Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-11-17
EDUCATORS IN
!. SESSION TODAY
Convention for Discussing Inter-
state Certification Of Teachers
Opens in Joint Building.
WELCOME BY GOVERNOR sPRY
Federal Commissioner Prcscnt-Ad-
dresses by State and City Supcrn-
tcndcnts-Friday's Program.

y conference infinitely greater in i'm
poltarcc than would be Indicated by
the comparatively few educators In at
tendance opened this morning at $3.50
O'Clock at the board OF education rooms
in tho city and county building. This
gathering Of state superintendent of
public instruction of various western
states will take definite action, before
the sessions of the conference are over.
with regard to the interstate ccrtitca-
ton Of teachers and the standardza-
ton OF courses of study.
Not all of the delegates to the con-
vcntion are in the city yet. 80 that the
opening business session this morning
was not we'll attended, there being only
about u educators present. Promi-
ncnt among those at the morning ses-
sion, N addition to Gov. William II,
Spry and Supts. a. c. Nelson and d. II.
Christensen, were Harlan updegran,
personal representative of the federal
commissioner Of education, and +. &.
Bishop, superintendent of public In
s,ructlon of Nebraska. who presided at
the big educational gathering at Lin
coin several months ago
The purposes of the conference were
outlined by a G Nelson. state superin-
tendent of public instruction. in 4 short
talk He said that Utah. with other
states. was DESTROYS of having some
method devised By which uniform In
terstate ccrtihcat;on of teachers might
be accomplished. AT the present time
there Is no guarantee that teachers
from some of the states of the Union.
who apply for positions in the schools
OF this state and who are supplied with
al Ant
OF the Utah examinations. This is true
only of some of the states. however. for
there are a number of states whose
standards arc higher perhaps than are
those of Utah
WELCOME BY GOV. sPRY.
In behalf OF the people OF Utah. Gov,
William Spry welcomed tile visiting
educators to the state. He said in
effect that the latchstrlng was on the
outside and that the people OF Utah
felt honored In receiving a visit from,
such distinguished representation
Of educators. The governor endorsed
the idea of the interstate certification
OF teachers and the Standardization OF
courses of study. The movement
should be upward. he said, and tho
state having the highest standard
should be taken as the model.
In reviewing Utah's stand toward
education. both elementary and high
er, Gov Spry made n statement which
caused the eyes OF the visiting educa-
tors to open wide with surprise. He
said that during the year 1909 the
State of Utah expended for cduca-
tional purposes % per cent of the en-
tire amount of revenues for taxation
from every county in the state. This
per cent was out of the cisht-mli tax
assessed for general educational pur-
poses.
SuPT. d. II. CHRISTENSEN.
Following the address of welcome by
Gov. Spry. Supt d. RI. Christensen of
the city schools extended welcome to
the educators In behalf of the city and
the city schools.
Supt. Christensen said that at the
present time Salt Lake is not self
supporting in providing teachers for
her public schools. This city Is there
fore as much In need of an interstate
certification requirement rs any c'.s
in the Union. Among the states and
countries represented ,mor- the
teaching corps OF the city schools arc
Iowa. Massachusetts. Oregon, Indiana,
New York. California. Wisconsin. IL
ltnois, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Montana, Virginia. Connecticut, Ne
braska, Ohio, Colorado, Missouri,
Washington. West Virginia. Canada
and England.
",rhe. matter OF certificatlon is an
important one to consider" he said
THE effect of any attempt for the
general unincatlon of standards Will
have "A tendency to raise the standard
II you unity, of necessity. you must
approach the standard of the state
that Is highest. The movement must
be upward. consequently whatever ac-
ton Is taken must be on the general
unltication of standards.
"School attendance has been very
much more regular than in the past
and the result has been to bring, the
age of graduation down. SO that n girl
can now complete her normal course
one year or two years earlier. This
means that the graduate leaves the
school without the maturity of cx-
pcrience that graduates possessed in
the past. Less attention Is paid now
adays to the home training of the
| child and this Is another reason why
| the graduate of today Is less mature
| than in the past.
1T Is fact that at present many
| graduates come from the normal
| schools who are not experienced suf-
| hciently to go into the school room
and do the best work Some cities re-
| quirc teachers to have had two years
experience In outside schools before
being allowed to take positions with
| them"
r.