The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-07
Superintendent Cooper of Seat
tie Schools Addresses Edu-
Gators of Zion.
BROAD PLEA MADE FOR
MANHOOD AND W0MANH00D
Teachers Urged to Pride Them
selves on Honor of Their
Exalted Call.

Frank r. Cooper. superintendent of
the schools of Seattle and formerly SUI
perntenhent of the Salt Lake City
schools, delivered forceful address
before the teachers Of this city at the
Lafayette school yesterday afternoon.
He deplorcd the condition of affairs
which compels teachers to deprive
themselves OF some Of the material ne
cessities of life, and at the same time
made strong plea for broad manhood
and womanhood on the part Of second
airy teachers as against overspeciaiza-
ton.
1.-The profession of teaching is CON
ditioned on its under side and on its
upper side,' said he. ''On it's under
side it is conditioned by things ma
terial, which relate TO food. raiment,
books, recreation. etc, and the where
withal to obtain them. We all admit
that these considerations affect the
quality Of our work, ] have noticed
many improvements in this city. There
are more buildings and finer ones than
there were when | LETT. The banks
have more money. the mines are turn
ing out more products, and a new rail
i'1N Has 'I'thti up HlOlt
vet ] notice that the assessed valuation
has not materially increased. There is
bill before the Legislature, | am
told, in which IL is proposed to increase
the valuation. The tax levy ought to
go up with the assessment. so that the
teachers will not have TO work so hard
In nine months to earn a twelve
months subsistence This is not 10.
cal peril, however. 1t is national. Still
n f., . l.. IL AZ Al 4
Of the Nation will be aroused and will
respond so that we will be able to have
books and recreation.
THE profession of teaching is also
conditioned on its upper side. The
man and woman must be greater than
the teacher What the teacher sees is
different from what the man sees. The
teacher sees the relation of the pupil
to the subject; the man sees children
represents n cult He assists pupils in
their studies The man represents So
ciety, He trains boys and girls for
careers -
Mr.. Cooper then warned the teachers
against the danger of over specaliza-
tiou, saying that 1t is almost fatal to
a secondary teachers work when he
gets so near to his calling that he
shuts out the larger view, Though it
is important to know the ms and outs
of things. it is far better TO know how
things are related TO life, said he. The
speaker cited this as one Of the reasons
why the teacher should be relieved of
his care for the more material things
Of life through proper remuneration,
he must be given the opportunity to at
tain this broader view. He advised
that some of the methods of the Gram
mar grades be introduced into the High
schools, rather than vice versa, and
said that the pupil should receive the
attention of two or three teachers dur
ing the early stages Of his Highschool
career instead of being taught by four
or five teachers. 81 feel that if we do
not relinqnish these tactics of over
specialization the public is going TO call
a halt said he. Mr. Cooper closed
his address by urging the teachers to
pride themselves on their exalted call
ing.