The San Francisco call., 1898-01-07
NORMAL SCHOOLS.
sAN FRANCISCO. Jan


 SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 4, lSSS
 Editor of The Call-Dear Sir: fSeIei ring to an editorial in The Call or Jan uary l, 1S9S entitled "A Plethora ot NC No nal Schools permit the writer hliiee.. Normal graduate, a teacher oh
 years experience. with also some eA perience in the employing of teachers a few words pertaining to the subject. Not only Mr. Black but other educators have on every occasion during the pas. few years at least, whenever they coulu catch the public ear, never 1alieo Io Lo mind the people of the State that Htue Normal Schools were unable to supply the demand for teachers.
 Now every Trustee or Director Wnose duty it Is to employ teachers has every reason to believe quite the contrary, dho if MT. Black will give us the facts upon which he based this assertion the people may become convinced.
 It certainly cannot be that MT. Black has been called upon for teachers and that he and the principals of the different Normal Schools have been unable to re spond to these calls by giving them the teachers. If so. these Gentlemen at the heads of education in the State need only to call on any School Board. My expe- rience assures me that every board m the State has enough teachers on its sub stitute list to fill all the vacancies lhas will occur during the next ten years, ana  and worthy applicants whose letters are filed away to fill all the vacancies for succeeding ten years. MT. Black ana the principals ought to know that every year School Boards are beset with apph- cants in such numbers and to such de' gree as to make them feel like hiding themselves away from home to avoid meeting applicants only to say We have no place for you" Nor can these wor- thy educators claim that the unsuccess- ful candidates for teachers positions are unht Tor the places. On the contrary. they are oftentimes more competent than those now occupying the positions.
 Now either MT; Black and the princi. pals or the people who employ teachers are wholly ignorant of the fac=s in the case In the light of the taxpayer and of the School Trustee I believe that and too many teachers. If the Normal schools made only good teachers they would still have capacity to suppry more than are required. For almos. every place in the business world there are two persons who could fill it, and for every vacancy there are a hundred applicants. den themselves with additional taxes, to throw more and more people into the ranks of a profession already very much overcrowded?
 It is all very well for man to be en- 1 thusiastic in his profession and want to establish more NormalS, but we have heard so much of it of late that to School Boards at least 1t is becoming slightly nauseatfng, and the only thing that will cure the nausea is to hear no more of 1t, or hear from Mir. Black some facts to convince us that the stand he has taken Is based on reasonable and sufficient grounds. It Is one thing to make an as- serdon and quite another to establish it's harmony with the facts in the case Do we need more teachers? No. most certainly not. Then we surely do not need more Normal Schools except 1t be to create positions for the teachers al- ready out of employment. Yours respect fully, s. H. STRILE.