Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-06-13
Recalls Teaching Days.

Speaker Champ Clark, of the House o
Representatives, recently visited Baltimor
in response to an invitation to talk to tn,
members of the Maryland State Federation
of Grade Teachers and the Teachers Lit
erary Club of Baltimore. His address wal
a characteristic one and was received will
a great deal of enthusiasm.
II feel" said Mr.. Clark, that have 6
right to speak before school teachers
began teaching school before | was Is
years old and continued, with some inter.
missions. until was 27. At 20 was
president of college and was the youngest
college president in the United States. And
| might as well say that when began
teaching school at is my chief qualifica-
ton was my physical strength. Laughter
"And then | married a schoolmarm
While am about it can tell you that a
schOOlmarm makes rafting good wife,
| and may as well add that every now and
| then have hankering to be teaching
school again. have been pretty successful
both as lawyer and as politician, but
still would like to teach school again.
You know that lawyer is not always GER
tain that he is doing good for his commu-
nifty when he succeeds in turning his client
loose on the public, but a teacher is certain
of doing good in all his work that is, until
he strikes history. Laughter.
But might as well say right here that
teaching will never be what it ought to be
until teachers are paid better and the
school terms made longer. [Applause.l
think the school term ought to be at least
nine months and the teachers should be
paid enough to make them look upon teach
ing as a desirable lifetime profession. AS
it is now. teaching school is usually looked
upon as stepping stone to something else
instead of being followed for itself. Of
course. | know had no business to be
teaching school at IS, but it was the only
way could get money enough to 60 to
college. and l was determined to 90 to
college.
Now am going to talk plain. What is
the matter with our American school sys-
tenn It's high time you were figuring it
out. We spend more for our schools than
any other people on earth, per capita, and
the census returns show that Of the white
people Of the country there was only per
cent. that could be classed as illiterates.
1t seems that pretty nearly everybody can
read and write.
"But there is some serious defect in the
teaching system. 1t is shown by the en-
trance examinations at the Naval Academy
at Annapolis and at the Military Academy
at West Point. At the last examinations
at Annapolis 219 young men were exam
ined and 173 of them failed. Only 40
passed Isn't that strange thingH
1t is all the stranger because the boys
who are appointed to the academies are
appointed usually after competitive exam
nations held in the district from which
they come. Now, 1t is to be assumed that
of the 219 nominated for the academy all
but small percentage were nominated as
a result of such examinations, yet they
come to Annapolis and all but 46 of them
funk on their entrance examination. There
has been one vacancy in my appointments
at one of these academies for most of the
time in the last 10 years.
Moreover, an examination of the records
shows that as many of these boys failed in
spelling, arithmetic, grammar. geography
and algebra as failed in geometry and
trigonOmetry. say it is disgrace to the
school system of the country that this
should be So What is the explanation?
II you cannot give it. you ought at least
turn this thing around in your heads for
awhile.
One of the reasons why | think we are
not more successful with orr teaching IL
that we undertake TO teach too MANY
thinds. tell Won II ia better for the nrac-
t;caI nurnoses If life m know one tb;nd
tborondhIv than IN have n emot,srina ~ q
dozen things. The chief business Of the
earn his bread and butter hut he will not
earn very much of n unIees no Lno,ve
soma,b;na narticularlv wall hel;eve theSe
SchooIs Of Ours ondht 70 teach aserv hov
and d;rl some one th;na On thoroushIy thai
each ~ them will he aSle m MAKE q I;v;ns
out Of that ,hev have heen to"aht ~ the
occos;on or;seS IAnnIansal syouId in
&c. on ,boromahDaos II ad~ca,;on ;nS,oad
Of d;ffns;on for we have hean srraodina
CT 49,. non,n,on ochnoI c,,.r;o,,I,Dl It'll i,
IL hin IN niaces UNI" ~
Snaatar CIorL told tho ,oocbor0 tho, nm
Dhoe;s o"sht 70 he Ia;d mon ,he ' h;s,orv
~ ,Sa;r o,.,n county aod S,n,o wv
81 ,.,o,,Id ,ooch nv, n,,,;,s "a ,,,,,oh M
.n;S," 49,, 1a III h;s. pupie 90 Hull n 90
she~ ahont nv c,o,a ia ,ba, .bo IIn;tod
See =" he non,;n,,o5 ..and 10 IT, ,.,oa
go ,;,,,., Ios, I ,.,o,,iJ .oanh .h,, go
.h; y nm ahon, rho rora;an cO,,n,,;ao ' ''''
' "Hnd e,,eru ~" D,n;I Is ,So nnhIic sohools
o,ah, 70 he top p ho, ' ,o puUo sDaooh
! hsI;e,o 49, ,~u ST. NV r,eos hn h. soO,a
,oIforroot;n1 Of he ISL nc oho aS SUM- n,
thing which he knows. The trouble is that