The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-08-29
Training the Teacher
By Frank e. Howard

The large number of teachers re-
ouired in our public schools each
year, the low salaries, and the gen
eral lack of uniform requirements
among the educational systems III
our various states, have in the pass
initiated against high standards OF
professional preparation. by its IN
trinsic merits, teaching is a profess
sion. lust as truly as law or medi-
cine and some technical training Is
necessary to the highest success ana
largest usefulness in this great field
OF human service. Our own state as
well as others is rapidly recognizing
the necessity Of trained teachers IN
our schools and gradually will in
crease the requirements for profess
sional preparation. The teacher oil
sound pedagogical training will be
more and more in demand. With this
in mind we have outlined briefly
some of the essentials of a teachers
professional equipment. A thorough
academic training in the branches
taught is so necessary that 1t S
presupposed and We shall confine our
selves to the purely professional pre-
raration.
/. knowledge of Children.
| II the workers in steel, bronze,
gold, etc, need a minute and accur-
ate knowledge of the physical pro-
perties of metal they are manipulat-
| ing how much more is 1t necessa'!
for the teacher to know something
about the body, mind and soul of the
growing child. Modern child study has
brought out many facts concerning
child life and nature that have hither-
to been ignored or poorly understood.
and IL is the recognition OF these
that has made the difference between
the old and the new education. The
successful teacher must be a train
ed and sympathetic observer OF child
Lood and youth and it is only through
training and practice that he can ac-
ouire this skill. The unframed teach
er does not know what to look for
nor how to interpret or utilize the
facts he does observe. Such train
ing not only gives the teacher
broader outlook on child life and edu-
cation, but also gives skill in meet
ing actual conditions of the school
room. Children differ greatly IN
temperament and no child has uni
from characteristics throughout his
development. Tho boy Of fourteen
may be as different from the same
boy at ten as two boys not OF the
same family. To be able to antici-
pate and meet these various and elu-
siye changes will enable the teach
er to avoid many mistakes that Of
ten result seriously not only TO
himself alone but to the child In
question. Some one has well said
that there is nothing in the universe
so worthy Of reverence as the body
and soul of a growing child. II they
are worthy Of reverence they are
surely worthy Of careful study.
2. History of Education.
An intelligent appreciation of the
significance Of his own work and pro-
fession is a prime requisite for the
inspiring teacher. A study OF the
great educational movements and re-
forms of the past gives a broad out
look and enables one TO see what
forces have been most effective and
wherein the greatest mistakes have
been made. A knowledge Of the
lives and labcrs of such educational
reformers as Comenius, Pestalozzi,
Froebel, and Horace Mann is never
failing source of inspiration and In
struction to the teacher who feels
that he is working under difficulties.
And besides, the influence OF such
educators is still seen in our schools.
There are few Of the great principles
OF modern education which were not
anticipated in a general way by
Comenius, much CT the enrichment CT
cur elementary work has been quite
directly due to the influence OF the
teachings OF Herbert and Froebel.
While the history OF education may
not bear SO directly on the work
OF the classroom II is a branch OF
professional culture OF which no pro-
gresslve teacher can afford TO be
ignorant.