The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-03-05
REFORM UP TO
The EDUCATORS
Lecturer Heard Here Last Year
Addresses Detroit Club

Prof Robert NJ. Wenley. University
of Michigan lecturer who appeared
in Calumet year ago, recently al
dressed members of the Detroit
Schoolmcn's club on Reform of Our
Educational system"
The reform of the American sduca
tional system cannot be accomplished
by the people of the United States
but IL Will have To be accomplished
by tile men In the educational pro-
fcssion,' was the introduction TO the
discourse.
Continuing, DIR. Wenley said:
The teachers and educators of the
United States are In better position
TO Change our educational system to
ut the needs of the people, because
the people have divergent views on
the subject. and American life is In
such transitory stage at present
that there is no dominant thought on
what should be done about II among
the people themselves.
For example II was not so many
wears ago that the entire United
States was dominated by English
thought and English custom. Today
this is not the case New Influences
have come into American life, which
many Of the people do not realize.
Detroit is the third largest Polish city
in The world. About 10 years ago De-
troit was homogeneous city II is
not today. 1t is the same through
out the United States. American life
Is constantly changing, and changing
fast New problems are arising In
this country rapidly ana We connot
solve them by looking at them from
the English point of view, for the
people are no longer English, either
In numbers or habits.
Consequently. with American HE
in such a transtory stage. how 1t Is
possible for the schools not 10 be in
"a transitory stage? You must re-
member that any school system. es-
tablished as ours Is, but an attempt
to prepare students FOR those position,
in life which the parents, In their
deepest thoughts, think the most de-
sirable. AS the parents. taken by
and large, do not agree. the schools
naturally are not satisfactory To all
the people. and hence the criticism.
There is no use in going abroad to
find the remedy which will solve our
educational troubles. We have got 10
work the problem out in America, ana
European systems can never lie APP
piled to this country with success.
The high schools In America ar.
trying to do under one roof and with
one staff similarly trained teachers
wlpt IL takes three separate classes
of schools, with three SEPARATE trained
STATS Of teachers and about three
times the funds, To do In Europe. Our
high schools ARE attempting to 60
what the Scotch high school, the Eng
lish technical school and tho German
commercial school do. 1t cannot be
done, as our high schools are consti-
tuted at present yet the critics find
fault and say ,here is something the
matter with the high schools of
course there is. but the fault is due
to the people and not to the educators.
who are valnly striving to give the
people what they want under system
which will not permit II.
America is commercial country,
and the people expect their children
to obtain commercial training from
an educational system which was
originally based on the fundamental
idea that tho greatest man Is the
greatest Scholar