University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1914-01-12
This is the second OF a series Of
Vocational Talks.)

of Education, discussing teaching as a
profession. took occasion to contradict
the popular idea that only honor stu
dents make good teachers.
The notion that only Phi Beta
Kappas can teach is exploded" he
said "On the contrary, it is harder
for Phi Beta Kappa to learn to teach
than for medium students. The honor
man is likely to wear boots and stride
across the mountain tops of knowl-
edge. stepping from peak to peak. But
children have to go step by step up
and down the mountain sides and
through the valleys across which the
other steps so blithely. To take off
the giant boots and keep in step with
young people is very much harder for
rim than for the plodding medium stu
dent who is in the habit of advancing
laboriously, step by step.
When Phi Beta Kappas make good
teachers. they are excellent ones. how
ever. because they have great mental
ability.
Men need to possess the following
characteristics in order to become
successful teachers. They must be
medium students or better than me-
dium: they must be good mixers. with
an active interest in young people;
they must be fond of study. and they
must prefer drawing pay envelopes
at the end of each month to running a
business of their own.
Exceptional mental ability is not
so important in a teacher as liking
for study. These, of course. do not
always occur together. for many stu
dents who make high grades do not
like 10 study. Being quick minded,
they are dOcile enough to turn their
attention to things they do not like
Once the studies are out of sight they
are out of mind, and when such stu
dent leaves college he stops studying.
Other students. and frequently
they are not so clever as some of the
foregoing. like to study. They need
not be bookworms at all. They may
and should have many interests, but
they like to work on materials found
in books. This does not mean that
they should like to study all the time
or that they do not grow tired of
study. 1t means only that they fire.
quently get a great deal of fun out of
studying Students who do not possess
this interest at all will be neither hap
py nor successful in teaching
Once a school teacher was suppos-
ed to be academic, bOokish, theoretical
and dry Even so recently as the last
general election well-knOwn editor
in speaking of a candidate for the pres
idency was quoted as saying Il looked
for statesman and found a school
MASTER Presumptively, this was a
criticism. which implied that as
schoolmaster the candidate was sepa-
rated from practical affairs, and was
small-guaged from his dealings with
immature minds. Parenthetically, it
may be stated that the schoolmaster
seems to be rather more of a states
man than his critics was willing to
allow
The man who has broad sympa-
thies, and who is fond of mixing with
people, has full scope for his abilities
in the teaching profession. His work
in the schoolroom is only a part Of
his work about town. He needs to be
a prominent member of the CONNER
cial clubs. as many of our superin-
tendents are. He can well afford to be
high up in secret organizations, as
large numbers of school men are.
He must be able to strengthen the
sentiment of his community for edu-
cation. The political leader has no
bigger scope for his powers. For petty |
intrigue the politician may have great
er need, but he has no greater oppor-
tunity for broad-minded leadership. |
The kind of man | have in mind |
has always been found among school |
men and in recent years is growing |
more common. He comes to town |
stays a few years. makes over the |
schools. leads his people and leaves
the schools and the town stronger.
more wholesome and saner for his |
presence
The kind of man who will not |
do for school now is the one to |
which a school man whom know be-
longs. This man refuses to speak to
pupils or townspeople out of school
hours. He says that his work is done
when he leaves the schoolhouse. | |
have noticed. however, that the school |
teacher who knows everybody in town.
speaks to them all cheerfully and /
wholeheartedly as he meets them on
the street. is the one who has gone a
long way toward getting what he
&c 60