Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-03-20
LIFE CERTIFICATE
MEASURE HAS DIFFICULT
ROAD 70 TRAVEL.
LEADING EDUCATORS OF IOWA
STRONGLY OPPOSE MEASURE
Plan Asitated BY Only Few Teach.
ers, Declare OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES 10
Against Proposal to Enable lncom'
potent Teachers to obtain Life Ger
tificates.

Des Moines, March 2O.-Now that
Senator Cowles has had made special
| order his bill to effect d revolution in
the standard of scholarship necessary
in the teaching profession in Iowa, and
| TO provide a way by which life teachers
certificates can be secured more easily,
the bill will come up for full disc US
sion. and it is certain to receive some
hard bumps before il gets to the land
ing place.
This bin is the outgrowth OF agita-
,io. largely by teachers in Davenport
and Burlington which commenced
number of years ago when the uniform
certificate law was passed. They have
carried on an agitation extending over
several years and reaching Well out In
to the state the purpose Of which is to
practically make all teachers certif-
Gates for life, or TO make it so they may
easily be transformed into life ceru-
1icateS
In effect it will make it possible for
the holder of an ordinary second or
third grade certificate, who remains at
the work, TO work into a life certificate
wholly without professional training.
This is contrary to the policy to
which the educators OF the State
Teachers Association have long been
committed, that of raising the stand
ard With view 10 commanding better
pay. Leading educators of the state
intend to oppose the bill strongly. Their
objection is not to the fact of life ceI-ti-
icates, but TO the proposal that suca
certificates shall be issued on a very
low grade or showing of competency.
State superintendent Opposes.
State Superintendent Deyoe. when
asked about the matter, stated that in
| his opinion, the passage OF the bill
would place Iowa practically at the
bottom Of the list in the matter of the
standing for teachers certificates and
II would follow that not a single state
would recognize the Iowa certificates
or maintain reciprocal relations with
Iowa.
The plan proposed in the bill seems
TO be that the holder OF a third grade
certificate may select one subject in
which she is low, pursue a study of
that subject for TIME demand an
examination and get a high marking.
then follow with another and SO on.
Until second grade Is obtained; then
by pursuing the same course work up
| to a first grade; after which, having
pursued one line Of professional study
and having been engaged in teaching
| five years she secures a life certificate
on payment of IS. and thereafter is I'M
der no obligation 70 pursue a study or
follow UP a professional course. Thus
a uniform county third grade certificate
may become life certificate by an en-
tirely new channel
State Board Raps Plan.
In a statement prepared for the bene-
mt of members of the senate the state
board Of education says:
There is no general appeal from
the % 600 teachers of Iowa for any
change in the certificate regulations at
the present time. A small number
comparatively have become infatuated
with the term life owing to persistent
agitation by the teachers in a few cit
les. The proposition to abolish some Of
the fees teachers are required to pay
is just one. The first fee that should
be abolished is the institute enrolment
fee Teachers who attend the normal
| institute are usually those who receive
small salaries. Again. teachers who
manifest professional spirit enough to
attend the normal institute should not
be compelled to pay an enrolment fee
additional 10 the other expenses in
ctdent to such attendance However
1t should not be overlooked that when
ever either OF the fees may be abolished
mat larger appropriation by the state
for the support Of the institute must
take the place Of the fee withdrawn
or the institute will suffer from lack
of funds
I Other statements made in this con-
i nection are:
The certificate laws Of other states
do not provide for the transformation
OF county certificates into life certif-
Gates. Do we want Iowa made rtdicu-
lous by being placed at the bottom Of
the list Of states as far as the pro-
fessional standing Of teaching liz con-
cerned ?"
Professional Basis impossible.
I 1t is not possible to put teaching
on the same basis as the other profess
sions. If the state could require from
two to four years normal training
above the high school course from all
applicants for teachers certificates.
then there would ne reason FOR the
contention to make practically all such
certificates life certificates"
! "All life certificates should LANCE
| FOR CONCENTRATIONS