The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-08-24

school graduates and teachers with ex-
perience have frequently observed stu
dents listening to discussions on teach
ing that they failed utterly to to compre-
bend The student who mastered geOm-
etry and trigonouletly WAS III turn con-
quered By simple principles of pedagogy.
Can the training school student do prof
liable professional work without thor
ough preparation for it? True some
thing will be gained but will not the
same time spent III the Normal be fully
as profitable? And what Is there to at
tract prospective teachers 10 the train
ing school any more than To the Normal
with its able faculty, well equipped Lab
ratories, and large library? Does
establishment o. the training school
mean the discontinuauce OF the teach
ers examinations? If not the training
school student has no guarantee that he
| will secure a position any more than the
unframed country pupil who passes the
examination The writer knows OF Il
case where Normal graduate with ex
perience would have failed to secure a
certain position had he demanded one
dollar per month more than the board
was willing to pay any teacher legally
qualified The board was composed of
men Oh more than average intelligence
out they felt bound To comply with the
wishes of their constituents. Theoretical
ly the trained teacher should be PREFER
ed to the unframed but in most cases he
stands only the same chance. Boards
are often prevented from selecting a
teacher on his merits by the fear OF con
domination by those demanding low wages
often by their own false sense of econ
omy and often by the ties of kindred |
friendship, etc The training school
graduate cannot expect to fare better
who whether trained or unframed have
proven their ability 10 teach
# the requirements for admission
would be about the equivalent OF Il third |
grade certificate and Ihe issuance OF II
one-year license to tettch De discontinued |
so that the school would be composed |
mostly of persons who are now teaching |
and who intend to remain in the work
most of the objections have heard rails
ed would be answered, though possibly |
others would arise. But ii not, would |
not the school be composed of those very |
pupils who, the editor says, gave strength |
purpose and inspiration to the district |
school and whose withdrawal is sapping
its life bloody Admitting that the train
ing school gains an enyiable reputation |
that it is found preferable to the Normal
will not the pupils VINO seek admission
be the strong country pupils who are
seeking an education rather than prepar
alton for teaching They may prefer
the training school to the high school |
because of its shorter course and ut the |
end of the year find themselves launched
in work already overcrowded when
perhaps they would have utilized their
talents in some other work to greater
advantage Meanwhile the one-year
certificate, that magical document that
,nsforms the counirJ pupil of yeste-
day into the country teacher of today, is
| being issued and the surplus of teachers
! increases. And the cheap teacher, the
teacher who brings ties of friendship in
to play, the one who uses political tao
tics, and the one who even stoops to
| bribery, ii reports are true, secure posi-
tons regal dless of training.
The substance of my argument is that
the training school designed to better
the supply of teachers does not strike at
the root of the evil The law of supply
and demand is not confined to commodi-
ties but applies to labor as Well With
every school in WISCONSIN in session next
students in the various normal schools.
, Many of our 5000 or more rural schools
already have we'll qualified teachers
! whatever certificate they hold or train
, ing they have received. 1t would seem
5 that the normal schools would soon solve
: the rural teacher problem but the demand
is lacking. Had the farmer been content
e with the cradle or the reaper there would
not have been the wonderful revolution
r in agriculture that has taken place. And
i SO long rs this same farmer who was SO
! ready to adopt these material improve
! ments is content with the. boy or girl
: holding certificate as TEACHER. teach
: ing can not attain that dignity of pro
e fession in the country, AS Prof Patzer
i said last winter If you want better re-
i suits from the rural school you must put
IS more money in it. Even if TIE petty
sum, say $1,000 or $4,000 necessary to
Il maintain the training school We're dis