New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-06
popIrLAR OBSERVATIONS.
.ropx OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL.

40 MURRAY BUTLER ON ITS VALUE
NM TRAINING FOR TEACHERS.
-. ,,e Editor Of Tho Tribune
ety. The letter signed college IN your issue
.o-day and the interesting editorial discus
OF :, leave an impression upon the readers
$40" so.s not appear 10 me to be justified by the
facts ,..,o,,o, r.,or,,or fo- va,rs
&c hoen TO improve the teachers. by Q)
p.,uc the standard OF scholarship required for
..,e ppon the work OF teaching; and (2)
.,,,Ire OF them some previous study OF the
.,S,o,v principles and practice OF education
U.s.. ,orual school came into existence to meet
this dual demand.
,raead by ideal standards, the normal schools
49,. ~ course. far from satisfactory That they
80 IN the past. too often antagonized the just
MS ., higher and more liberal education is
go That some OF their graduates and repre-
natives unduly exalt mere formal methods in
.,,,p may also be admitted. But taken as
u,o,e the normal schools have done an I'M
.ss service TO the public schools Of the United
c,,,es particularly in small towns, In villages
~, =, rural districts The great need OF the
.-r,ol schools at present is a higher standard
:, drossion Nothing less than full -FOUR
-, course OF secondary education should De
.,an,ed as a preparation for their work Their
~-oauates could then be reasonably we'll htted
Gov elementary school teaching. Massachusetts
,os reached this plane, and New-fork is WORK
,n- toward It, other States are moving in the
same direction .
The colleges happily. have also begun 10
ova and in q direction and at pace that VIII
soon win the legal recognition for their grau-
Yates that college" desires. But the contention
that college graduate Is ipso facto competent
% teach and to develop methods or his owh'
C not only quite baseless. but has IN fact been
abandoned by the progressive colleges every
.ra.rA The college graduate is little better
e,,ed 10 teach without studying teaching, than
% nractise law or medicine without studying
their principles and practice. Columbia Univer-
.,v,s unrivalled Teachers College. New-York
,,nversitv's School of Pedagogy. Wisconsin Uni
versitv's School Of Education. and the depart
r,ents OF education at Harvard. Cornell. Penn
.vvania Syracuse Chicago and the great
western State universities are all evidence that
,h,s fundamental fact is widely appreciated.
Whom the college graduate can give evidence
that either as an undergraduate or later In a
university course he has prepared himself 10
teach by studying the great human institution
OF education then-and think then only-can
he claim legal recognition. Furthermore. he VIII
then have no difficulty In getting It. Indeed,
IN New-York he can get II now: for under
suoertntendent SINNERS enlightened admins
,,a,,on q plan has been worked out and is now
n operation by which college graduate who
has studied the history and principles OF educa-
ton may receive State certificate TO teach.
valid for three years. which, on the completion
OF three years successful experience In teach
ing, will be exchanged for certificate valid for
life More than this can hardly be asked or
desired.
II is worth knowing. too, that Section 273 OF
the Statutory Revision Commissions draft OF
new education law, to be presented to the Legis
lature in January. confirms and extends this
administrative provision of superintendent
SINNERS.
Section 10S1 Of the charter Of Greater New
York, which city will before long give employ
ment TO ten thousand teachers. provides that
the Superintendent may exempt from examna-
ton wholly or in part, graduates OF approved
COLLEGES and universities who have pursued
therein courses in education for not less than
one year: and II Is well known that Superin-
tendent Maxwell has exercised and will continue
10 exercise the discretion vested in him.
When all the college graduates who wish TO
teach are studying education. and when all the
normal schools are on the highest possible
plane. there will still be a dearth Of competent.
professionally trained teachers. There will be
work for all. Nor are the normal school grad
yates and the college graduates likely to come
into competition. save along a very narrow line
OF course. all normal school teachers and ell
secondary school teachers should have enjoyed
the inestmable privilege Of college education
The same is true OF superintendent and super
visors Of schools in cities and towns But most
Of the elementary school positions. including the
vriD ole ~, Citt Vytl1 fall
10 the normal school graduates. The two classes
OF teachers will divide the educational field be-
tween them and the principles Of natural selec-
ton will do the rest.
I NAV add that thus far the colleges exclu-
sively for women are laggards in the movement
TO study education scientifically. AS the late
Francis q. Walker pointed out some years ago.
this is q subject Of instruction that they, in par
tcuar should develop. Even more Of their
students will be brought into contact with edu-
cation as mothers than as teachers yet no one
Of their colleges is doing what 1t could and
Should in this respect.
The remedy then. for the grievance Of which
College" complains is not to clip the wings Of
the normal schools, but TO help them raise their
standards; and not TO license every college
graduate 10 teach. but to develop the study OF
education In colleges and to recognize.
teachers. those graduates who pursue that study
with success
NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER.
Columbia University, New-York,
September "a 1895.
ONE CAUSE OF SICKNESS