Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-12-16
LETTERS
ABOUT THE NORMAL SCHOOL
SYSTEM ~....

Editor honolulu Star Bulletin. -. .
Sir: Mr. H. W. Kinney, in a re-
cent letter addressed 10 the president
OF the College Club and printed in the
newspapers of December 8. discusses
the local Normal school in compari-
son with the iyIe OF normal school
that is coming TO be general on the
mainland. He Gays: .....-..'.*. ......
Last years list of certificated
teachers who had fallen below the
standard OF so per cent numbered Y
graduates of the local Normal school
and IA teachers who had received their
trainin; in mainland institutions"
II Immediately comes to the mind OF
the reader Of tbs paragraph that Mr.
Kinney IN no way indicates the sizes
of the Two groups in which he notes
respectively II end Il failures, but in
view of the context probably very few
readers not already informed on the
subject would doubt that Mr.. kinney's
figures represent a fair comparison
of graduates of local Normal schools
with graduates Of mainland Normal
schools And yet an examination OF
the latest published report OF the SUI
perintendent OF public instruction will
make 1t pretty evident that this cannot
| by any means be the case The report
shows cages 9i-112) that OF $50 pub
| lie school teachers OF the territory
| 127 were graduates Of the local Nor
NAL school AMI 33 were graduates OF
mainland Normal schools. or these
| 80 graduates of mainland Normal
schools eight had been advanced to
positions commanding salaries Of $1,000
| or over, and 20 may be adjudSed by
their records to have been success.
full. This reduces the number under
consideration to 25. But of these 25
nine are graduates of California Nor
NAL SCHOOLS, a tyre of teacher that Mr..
| Kinney has characterized as being
immensely VARIABLE" saying that he
feels quite sure the department of
| public Instruction car do no better
| in the future then to select the teach
ers which it needs, in addition to those
locally trained, from the California
| schools" .'.-... j.
If, now, we except these nine who
have won from Mr. Kinney warm
words If well merited approval We
come down to the fact that 25 minus
9 equals Is. The labsurdity Of look
ing for a failures among any group
of Is teachers that could receive ap'
pointmeat by the department of public
| INSTRUCT IN is obvious enough without
the furtler consideration that the 16
names include the names of several
who have served in the schools SC
many wears that their regulations are
fully tablished.
! OF course, the figures cannot mean
what Mr. Kinney seems to say. Wheth
er, in his eagerness to. make out a
strong case in favor of the graduates
of the local Normal school with the
II failures, Mr.. Kinney has counted
into thu opposed camp of the mainland
Normal schools Considerable nam
Der of teachers who are without spcf
professional training 4 is perhaps not
profitable to conjecture. 1t would be
interesting to know Fhow large the
group really is out Of which the Il
failures were clicked and upon what
basis It was chosen for comparison
| AS the statement stands it does ar
Injustice both to mainland Normal
schools and to such Of their graduate:
as are now serving in, the public
schools.
i To be constantly CONSCIOUS of he
ing a malihini is bearable; to suffel
discrimination in the matter Of pa
gives indeed some small sense of
slight; out to be accounted failures IL
anything like a ratio of Is to / woult
be enough TO cr.lsh the spirit .pf ever
Normal school graduate.
Very respectfully,
, ONE-T1ME MALIHINI TEACHER.