Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1914-10-30

DemOCTdllC party IL was uue SIMPLY |
and solely to the fact that the necessary
equipment was not on hand and ready |
for business when school opened. The !
course is now under way, with an en-
rollment of about 80 students.
After authorizing this course, and
giving the matter a good deal of study, |
the committee went further and author
lied tn employment of student teach
ers to take the classes formerly taught
/ by the two teachers who resigned.
| These teachers were to be specially Sc
lected for their fitness, in every case,
were to be given but one recitation each
per day, and were to be under the con-
slant direction and supervision of the
Department of Pedagogy. These teach
ers are not Sophomores, they are
Seniors, and in some cases have had
previous teaching experience, while in
other cases they have had special peda
gogical preparation for the work they
are undertaking. They are all students
of high standing in the subjects they
! ltdOHs anu IIty dlt liOl SnllAtu HUN
class to class, as has been assumed by
some critics, but retain the same teach
ing appointment throughout the sem
ester.
These student teachers receive no pay
for their services. The district does
not pay the college for their services.
The district does not pay me anything
for their services, nor for mine. In
short, the district does not pay anybody
anything for their services. | want to
make this clear, for there fingers an
impression to the contrary, in spite of
the published announcement of the
committee ! shall be glad to explain
this further to anyone who does not
understand it.
Such, in general, is the arrangement
authorized by the committee. Similar
arrangements are in successful opera
ton elsewhere, and in some cases stu
dents receive a certain remuneration,
but not at Middlebury. To the over
sight of the student teaching my own
time has been devoted since school
opened.
1t will be seen that this arrangement
is not a bad one for the district
on the financial side, since it saves
about $1,000 in the salaries of the
two teachers whose work is now
taken by student teachers, provides an
additional course domestic Scence)
the cost of which for instruction would
amount to at least 5000 more. besides
enabling the district to receive an APP
preparation of $3.50 from the State
But of course it is not on its financial
merits that such a plan should be judged.
No arrangement should be tolerated
that in any way lowers the general
standard of excellence of our High
school. Quality must be the first con-
sideraton. The school committee felt
this. 1t seemed reasonable to suppose
that a senior from the college who had
received special preparation to teach,
and whose teaching could be inspected
at brief intervals and wholly directed
as desired, would be as successful, on
the whole, in teaching her strongest
subject, as a student just out of col
ege with no special preparation and no
experience would be in teaching a var-
ETY. of subjects without supervision.
The customary practice in Vermont
high schools is to make the prin-
cipal a teacher and allow him no time
; for the more important work of SUI
pervision, so that the errors and de-
fective methods of inexperienced teach
ers under him go on uncorrected until
: bad habits of teaching are formed 1t
, was not expected that the student
teaching would be much different at
, the beginning than the work of any
inexperienced teacher. but it was con-
, fidently expected that it would improve
under the proposed plan until by the
middle of the year it would demonstrate
its merits to all concerned We are
now less than two months from the be-
ginning of the first term, and already,
: if | may be allowed an opinion, the plan
! has justified itself on the score of quail
! ity of instruction. If ! should visit any
, High school in our State and find in it
classes as orderly and interested and
well taught as these classes taught by
the student teachers, | should rank that
school high in efficiency. Some of the
classes are already taught in superior
way. In no class have serious defects
appeared in the teachers mastery of
t her subject In every class there is
evidence OF careful and thorough prep
aration on the part of the teacher. I'm
provements in methods can be traced
| from week to week, and the classes are
| gaining fast in their understanding of