The St. Louis Republic., 1903-09-20
OBJECT STRONGLY
TO PUPIL TEACHERS.
"Model School" System as 1t Pre-
walls at Normal, ILL.,, Arouses
Opposition of Citizens.
SAY CONTRACT is ILLEGAL.
Think Their Children Suffer IN
Being Instr lcted by Embryo
Teachers Without Ger
tificates.
prp1-RI1c SPECIAL.


Normal Ill. Sept. .1s-Objections TO the
onplovment of pupil teachers in the pub
III sschools in Normal has raised serious
ouestion that will sooner or later afrect
every normal school in the State. COM
mittee has been appointed here to invesu-
gate the legal phase of the matter ana II
Is probable that it will get into the courts
The employment of the pupil teachers
comes about through an arrangement
made between the trustees of the Illinois
Normal University and the schools of the
sity of Normal under which the students
of the state Normal are permitted to re-
ceiye practical instruction in teaching IN
the public schools. Those who are op-
posed TO the plan declare that the eiil-
dren are being 'practiced on
There are five State normal schools IN
Illinois. each of which maintains ''prsc-
tice department. or model school. THESE
departments are established TO give tne
normal students practical work IN the
schoolroom. Each school has It's own plan
of model school and its own plan OF Civ
ing the students practice work
PLAN AT NORMAL.
The plan at Normal differs from all
Others Az arrangement has been entered
into whereby several rooms IN the puphc
school buildings are leased TO the Norman
school authorities for normal school pur-
poses Several normal teachers devote
part of their time to teaching in the pub
lie schools. part of their salary being paid
by the local School Board. Some OF the
local teachers have certain relations with
the Normal school and receive portion
of their pay from the State.
Under the plan the training teachers OF
the State institution take their students IN
to the public school rooms. put them IN
charge of classes and give them instruc-
tions in teaching. At the same time they
give the public school pupils instruction
themselves. and thus act in dual teach
ing capacity. The superintendent of the
city schools is also identified with the
Normal. and meets with fits faculty. he
receives portion of his sa.1ry from the
state.
So thorough and complete is the ar
rangement between the State institution
and the local schools that some of the
people who are opposing il. sarcastically
refer to the plan as 1.-THE merger" They
also speak Of 1t as an ''unholy combina-
tlon," and demand that 1t be 6fssofved.
The agreement between the normal and
the town was prepared IN legal form. and
Was submitted to vote of the people OF
the normal school district some time ago.
1t was adopted by a majority vote, and
for time there was little opposition to
the arrangement. Lately, however, there
has been disposition to concentrate the
sRRosifion' sl9Fs. and the committee Is 'ns re
QUESTION LEGALITY OF CONTRACT.
II is the purpose of the opposition TO
question the legality of the contract be-
tween the city and the State school, on the
ground that there is no provision of law
authorizing such mergers. It is contended
that the appearance of the pupil-teachers
in the schoolroom, in the capacity Of in
structors, is unlawful. for the reason that
they have not received certificates en-
titling them TO teach in the public schools.
At the Northern Normal. at DeKalb,
there Is an arrangement similar in its
character TO the one at Normal. Here the
entire twelve grades of the public schools
are represented In the training depart
ment of the normal. and the superintend-
ert OF the city schools is the supervisor Of
has been made by the people of DeKalb
concerning the arrangement, but the same
legal objections may apply to the plan.
The normal schools at Macomb. Charles
ton and Carbondale do not send their
pupil-teachers into the city schools. They
each receive q number Of the pupils from
ed In their practice departments. Only
such pupils as desire to go to the model
schools OF the normals are sent there. and
any fond parent who desires to savo his
child from the blight of the pupil-teach-
err may have his youngster sent to an
other school.
Under the agreements by which the new
normal schools were located in the towns
where they have been established the
cities were requird to furnish sufficient pu-
pills, to equip the model schools for the ex-
empli1lcation Of the work. No difficulty
has been encountered in securing plenty of
pupils for these schools and the pupil
teacher has been ENCOURAGED rather than
frowned upon.
DEFENDS MoDEL-SCHoOL PLAN.
In the arrangement at Normal and at
De Kaib the normal authorities believed
the experience gained in teaching typical
public school would be of much greater
value to the normal students than that to
be had in the ordinary model school 1t
was pointed out that in the model school
limited class of pupils. representing only
SUCH families as we're willing 30 send their
children TO it, came under the observation
of the teacher. On the other hand, all
school. i'f
IN Introducing the. new plan in Normal
precautions were taken to meet some of
the objections which are urged against the
arrangement. No pupil-teacher is permit
ted to give Instruction except under the
guidance OF Il normal school Instructor.
Plans Of teaching are carefully mapped
out in advance and must be submitted be-
fore they are used in the schoolroom Ev-
cry question asked and each problem pro-
pounded m1lst be approved by a trained
teacher before 1t is presented by the pupil
teacher.
Professor David Felmley, the president
of the State Normal, defends the plan
which is In operation as n rational meth
Cd Of imparting practical instruction to the
students of the normal. He denies, at the
same time, that 1t Is inimical to the in
teTests of the Public school pupil.