The record-union., 1897-12-30

their attendance and study and in due
time receive their regular diplomas or
graduation
From the intense desire for better
preparation that l have witnessed in all
portions Of the State, I am satisfied
that hundreds Of teachers would avail
themselves of the arrangement indl-
Gated if it were carried out. 1t is
only by some such arrangement that
our Normal Schools will be able to full
fill their double function of preparing
teachers and aiding those already in
the schools. 1t is easy to imagine how
much more Normal School work would
mean to those struggling teachers than
1t does to the ordinary Normal School
student who knows nothing of the per-
picking problems which these teachers
have been forced to face in their re-
spective schoolrooms. These sugges-
tlonS apply with equal force to our
universities.
The limits of this paper prevent a COM
plete history of the certification of
teachers in this State. During the early
periods of the States history the schools
were divided into first, second and third
grades, and certificates were issued to
correspond With these grades, the first
valid for three years, authorizing the
holder to teach in first grade schools,
the second valid for two years, author
izlng the holder TO teach in second grade
schools and the third valid for one year
and granted only TO women, authorizing
the holder to teach in third grade
schools. These We're local certificates,
and We're valid only in the county or city
issuing same. Besides these, cities is
sued hiSh-school certificates, and the
State granted life diplomas, educational
diplomas. and certificates of the first,
second and third grade, valid throughout
the State. The educational diploma was
at that time granted on examination.
and not on experience and recommends
ton, as now; the first grade State GER
ullcate was good for four years, and
the other grades for the same length
OF time as county certificates of CORE
spending grades
In the course of time, the thrd-grade
certificate was dropped from the list,
and still later. the grammar primary
Srade certificates supplanted the old
first and second grade papers. For a
brief period the grammar school course
certificate was issued to meet the re-
quirements of the Caminnetti law es
tablishing grammar school course
schools These certificates were finally
merged into the present high school GER
tificates. The scholastic requirements
for the old first grade certificates, which
at that time We're established by law
was very similar 10 those of the present
grammar grade. the only professional
branch being the Theory and Practice
CT Teaching, in which no applicant ever
failed-the test studied being almost
universally spelling, grammar and
arithmetic. The law still fixes the re-
quirements for the primary grade GER
tificate, but 1t leaves the requirements
for the grammar grade and high school
certificate, to the discretion of the sew
eral County Boards of Education
throughout the State, so that it is pos
sible to have fifty-seven different stand
ards of requirements for these two very
important certificates, When granted on
examination. While there is a degree
of similarity, so far as scholastic studies
are concerned in the grammar grade re-
qulrements for examination, there ex-
lists considerable difference in the
amount of professional requirements
The variance in the examination re-
quirements for the high school certifi-
cate is so great as to make the problem
OF harmonizing the present high school
certificates granted on eXamina ton by
the various counties a very serious
question. The one redeeming feature is
the fact that those counties with the
lowest examination requirements have
issued but few high school certificates.
Whatever may be said, either for or
against the means of ascertaining the
qualifications for eachers at the pres
ent time or in the past, / think it is gen.
orally conceded by the intelligent teach
ers of the State that these means have
outllVed their usefulness, and that fhe
time has arrived in the educational his
tory of the State of California when the
pressing necessities of the schools de-
mand a modification of the present law
relating to the issuance of teachers GER
tificates.
l would suggest for your consideration
that the law be so amended as tn nro-
vide three certificates instead of three
grades of certificate. as at present. and
that each one of these be first class in
itself-nothing is too good for the chill
dren of California
Flrst-We need the kindergarten certi-
ficate. AT present there is no law for
the issuance Of such cei itificates, and Los
Angeles, San Jose and other places that
have established kindergartens have had
TO resort to various devices TO obtain
legal certificates for kindergarten teach
ers.
Second-There should be but one GER
tificate for the elementary schools The
distinction between the primary and
grammar schools is an arbitrary one
ranging all the way from the first four
years of school work, in some counties
to as high as eight years in others. Be
sides, why should not the primary
grades have just as good teachers as
the grammar grades? If any distinction
should be made, the primary grades
should be given the preference
Third-The high school certificate The
examination for this certificate should
permit a certain amount of election bv
the examinee.
The various subjects should be ar
ranged into groups of equivalent value.
allowing the candidate to make his Sc
lection, or the election might be even
broader than this by permitting the
applicant to select such branches as he
pleased. providing his selection were the
equivalent in value to any one of the
groups. The certificate, when granted,
should be a fun high school certificate.
High school teachers, being to a large
extent specialists, il is patent to all why
the elective feature should be adopted
in the examination. Each of these three
certificates being of the first grade.
should be issued for the full period of six