The Dickinson press., 1916-10-07
SCHOOL EFF|CIENY
THE RURAL SLOGAN

we al IIloI IAC ouPASAAS
DUTY of the state is the education
of all it's children; that the school
must be brought within easy reach Of
every boy and girl; that whatever
else may be done, this n thing most
necdful must not be- left undone, that
the teacher must lay his hands in
culture on every child.
No special process of logical reas-
oning is now necessary to prove the
wisdom of maintaining public schools
at public expense. No argument is
needed, at this time in educational
history to prove that it is highly
proper, perfectly just, and eminently
desirable, for the state to make wise
and liberal provision for the profess
sional training of its teachers.
We now have over 5000 teachers
in the elementary schools of North
Dakota. One-ffth of that number are
new to the profession every year.
Twelve hundred inexperienced re-
cruits thus begin their work in the
school room each September. Few of
them have had adequate special
preparation for their all-important
work. Many of them know very
little of hild-development, of the
history Of education, Of the funda-
mental principles of pedagogy, of the
science and art of instruction, or of
the methods of teaching the branches
required in the different grades.
Some of them become very good
teachers in time; but their expert
ence is gained, too often, at the ex-
pense Of the pupils upon whom they
are permitted to practice. If the
waste in time and effort that results
from placing these ill-prepared and
inexperienced teachers in charge Of
the schools of North Dakota, could be
estimated in dollars and cents, the
result would be simply appalling.
Efficiency the Rural Slogan
The school boards may provide the
finest and best of material equipment.
They may erect school buildings so
grand and imposing as to appeal
to the pride Of every citizen. They
may decorate those buildings with
mosaic floors and graceful columns,
with marble stairways and frescoed
ceilings, with celebrated paintings and
legended walls. They may furnish
the rooms with upholstered chairs
and mahogany desks, and v the
floors with oriental rugs of are
value. They may purchase appliances
and apparatus of every kind. But,
put poor, weak, unframed, inexperi-
enced teachers in charge, and the
schools will be deplorable failures.
A trained doctor, lawyer, dentist
and veterinarian. What about him
and her who have the education of
your child from twelve to fifteen
years in the state schools?
On the other hand, the material
manifestations of educational progress
may be only the humblest and simp-
lest. No costly apparatus, no high
priced appliances, no expensive equip
ment, no magnificent school buildings
of granite or marble be found
anywhere in the state; only plain
and common buildings with very
ordinary furnishings and surround
ings. But behind the teachers desk
in that plain and ordinary school
room, let there be a well-trained,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, soul-stirring.
heart-thrilling teacher, who is filled
with sympathy for those who need it
most, with a love for the work, and
interest in childhood, and that school
will be a splendid success. Let North
Dakota economic in everything else
before she cuts off the opportunity
of any portion of her public teachers
to prepare themselves for their high
duty. The state should give every
child the best education it is willing
to take and the best trained teacher
it can furnish. For, in the last anal
ysis, the teacher is the one, great,
tremendous, a~ll-essential factor in
every school of every grade.
EFFICIENCY is THE SLOGAN
OF THIS CENTURY and for all time
to come. WHERE is it of greater
value than in the public school room
where every child in America begins
it's life work?
1t has come to be an accepted fact
that trained teachers r as necessary
to teaching as are trained profession
al men in the practice of the profess
sions. It follows that every state
which demands the highest grade of
teaching should provide adequate IA
cilities for the training of teachers.
Educational training today is in the
direction of ultimately requiring pro-
fessionally trained teachers in all the
schools. The city school systems are
already demanding professionally
trained teachers as a condition pre-
cedent to their being eligible for city
positions. In the standard of teach
ing qualifications the cities are en-
titled to no more than the country
schools.
Nobody is going to Wahpeton to
study science; nobody is going to
Bottineau to study forestry; nobody
is going to the Agricultural College
to study agriculture and nobody is
going to the Normal schools
MERELY to study pedagogy. No,
not at all, they attend these institu-
lions of higher education for the
larger culture they offer and the bet
ter equipment they afford for the
making of career in life. Only the
very few look to these schools solely
for technical equipment. And the
student body Of each of u schools
clearly demonstrates that fact. You
will notice the largest number come
from counties Immediately surround
ing the school. AT the State Univer-
sity there are "a per cent from
Grand Forks county; at the A. c. 26
per cent from Cass county; at the
Va1lev Citv Normal. 27 .per cent are