Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-10-25
Competent AUTHORITY
MISS OPAL HALL WRITES OF
NORMAL SCHOOLS.
Talented Polk County Girl Tells of
Their Value to Children of the
State.

/
State.
BY Opal Hall, Supervisor of Drawing
and Manual Training, New York
| City.
in the shadow of that splendid institu-
tion, the state normal school, at Mon
mouth, Or, l have naturally "a deep
seated affection for the normal schools
in general, and that normal in partic-
ular. While regret the necessity of
using my own experience as an exam
pie, / shall hope to escape all accusa-
tions of selfish motives, as my pres
ent field of activity is so far removed
from Oregon, and every member of
my family has completed her educa-
tion and entered upon the work of
teaching 'the young ideas how to
shoot" some time ago. l am aware of
the great antiquity of that joke, but l
always liked it and hate to miss what
may be my last opportunity of using
1t. For the three normal diplomas
which have been granted to us, we
have given the state something over
25 years of teaching; linear measure.
That is mentioned because of the oft
repeated accusation that the state sup
ported the schools, and then the grad
yates didn't teach. The impression is
quite wrong in both Instances.
rTNt..-
support the schools Every student
paid tuition of $25 per year. Incl
dentally, Oregon is the only state on
the coast which requires tuition from
normal students. In the second place
The graduates enter at once upon
the work of teaching, and-with all
our prejudices against that libelous
term "old maid teacher" it is proof
that teaching is a profession which,
once entered upon, is scarcely ever
abandoned.
Apathy Is Alarming.
The apparent apathy of the general
population of Oregon toward the i'm
portance of having well equipped nor
NAL schools is alarming to those who
are most active in educational work
and know the conditions to which it
will eventually lead. The scarcity of
teachers is a growing problem, even
in the states where every inducement
is held cut to the young women to be-
come teachers, and with Oregon's rap
idly increasing population and grad
DO nGiY1 prNlx Of fnnn n6 nYaC
the inevitable famine in pedagogues is
not only a question of time, but an ex-
tremely short time. The situation in
Portland lis not so grave because they
have their own normal course follow |
ing the high school course, for those
who wish to become teachers in the
city, but that in no sense meets re-
quirementS for the many progressive |
towns and rural communities of Ore
gon whose best advertisement is an eX-
cellent school system. 1t is not possible
that the most beautiful state in Amer
lea shall be willing to cut down the
course of study to meet the attain
ments of unframed teachers. This is
an age of trained specialists, and an
unframed teacher is equally as dam
gerous as an unframed nurse or an un-
trained doctor. How long would a pro-
fessional man put up with a stenog-
rapher who was merely an educated
if she was not thoroughly
trained for the work he wishes to en-
ploy some one to do?
Anyone who has ever witnessed the
painful spectacle of parents, and edu
Gated parents at that teaching the
children their evening lessons, needs
lnly one such experience to convince
he most skeptical that the process of
developing juvenile intelligence isn't
al in knowing how to do the thing
yourself.
Benefits Are Great.
Compared with the amount invested,
he taxpayers get better returns for.
making it possible to secure well train
ID teachers for the public schools than
or any other investment which they
,ould possibly make. The normal tax
lsked in the referendum petition is so
'ery small and the returns will be a
plendid class of teachers who will go
o the towns and country schools out
ide of Portland, for the first two years
It least. The city schools do not em-
10y teachers until they have had 20
months actual experience.
New York City will make teacher
,ut of any girl who wishes to become
me without one cent of expense TO
lerself. Every book. paper, pen, pencil
nd in some schools even the lunch, is
upplied. The instructors are the very
,est which can be secured. without re-
ard to money and the buildings are
perfectly adapted to the work for
which they are intended. I am inform
d that there are 19 normal schools
n that state, but my personal knowl-
dge only refers to those in the city.
he board Of education would no more
onsider an application from an un-
rained teacher than from a child. All
ppointments are made under civil ser
ice regulations which require that
nyone coming from the outside shall
meet the same standards as their own
ormal graduates.
The city employs about 1900
sachers and the increasing population
nd vacancies caused by teachers en-
sring other professions OF quitting Z
he work. makes a new supply Of .
bout sO0O annually necessity. In my ,
- .a-.-~-s-..-f f.of T.rra fha~a rs-nra /,