The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1912-11-29

ers thoGgh some OF them ere main.
tanning as many as fifteen or more
state normal schools. The difficulty
lies in The fact that the work that
the work that is TO be done in amor
NAL school is ol such a natuge rs to
! limit the attendance. il satisfactory
results are TO be obtained The mum.
ey Of students that ought 70 be ad-
United, under ideal conditions, is de-
termmod by the number OF children
available for teaching purposes in the
training department. This number
VIII of necessity vary according 20
The location OF the school. With nor
mails situated in small towns as they
| are in our state. IL is impossible TO
secure a very large enrolment of chill
dren, community pride VIII not per
mir the people to abondon their own
public school in order to provide chill
dren for teaching purposes in q nor
MAJ school There is difference OF
opinion In regard to the proper ra-
tio of The number OF children To the
number OF students in a normal. but
in schools that have no preparatory
department, the ratio OF four to one
may be considered satisfactory. The
normal az Providence, r. l., mas eish.
teen hundred children in the training
department and four hundred stu
dents i'm the school. and the presi-
dent thinks they need more children.
Massachusetts, the policy is to linn
Il their normal schools, as far as
possible, to two hundred students. Il
seems to be generally conceded that
no normal school can do efficient
work with an attendance OF more
than five hundred Applying these
observations to our own state. let us
suppose for illustration, that we are
thoroughly eQipped TO take care OF
an enrolment of five hundred teach
crs in the normal department. proper
OF each of our six Institutions. THIS
woald mean an annual list OF grad.
yates OF about one hundred twenty
i've for each school, or about seven
hundred fifty in all But oklahoma
needs in her elementary schools not
less than two thoudnsa trained teach
ers annually 10 take the places OF
those who leave the ranks. t'nfor
tunately this shortage must be met
hy choosing strangers from out OF
the state and those who have only
PARTIALLY completed their profession
al courses and others who come from
the ranks OF the wholly unprepared
Does itis indicate that we have TOO
many normals? Ii there is further
doubt in our minds about the ques-
ton, we should take into considera-
ton the additional fact that not more
than w MY per cent Of the teachers
engaged IN our elementary schools
this year Nase ever had any special
training for their work. and that more
than seventy per cent Of them are
teaching low grade county .certifi-
Gates.
Il may be said, Of course that most
# those who are lacking IN rneir pro
fessional and academic training are
teoohine in tho rural schools. WBue
this is trbe. we know of no reason
whv one community or one set Of
chjldgen should have good teachers
while another community ana another
set OF children should be Obliged ia
endure the nnfrained teacher.
The comnlajnt is sometimes heard
that our normals in Oklahoma are
moi combining their activities to their
true sDbere. that they are admitting
immature students. ana fhat thev are
doing work that oueht 10 be done hy
our local hfgh schools. This Is Doubt
less true. but ID shou'd ne remember
cd that our law permits bo1s and
girls to enter The teaching profession
at the age OF sixteen years; and that
the demand for teachers i'm, Oklahoma
has been So great that the Immature
and the unplepared have always
been able 10 secure positions in our
pu5llc schools. To meet this condi
zion it has seemed advisable to main.
tain preparatory departments in all OF
our normal schools. we admit that
such conditions arc far from ideal
but we should bear In mind that edu
cational Ills aIe Of such a nature that
they can not be cured in day. As