Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-26
Defects Are Few in Comparison With
Its Merits.
|Ur STILL THERE ARE some
Views of WeII-Known Educator
on the Subject.
TEACHERS AND PUPILS

| Of the eXcelenceS of the American public
school system, for the excellences are more
| numerous and more fundamental. But 1t
Is duty to write Of the defects. for all
school men should be the severest critics Of
| their own craft.
| The first defect which I beg to name is
| the method of teaching names rather than
| Individuals. The number of pupils given 10
! each teacher is too large for serving the
| best results Forty, fifty and in some cases
even sixty represent the number assigned
| to a single teacher. The proper number of
| students represents question too technical
for the present discussion; the number diff
! fers in different subjects of instruction and
| under different methods and with different
| teachers. Henry Adams, prince among
teachers as he is among historians, has said
! to me that two was the right number for
| class; two being better than one. for each
| incpired the other. The Great Teacher was
content with trying to train twelve disct-
| pies, and He was given three years for the
service AS rule, no larger number should
| be given to an instructor than he can at
| one and the same instant hold or carry in
| his eye. The number too, should be so
small that the teacher may be able TO know
and to minister to the peculiar needs OF
! each. One boy should be taught the les
son of accuracy, another of diligence. an
other Of respect, another of promptness,
another of tidiness. The teacher should
| give himself to each scholar In such a way
| that each scholar may find help in forming
a strong and well-proportioned character.
Individuality.
| NV friend, Dr. Burnham Of Clark Uni
| versity, has said that 1.-The key words Of
| modern education are development, indi-
viduality, self-activity, first-hand study OF
things, especially Of living nature. adapta-
| bility character, health" In this wisely
| made list take 1t that the most important
one, at least for my present purpose, Is the
| word Individuality For II the teacher
| has regard for the individuality of each
| student the student will develop. and the
| teacher knows that in the process of de-
| velopment sef-activity is the most efficient
method. The first-hand study of things IS
prompted through the interest in the lndl-
| vidual. Adaptability is only the outer or
objective application of the subjective prin-
| cipes Of individuality. Character and
| health, too, are matters OF individual con-
| Germ and relation. Therefore one of the
| primary weaknesses of the public school
| system is the failure to attend to the indi-
| vidual student.
This failure is not so fundamental or so
disastrous as those not acquainted with
| the schools might easily be led to believe.
| For the American public school teacher is
usually a woman; and women, far more
than men. have deftness. knack power of
device They also have large hearts. In
| their love they individualize pupils, and
with their dizziness they make for them
selves methods which help them to know
and to serve each student. OF course, the
| fundamental ground of this defect runs
back, as so many defects in the educational
| system do. into financial relations. Nnen
! the American people learn. as they are
| learning each year and decade, that no tax
| alton is so remunerative of the highest ele-
ments of civilization as the taxation for
public education, they will double the num-
Der Of the teachers and halve the size Of
the classes in the schools.
Lack Of Power.
| The second defect which would suggest
| relates to the lack of power in the teacher.
| This defect one hesitates to name, for there
are many teachers who are able, compe-
| tent. efficient. I have the honor of know
| ing hundreds. I might say thousands, who
are adequately fitted for doing the work
to which they are called. But must 1t not
be confessed that there are tens of thou
sands who are not able, competent eff
cient? The causes or conditions leading to
this result are usually: "a appointment to
the position of teaching on other ground
than fitness for teaching, 20 lack of either
a liberal education Of a professional
training. 90 uncertain and short tenure of
office. a. small compensation, and 90
weak personality.
We are obliged to acknowledge that polit-
ical. UNCONVENTIONAL commercial reasons
do have value in many parts of the United
States in securing positions. The CONNER
cial reasons are far less common and less
potent than the political or the ecclesi-
astical 1t Is seldom that places to teach
are either directly or indirectly bought or
sold. But 1t must be said that 1t Is not sell
dom in many Of the towns Of the United
States. Of a population of % 600 for men,
for political reasons to have weight in the
securing Of educational positions. In not a
few cases the membership Of a candidate
In particular church, or the failure to
have membership in particular church,
determines election or rejection.
Lack of Trained Teachers.
Moreover. the lack Of professional train
ing is still characteristic. Normal schools
abound, and they represent one of the rich
est educational gains Of the last sixty years:
but they are still unable to supply the large
and constantly charging demands for we'll
trained teachers. There are moro than
400, 900 public school teachers in this coun-
try. 10 fill the places of those retired from
the service. and to fill the places created by
the growth of population, more than $1,000
recruits are called for every twelvemonth
Each twelvemonth the number of graduates
from normal schools, both public and pri-
vate. is about 1900. Therefore it remains
yet true that the typical teacher in the
tenure of office, too, is either uncertain or
snort, or both uncertain and short. Politi-
cal or similar reasons render it uncertain
and domestic reasons render 1t brief. Many
'o-NANNA
seem to the masculine mind, to be heads Of
homes than heads of school rooms Some
seven or eight years represent the length Of
the professional career Of the teacher. The
compensation also is not such as usually to
win and to hold the strongest personalities,
The highest salaries are paid on the Pacific
coast and the least in the south Atlantic
states. In the former section they slightly
exceed $50 month, and in the latter $50
These conditions and causes lead I'D to the
chief lack, to wit: the lack Of Vigorous
personality in the teacher. A vigorous per-
sonality represents large heart, a large
| mind keen and alert conscience a decis-
i've WILL 1t stands for the capacity to love
and to hate. to see, to discriminate. TO
Judge, to know the right and to do it. to
know the good and to do It, to know the
beautiful and to admire 1t.
Natural Conclusion.
If. therefore, the teacher be appointed to
the place for political or denominational
reasons. If she lack professional training. II
her tenure Of office be either uncertain or
short and II her own personality be not
able. is not the conclusion inevitable that
the teacher herself is lacking In power? IF
the teacher lack in power the school which
| that teacher teaches will be what the teach
er Is and what no teacher should be- Like
teacher like school Is even more true than
like father like son. Such a school will