The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-07-22
STUDENTS USED AS TEACHERS
Governor Holds That the Teachers Arc
Poorly Equipped and That the Stan
dard of the Institutions Is Being
Lowered as a Result.

Gov. Philip on Monday made the
following statement on the central
board of education plan:
1t was claimed by normal school re-
gents and certain senators when dis
cussing central board of education
that no one has yet been able to point
out any wasteful use of appropriations
by the normal schools. / thought 1
had already pointed out several in
stances OF wastful use. To leave no
doubt about it I point out now
two to three ways in which the normal
schools have been wasting money.
They wasted over $4,000 last year
by conducting high school courses at
state expense which ought to be con-
Quoted at local expense in local high
schools and which interfere with the
way in which the normal schools spend
the rest of their money. This is nearly
twice the cost of the state department
of public instruction.
Too Lenient in Marking.
Money has been wasted by lowering
standards through retaining students
not properly fitted for the work of the
normal school. For example, one girl
could hardly speak three consecutive
words without suffering. She was
rarely called on because of the painful
effort she made to recite Yet she and
many others, differing from her only If
degree, are kept on until graduation
Some presidents frequently reverse the
judgment of teachers who have failed
students. In some schools students
have been graduated in spite of failure
in required work, and teachers have
been repeatedly cautioned not to mark
too closely or hold students to too high
a standard. Compared with this kind
of waste the recent laudable savings of
$500 on electricity or 1920 on concrete,
or $4,000 on years coal supply are
petty.
"They also wasted enough money to
pay for conducting 156 classes of ten
or fewer students, contrary to regent
rules.
Teachers Poor Writers.
"The teaching of writing has been
almost universally neglected. Any one
familiar with the handicap children
suffer who have not been taught to
write and whose teachers have not been
taught to write, will see that this is
no inconsiderable waste.
Incidentally, the finance committee
must have been able to point out some
waste or it would hardly have reduced
the normal school estimates for the next
biennium by nearly $1,O000O0
"Of 369 classes visited, the teaching
in one-third of them was inexcusably
poor and unworthy Of emulation by stu
dents when they become teachers. If
this is not pointing out waste what do
the normal schools mean by waste9
Teachers Poorly Equipped.
"Our normal schools exist to train
teachers for other schools. For opera
ton and maintenance about 100000
was used last year. 1t has been point
ed out as the result Of 100 days. study
and inspection that many i'll equipped
teachers are selected; that many proved
teachers are retained; that
the helping Of class teachers to improve
is inadequate; that several presidents
have been striving for bigness not quail
ity; that presidents have not studied
public schools sufficiently; that the
highest priced service, that of presi-
dents, is given too largely to clerical
work; that college courses have been
taking energy that belongs to training
teachers. What can normal school re-
gents mean by saying that waste has
not been pointed out2
Should Make Money Go Farther.
81 have not been unmindful of ad-
vanced steps taken by the nogmal re-
gents as the result Of information
which has been brought to their atten-
ton chiefly by an outside board, such
as central board of education would
be. / refer to the state board of pub
lie affairs and its survey of the normal
schools. The people of the state will
be duly appreciative of reforms in the
normal schools. They want to be proud
of the normal schools. 1t is hard to be
proud when in face of waste of many
kinds such as the normal board has
been giving its attention to for fully
a year. 1t now, in July, 1915, asserts
that no one has been able to point out
waste.
These facts must be borne in mind
when deciding whether this legislature
should help the normal schools by Civ
ing them more money or by requiring
them to make less money 90 farther