Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-11-07
REFORM IN TEACHING.
Educators Say Schools Must Have Up to Date Pedagogues.
DOOM OF OLD TIMERS SOUNDED

Speakers at q Recent Session of the Northern Illinois Teachers' Asso- citation Held at Evanston Declare Modern Teachers Must Be "Human- ized" and Take am Interest I'm Life. The sallow faced, irritable, frowning, spectacled pedagogue was recently ad- vised to jump into the lake, says the Chicago Tribune. At the same time the teacher who can dance, play bill lizards and pool and roll balls down a tenpin alley. was invited to come into the public school and fill the chair made vacant by the old time peda- gogue. Both invitations were given by the Northern Illinois Teachers asso- citation at the closing session of its fall meeting held in the Northwestern university building at Evanston, III. Speakers from all parts of the north ern section urged that the greatest need of the public schools of today is the 1'humanizationn of their teachers. They declared the pedagogue, mupmi- fled by fifty years of standing stilI' while the educational procession has passed by, should be buried in a deep grave and never resurrected for work in the schoolroom.
 The most important requirements for the modern teacher, as gleaned from a score of addresses, are as follows: Must be human
 Must be a good mixer in the polite usage of the term.
 Must be able to dance, play pool. bill liards and other games enjoyed by the community in which he lives.
 Must be church member.
 Must be magnetic.
 Must take an active interest In civlcs and the welfare of the city, ward, village or town in which he Is employed.
 Must go into society and make himself popular in the community.
 Must keep in touch with twentieth cen- tury life.
 Must understand the child and get into the good graces of the parent.
 Must be dignified and command respect and obedience in the Schoolroom.
 Must get out of the beaten tracks.
 Superintendent w. IT. Hatch of Oak Park was the first of the speakers to urge that there is no place in the schools for the old time pedagogue.
 4The mere pedagogue,' he said, lis unfit to train the twentieth century schoolboy," and then recommended CO., operation between parents and teach e,s. This view also was taken by President Cook of the Northern Illi- nois Normal school. who held there Is no place for the drowning, disagreeabie pedagogue who keeps in the ruts of half century ago.
 ''This teacher does no good and ham, pers the progress of education" said Dr. Cook. 'He'd better go out and jump in the lake" cried voice, and this declaration was applauded.
 Dr. Cook then said the doctrine of personal liberty has been carried too far, both in the school and outside Of it. -
 Superintendent Upton was the edu- cator who advocated the employment of teachers who knew how to dance and were not afraid to be caught glid- ing across a polished floor with an arm around 3 young woman
 After a score of educators had ex- pressed their views regarding the quail ifications of the twentieth century teachers the conservative element gained control of the meeting and by an overwhelming majority killed resolution indorsing phonetic spelling. This action was in direct opposition to that taken by the National Educational association at it's last meeting
 The convention adopted resolutions asking that instruction in practical and theoretical agriculture be added to the courses at all rural schools and that courses in domestic science be es- tablished in ali city schools. Another resolution advocated the consolidation of country schools.