same time would have elevated the
public schools by protecting them from
the great mass of applicants for posi-
tions who hold only primary certificates.
This bill provided that examinations
for teachers should be held but once each
year. 1t also provided for the granting
of but one certificate. to be known as
elementary school certificate" in the
place of the present primary and gram
mar grade certificates. This elementary
certificate was to be as high in rank as
the present grammer grade certificate,
and was to license the holder to teach in
any primary or grammar grade school.
While We realize even at first thought
that this provision would have neceS-
Sarily elevated the teaching force and,
therefore, the schools, we can hardly ap
preciate its far-reaching effects for good
on the public school system. 1t Is much
to be regretted, therefore, that our legis-
lators did not pass this important bill.
Money to equip schools will in no sense
take the place of thoroughly competent
teachers; "as is the teacher, so is the
school," When will the people realize
that teaching should rank with other pro-
fessions? While it is impossible at the
present time, doubtless. to demand as
| thorough professional training for all
| teachers as for members of other pro-
| fessions, we can insist on one standard
of proficiency for those who are to Go
practically the same kind of work
The practice of granting primary grade
certificates on meager attainmen;s
arose when 1t was thought necessary for
a teacher to have only academic knowl-
edge. If he could read little better than
his pupils, spell a little better, and was
able to cipher ahead" of the latter, he
was supposed to have sufficient acquire
ments to keep school" AS the younger
children knew how to read and cipher"
but little, the primary teacher need know
but little. Therefore, teachers were and
are licensed to teach the little ones who
have but little more knowledge of sub
jects than their pupils are expected to
get. What mistaken idea of teacher S
| work! What would be thought of laws
that gave a physician the legal right to
practice on children until it was thought
he had learned enough to treat older pa
| tients? And yet this would be no more
absurd than is the present discrimina-
| ton in certificating teachers I'm fact it
| has come to be recognized by the lead
| ing educators of the world that as broad
range of knowledge and quite as
much skill are required to teach the child
! in the first grade as in the ninth.
When the supply was not equal to the
| demand 1t seemed necessary to keep the
required standard of scholarship as low
! as necessity actually demanded. This
| condition no longer exists. Approx
mately 500 new teachers are needed in
this state yearly. The Normal schools
| graduate between 800 and 400. These,
because of their long and special train
| ing, should be imme ediately sought after
|
| ing vacancies should be filled with those
| who have at least scholarship enough to
obtain grammar grade certificates. AS a
| matter of fact, however the county
boards under the existing law requiring
| them to hold two examinations yearly
and allowing them to grant primary GER
| tificates, license each year with primary
| grade certificates al least 500 young peo-
| pie who are no more prepared to teach
| than they are to set a broken limb.
| These, because they live in 'our town or
district" are employed to teach the home
| school when grammar grade teachers
of experience and Normal graduates
who have spent years in preparation go
seeking for positions.
| could give many instances of students
who have left the Junior classes of the
Normal school because they were men,
tally incapable of doing the required
work of the curriculum, who crammed
for month and passed the county ex-
animation. Ten chances to one these So
called teachers We're employed by some
relative or neighbor to teach the dis
| trict school, to the lasting detriment of
| the children. Not only this, but there
! seems to be no difference made in the
wages of these bunglers and, the best
trained and most experienced teachers
There should be but one grade of GER
| tificate for the primary and grammar
school work. To obtain this there should
| be a rigid professional examination, and
observation of their work by some COM
| petent teacher should be required as
the nearest approach to a test in pro-
| fessional training. This would greatly
limit the number licensed to do the most
important work ever assigned to man or
4 viz irin Of hox q n