The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1903-03-06
Continued from page 2.

anu tne DeSt methods or presenting IN
struction to her pupils. All these quail
fications, and many more should she
possess who engages to handle success
fully the little ungraded country school
1t is to be regretted that only few of
the teachers of our rural schools
measure up to the qualifications just
given. Many of them have had little
education, if any, beyond the subjects
they are actually required to teach.
Immature in years, without special
training for the W, TX, and with no am
bition nor expectations of following the
work as a life calling, a large percent
age of them fail entirely to meet the re-
sponsibilities which they have assumed
and as a result bright children lose the
only opportunity of their lives for gain
ing that inspiration and uplift which is
the rightful inheritance of every pupil
during the first few years of his school
| life.
There are in the state about sixty-6ve
hundred ungraded schools, and little
more than this number of graded
schools. There are, all told, about fif-
teen thousand teachers, over four
thousand of whom received last year the
lowest grade certificate. The great ma
jority of those holding third grade GER
titicates are employed in our ungraded
schools. The average service of the
rural teacher is not over three years.
This means that one-third of our coun-
try schools each year are in the hands
of inexperienced teachers.
In few minutes there will be thrown
upon the screen pictures of dilapidated,
unwholesome school buildings, and,
while we shall look at them with de-
gree of adherence, yet we must not for
get that the buildings of our rural
schools, in many cases, will register
higher degree of efficiency than the
teachers who occupy these buildings.
Plans have been proposed and will be
proposed for improving the buildings,
but how shall we Improve the teachers?
Our normal schools, good as they are,
are simply inadequate to train suffi
cient number of teachers for our schools.
OF the fifteen thousand teachers of the
state only one out of every fifteen holds
certificate from our normal schools,
and it is safe to say that nearly all this
number are employed in graded schools
Very few normal school graduates are
certainly cannot depend upon our nor
NAL schools for the preparation of our
country teachers. Some other method
must be devised-a method which will
train large numbers at comparatively
little expense to the state, and also at a
reasonable expense to those desiring to
prepare to teach. This would imply
that the training school must be brought
to the young people, rather than that
they should travel long distances to such
a school The plan would suggest is to
establish as speedily as possible train
ing school in each county, in connection
with one of the better high schools.
We have in this state most excellent
group of high schools. In almost any
county may be found number Offering
four years of splendid work. One good
school in each county could be selected
and authorized to organize depart
ment which would be known as Train
ing Department for the young people in
the county who desire to take up the
work of teaching Graduates of other
high schools could be admitted to this
department No one should be admit
ted who was not graduate of high
school, A course should be adopted of
perhaps two years in length Thorough
instruction should be given in peda-
gogics and methods of instruction, and
in addition, thorough instruction in ma
ture study, or elementary agriculture.
This school should of course, receive
help from the state, depending some
what in amount on the course of in
struction offered and the number of
teachers employed.
Each training school would be of such
advantage to the city or village in
which it was placed, that much of the
expenses would be gladly borne by said
city. Each city school has already the
necessary organization to carry on the
work The superintendent of the city
schools is an expert in pedagogics. The
city schools would serve as a training
school for pupils preparing to teach.
They would have every opportunity to
gain knowledge at first hand, as to the
best methods of imparting instruction
Many of them could receive actual ex-
perience by substituting in the absence
of regular teachers.
There should be teacher in this
training school who is thoroughly pre-
pared to teach nature study or elemen-
tary agriculture. A school garden
should be maintained in connection with
this school where the practical work
could be carried on. This would bring
those preparing to teach into sympathy
with country life and they would bring
| to their work in after wears knowledge