Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-11-07

come such that they prefer to teach
there.
cit should be said that some of the
finest teachers in the State are grad
yates of schools outside of the State.
1t would be very unfortunate, in my
Judgment, if the State We're to adopt
any DO icy which would exclude these
teachers from New Jersey schools,
but l am dealing with a general sit
uation in app ication to the rural
schools in the State. not in applica-
ton to the city schools. In the latter
schools, where the salaries are much
larger than in the rural schools, out
side normal school teachers remain
in the State many years and form a
permanent and valuable contribution
to the teaching corps.
1.-THE plain fact is that the chill
dren of the State are not supplied
with enough efficient teachers. The
consequence is that the children OF
the state are not getting equal edu-
cational advantages. We need ad-
ditional normal school facilities in
order that we may more nearly
equalize the educational advantages
which the children should have.
THE child who goes to school to be
taught by a girl who has had only
three years of high school, and who
often has little conception OF the
meaning of teaching or training, has
the same right to a good school as
another child who goes to a school
where real teaching is going on. 1t
is no exaggeration to say that the
latter child gets from his school life
more in a day than the other in two
days or a week.
.'From thirty approved high schools
vi 70
to a State normal school in South
Jersey, 472 young women were grad
uated in June, 1914. OF these, sixty
four entered the normal schools of the
State in September. One hundred
and sixty-two young men and women
in the present senior classes (grad
uating In June, 1870 have stated
that they would attend a normal
school If one were convenient to their
homes. Making allowance for possible
over-statement, this is testimony that
should not be disregarded. Sixty
four actually entered the normal
schools this fall One hundred and
sixty-two would probably enter
normal school if one were nearer to
their homes.
Normal School in south Jersey.
ANY educational institution-nor-
NAL school or college-draws the
great majority of its students from
its immediate vicinity. Sixty per
cent. of the students in Princeton
University, for example, are from
New Jersey, New York city and
eastern Pennsylvania. Only five
young women from South Jersey are
enrolled in the normal school in
Montclair and Newark. Large num-
bers of young people who contem-
plate teaching cannot afford to at
tend school remote from their
home.
I'm my report last year ] quoted
from letters received from young
women who, although already teach
ing in the schools in the southern
part of the State, were without nor
NAL school certificates, and who gave
their reasons in those letters as to
why they did not attend normal
schools. I quote now from only one
letter of a similar character, one re-
ceived from a young woman. MEM
Der of the present senior class in a
South Jersey high school. She says:
L think it would be possible for me
to attend a normal school If. one
were located nearer me, but / 90
not believe l shall be able to go to
Trenton.
South Jersey is a large territory
It contains popu-
lation of nearly one-half million of
people. The thirty approved four
year high schools located in that part
of the State would act as feeders to
a normal school.
ut is not to be overlooked in this
that the high school at
tendance in the State is rapidly in
Graduation from high
school is necessary for entrance to a
normal school. The number of pu-
pills in the high schools of the State
for the year 1912 was Is, 479. in 1918
it was 33,142, in 1914 $4,000. The more
pupils we have in the high schools
the larger will be the number of
young women who attend normal
schools.
THE high school enrolment in
South Jersey is now increasing, but