Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-11-05
REFORM IN TEACHING.
Educators Say Schools Must
Have Up to Date Pedagogues.
DOOM OF OLD TIMERS SOUNDED

Speakers at a Recent Session of the
Northern Illinois Teachers Assoc
citation Held at Evanston Declare
Modern Teachers Must BE |'Human-
axed" and Take an Interest In Life.
The sallow faced, irritable, frowning,
specialized 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
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. Ill.
Speakers from all parts of the north
ern section urged that the greatest
need of the public schools of today Is
the "humamization'' of their teachers.
They declared the pedagogue, mummi-
fed by fifty years of standing still'
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 CLEANED 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
lizards and other games enjoyed by the
community In which ne lives.
Must be a church member.
Must be magnetic.
Must take an active interest in civics
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 dignihed and command respect
and obedience in the schoolroom-
Must get out of the beaten tracks.
Superintendent w. II. 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.
THE mere pedagogue," he said, is
unfit to train the twentieth century
schoolbOy." and then recommended co
operation between parents and teach
ers. This view also was taken by
President Cook Of the Northern ILL
nois Normal school. who held there Is
no place for the frowning, disagreeable
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 a 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 |
Gator who advocated the employment
of teachers who knew how to dance |
and were not afraid to be caught Gid !
ing across a polished floor with an arm
around a young woman.
After II 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 a
resolution indorsing phonetic spelling,
This action was in direct opposition tu
that taken by the National Educational
association at its 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 all city schools. Another |
resolution advocated the consolidation |
OF country schools.