The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-07
TEACHERS NEEDED
 FOR AGRICULTURE Supply Is Not Sufficient to
 Meet Demand SALARIES TOO LOW Agriculture Daily Becoming More and More of a Science and Requiring Teachers Especially Trained
 for the Work
SALARIES TOO LOW

Washington, May 6.-(Special. )-The na-
 tional welfare depends upon agricultural
 prosperity; agriculture itself is daily be-
 coming more and more of science; and
 these two factors reinforce the pressing
 demand for more and better agricultural
 education among the rural population.
 But where are the teachers of agriculture
 coming from? This question Is raised by
 A. c. Monahan. specialist in rural eduea-
 ton of the United States bureau of edu-
 cation, in bulletin just issued by the
 bureau for free distribution.
 At present nearly 2oOO high schools are
 teaching agriculture, the course being
 taken by an aggregate of some S70O0 pu-
 pils," MT. Monahan writes. But in all
 these schools, only very few besides
 those giving four year courses in this sub
 ject have instructors with a college or
 normal school training in scientific agri- culture, while a large percentage of the active teachers with this training have
 had no training in psychology or peda- gogy Probably no one factor has had greater influence in retarding the intro duction of substantial courses in agricul- ture in all those high schools whose pu- pills are drawn in large numbers from
 farming districts than the shortage of properly qualified teachers.
 Tt will be several years before the supply of men available as instructors in agriculture will be sufficient to meet the demand. Although the salaries paid are | from 50 to 100 per cent higher than are | those for instructions in other subjects I in secondary schools, the state colleges of agriculture are finding difficulty i persuading men to qualify specially fol | thaSa salaries are not equal to those paid the graduates ol these institutions in the agricultural in dustries.
 "It is important, however, that proper. I ly trained men be obtained. Agriculture 1 as a high school science has not yet beer | developed into good pedagogical form l and until 1t is so developed a higher grade. better trained teacher is needed for the agricultural subjects than foi any other subject in the high school cur riculum.
 Men for this work need 8 liberal edu-
 cation in the general culture subjects, to- gether with special training: First. In the physical and natural sciences, particular ly in their relations to the science and art of agriculture; second, in technical and practical agriculture and farm practice; third. in rural sociology and agricultural
 economies; fourth, in general psychology l fPSNieft
 al pedagogy, including the history of az
 ricultural and industrial education, the
 place and purpose of agriculture in tho
 high school, the function of the agricul- tural high school, special methods of teaching agriculture, and other similar ] aspects of agricultural teaching The opportunity for such preparation is offered by several of the state colleges Of agri- culture.'
 l The bureau of education's bulletin which is entitled Agricultural Educa- ton in Secondary Schools" will be sent free upon request to the commissioner
 of education, department of the interior Washington, D. c. Among the topics GOV cred in the bulletin are the following
 Essentials in a state system of agrcul- tural education the need for reliable scientific data regarding the rural prob lem, and the proper equipment of an az ricultural high school. A biblography of recent publications of the bureau of edu- cation which deals with agricultural edu- cation is also included