The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1912-11-15
Normal Policy
is Defended

teonanuea from Pass pneJ
fIcn4i aeed A suy state "a trained
teachers for oA public schools. The
functions 81 normal school ls to
sram teadAers for the elementary
schools. There are more than iiye
ihousaud SUCH schools in Oklahoma,
ana III shem are employed more than
teB thousand teachers The proies-
sional Ilie el teacher is about five
years. this means that at least one-
fifth OF our elementary teaching force
drops out OF the ranks every year
and that their places are taken by
young men and women who are just
entering the profession, having never
taught before. IN Oklahoma there.
fore, there are about Two thousand
Of these inexperienced teachers en-
tering tie field every year II we are
to furnish ample facilities for the
training 81 all our teachers, Vie need
as many normais az # may require
10 train two thousand teachers an
nually we admit there X room iorI
q difference 81 opinion I'D regard tol
the number that may be needed TO DO
this but We must agree that no state
ID the Union has ever been able to
meet is demand Tor trained teachers,
though some of them are maintaining
as many Is fifisca ~ more state nor
mai schools. The difficulty lies In
TIE iact that the work that Is to be
done in normal school is Of such
nature as to limit the attendance, If
satisfactory results are to be obtain
ed. The number Of students that
ought to b. admitted. under ideal con-
ditions, IS determined BY the number
OF children available for teaching pur
poses ID The training department This
VIII. Of necessity. vary accord |
ing 10 The location Of the school With |
normals situated III small towns as
they are in our state. It is impossible |
TO secure a very large enrolment Of
community pride will not
permit the people to abandon their
own public school in order to provide
children for teaching purposes ia a i
normal school There is a difference |
Of opinion regard to the proper ratio
of the number Of children 10 the mum
Der Of students in normsN but in
schools that have no preparatory de- !
pariment, the ratio Of four to one may
be considered satisfactory The nor
NAL al Providence, R. l., has 500 chill
dren III the training department and |
400 students N the school, and the
president thinks they need more chill !
aren III Massachusetts, the policy "a |
10 limit their normal schools, as far
As possible, to 200 students. It seems
10 be generally conceded that no nor
nal school can do efficient work with /
40 attendance Of more than 800 Ap /
plying these observations to our own I
state, let us suppose for illustration,
That we are thoroughly equipped to
take care of an enrolment Of 500
teachers ii the normal department |
proper Of each Of our six institutions
This would mean an annual list OF
graduates Of about 1875 for each schol |
Or about $50 in all But Oklahoma
needs in her elementary schools not
less than 200o trained teachers annp, |
ally 10 take the places 0f those who
leave the ranks Unfortunately this |
shortage must be met BY choosing |
from out OF the state and
those who have only partially com
pleted their professional courses and /
others who come from the ranks OF I
the wholly unprepared. Does this in-
dicate that We have too many nor
mails? If there is further doubt in
our minds about the question, we
should take into consideration the adj |
ditional fact that not more than 20
per cent OF the teachers engaged in |
eur elementary schools this year have
ever had any special training for their
work, and that more than 70 per cent
of them are teaching on low grade
county certificates.
Il mas be said Of course, that most
Of those who are lacking in their pro
fessional and academic training are
teaching Ia the rural schools While
this is true, we know Of no reason
Why one community or one set Of chill
dren should have good teachers while
another community and another set Of
children should be obliged 10 endure
the unframed teacher,