Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-04-02
Better Rural Teachers.

In a talk on Better Teachers for the
Rural Schools J. L. McBrien, school
extension agent, national Bureau of
Education, touches a subject of vital
importance to rural districts. The old
custom of employing young daugh-
ter Of the neighborhood, 'educated
Eerience, has been outgrown in Maine,
but it is continued in some sections of
the country. Most of us of the middle
generation recall schoolma ans in our
"deestrict" who were more often l6
years Of age than 20, and frequently
these girl teachers were only 10 and ev
Ell II years of age. They had had no
other training for the work than that
acquired in the district schools of the
town and under the same class of
teachers. Is it any wonder that the
tendency was backward instead of
forward?
Mr.. McBrien says:
Remember that there are 10000 rural
teachers in this country with less than
high school education and no profess
sional training. Measured by the re-
sponsibiity that rests upon the teach
er, 1t is little short of criminal for a
State to permit a girl with only an ele-
mentary education, which was obtained
in rural school Of only seven or eight
grades in charge Of teacher who pos
sessed only a seventh or eighth glaue
education, secured in like school I'M
der like teacher, to take upon herself
the high and responsible task of teach
ing in the rural schools For if there is
any place in the entire field of educa-
ton where teacher Of superior quail
ifications is most needed it is in the
one-teacher rural school, and there are
over 100000 such schools in the United
school must play the part OF primary
teacher. intermediate teacher, and
grammar grade teacher day after DAY
and oftentimes she must teach some
High school subjects.
With this task in mind, visualize the
rural teacher and the rural school as
pictured in one of the epigrams of T. J.
Coates, former State supervisor Of rur-
al schools in Kentucky. anu now pres
ident of the State Normal School,
Richmond, Ky;
THE average farmer and rural
teacher think OF the rural school as a
little house. on little ground, with a
little equipment. where a little teacher
at a little salary, for little while
teaches little children little things"
1t is only within the past five years
that any considerable number of State
normal schools have established special
departments of rural education. There
are still too many State normal schools
that are not doing what they should
do in the preparation of teachers for
the rural schools. And all of the State
normal schools should do more than
they are doing at present to prepare
teachers for the rural schools.
There are some State normal school,
men who still think that no special
preparation is necessary for teaching
in the rural schools different from that
required for teaching in the city
schools. 1t is true that there are some
fundamental principles of pedagogy
common to all fields Of teaching. Har.,
old w. Foght. Specialist in Rural
School Practice L. S. Bureau of Edu-
cation, says:
"A specialized preparation is neces-
sary to give rural communities the
light kind Of teachers and these should
preferably, come from the State normal
schools rather than from training
classes in secondary schools and similar
institutions. The American normal
school is beginning to adjust its work
To answer these new needs. One thing
is evident-this specialized preparation
can not be acquired in so-called gener-
al courses for rural teachers but must
come through the new specialized rural
school departments already organized
in at least so leading State normal
schools. The class work Of the general
TUTal SCHool course is OFTEN in charge
of the regular instructors of the pro-
fessional department in the institution
who have had but little particular prep
aration for rural life phases Of educa-
tiona, work, consequently these cours-
es are seldom satisfactory in results
and not much sought after by the stu
dents of the school. Quite different
results are apparent where the normal
schools have organized distinct depart
ments in rural education. The plan
usually followed is to place a carefully
prepared rural school expert at the
head of the department: other assist
ants are added from time to time as the
development Of the department may re-
ouire. The plan Of organization is to
group the school subjects around a
study Of the problems Of rural life, in
cluding rural sociology and rural econ
cnics. Much emphasis Is placed on
rural school methods Of teaching and
rural school management: preferably.
also, there is a model rural school con-
nected with the department and under
Its direction. either on the normal
school campus or in the nearby rural
schools. The plan IL. further, for the