Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-13
SCHOOLMEN'S WEEK
BRINGS EDUCATIONAL
EXPERTS TO U. OF P,
Hundreds of T e ach e r S
From This and Nearby
States Meet in Annual
Conference = Noted Men
Attend and Will Speak.

The tearing down of discipline and au-
thority in the home is one of the chief
reasons for insisting on higher standard
OF teachers in normal schools
This was the statement of a, c. Rother-
mel principal of the Kutstown Normal
| School, In the course of an address to-
day at the opening session OF Schoolmen
! Week at the University OF Pennsylvania.
| The daily sessions will be attended by
| educators OF national reputation
| MIR. Rothermel declared that with the
| increasing laxity Of the home. the re-
| sponsbility of teachers to adhere to
| higher standard of character and con-
| duct becomes more imperative. He as
serted that the independence OF the
| younger generation was more marked
now than 10 or IL years ago. and eX-
pressed the belief that the habit of go-
ing to movies and tramping the streets
at night was the chief cause. One OF
the criticisms of the public school sys-
tenn and higher institutions Of learning
advanced by the speaker was that too lit
tie stress was placed on moral training.
URGES LONGER NORMAL COURSE
Frank T.. Baker. principal of the state
Normal School of Edinboro, Pa, con-
tended that n two-years normal school
course was not sufficient after a student
bad been graduated from high school.
The standards In Pennsylvania public
schools cannot be raised, he said, unless
there is longer normal school course.
He declared that the attempt to crowd
a full professional training for teachers
into two years study additional to the
high school course results In a devital-
iZcd course of study. To insure properly
trained teachers, he said. three and u-
timately four years in normal schools
must be insisted on.
The need of vigorous school teachers,
who possess the quality of leadership,
was dwelt on by Charles Lose. principal of
the State Normal School, at Lock Haven.
The day of the scrawny. flat-chested
teacher is past, he said. The modern
woman school teacher must be able to
lead her pupils in playground games and
lead them on the street in parade, If
necessary. The modern teacher Is vlgor-
Gus, and therefore a better teacher. The
modern girl wants to be like a boy in
her exercise.
SCORES MONOToNoUs LESSONS.
Mr.. Lose said changes in the primary
grades of city schools were brought about
by changes in the viewpoint of normal
schools. He pointed out that monotonous
reading and automatic spelling were
things of the past, and recommended that
lessons in neatness, kindness and deport-
ment be given in the primary classes
The speaker said In conclusion that
dress and house furnishing in the next
generation, as well as pleasures, will be
shaped largely by the instruction in the
primary schools of today in such mat
ters as drawing, music and branches
along that line.
NATHAN c. SCHAEFFER PRESIDES.
Nathan C. Schaeffer, State Superin-
tendent of Public instruction. presided.
Prof. Lightner Wilmer of the Univer- |
sity of Pennsylvania, led7the general dis
cussion.
In the estimation of the executive fac |
ulty of the University. the annual School |
mems Week is one of the most important |
factors of its extension work. The pres
ent conference will devote two days to |
problems relating to the training of |
teachers, two days to rural school prob
lens. three days to administration of |
connected with colleges and high schools.
Nicholas Murray Butler, president of |
Columbia University; Calvin n. Kendall,
New Jersey Commissioner of Education;
Charles A. Wagner, Commissioner of
Education of Delaware, and experts rep
resenting the United States Bureau of
Education are among prominent educa-
tors attending the conference.