Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-02-21
PROFESSIONALLY
TRAINED TEACHERS
s ARE GIVEN A SLAP


PROMINENT MEN OF COUNTRY
ASSERTS TEACHERS CANNOT
BE MADE BUT ARE BORN
(By j. l.. McBrien, School Extension
Agent, u. s. Bureau of Education,
Department of lnterior.)
With the eloquent and logical plea
of j. Sterling Morton, for profession
ally trained teachers still ringing in
our ears it is a good time to consider
the views of a prominent man VINO
saw this question in a very different
light. This man served his State and
country in many posts Of honor. He
was a man of means. His character
was above reproach. 1t is hard to
understand how a man of such ability,
integrity, and experience could hold
such erroneous views as he did on
the preparation of teachers for their
work. After all the positions of hon.
or which had held, he was elected a
member of the State senate. There
was but one State normal school then
(1901) in that State. A fight was on
in the legislature to establish one adj
ditional State normal school, on which
occasion, this Nestor of the Senate
declared: "God Almighty makes
teachers; you can no more make
teachers at a normal school than you
can make whistles out of pigs tails
at d butcher shop; we have too much
education of the head already; edu-
cate the heels"
This is so utterly absurd as to,
merit pity rather than censure of him
who was the author of this declara-
ton. God Almighty no more makes
teachers than He makes lawyers or
doctors. Training and experience
make lawyer. Training and exper-
fence make q doctor. Training and
experience make teacher.
And so thought. the people of the
State in which this good, though mis-
taken, man lived. The normal school
idea has made such growth in that
State since this good mans declara-
ton against it until now there are
four great State normal schools there
with splendid faculties and literally
supported by the State.
Probably the most advanced opinion
yet advocated by any man of promin-
ence today in favor of professional
trained teachers and State normal
schools is that of the United States
Commissioner of Education, DIR. p. p.
Claxton. Briefly stated it is this:
"a six months term of school
with a professionally trained
teacher at a salary of 500 per
month is a longer term and a
better and cheaper school than a
twelve months term with teach
er of poor scholarship and no
professional training at salary
of $50 per month. We need
enough State normal schools to
provide a professionally trained
teacher for every rural school in
America. The people of the en-
tire State are taxed to support
the State normal school or
schools and are, therefore, en-
titled to their just share of the
teachers who fit themselves for
their work in these schools. And
yet very small number of nor
NAL school graduates ever teach
in the rural schools because the
city or town schools secure those
professionally trained teachers.
The demand for professionally
trained teachers in city and town
schools is greater than the pres
ent number of our State normal
present equipment. We, there
fore, need a greatly increased
number of normal schools or else
great increase in Buildings,
faculty, and funds for our pres
ent State normal schools if our
rural people are to receive fair
treatment for taxes they pay for
the support of the State normal
schools. The work of the State
normal schools and professional
ly trained teachers is so import
ant, so valuable, so necessary
that we should establish a suffi-
cient number of State normal
schools to provide every rural
school with professionally
trained teacher, even if we have
to take the necessary money to
do this from the State common
school fund. In the end this would
be better policy of public eco
nomy than our present short
sighted policy which is expensive
sive and which sorely neglects
our rural schools in the matter of
properly trained teachers. This
is evident from the fact that
there are over 10000 juvenile
teachers teaching in the rural
schools of our country at this
4 time with less than high school
education and no professional
training"
The only way to have better rural
schools is to have better rural teach
ers. For as is the teacher, so is the
school. The only way to have better
teachers is to provide better OPP
portunities for their preparation, re-
quire by law all who aspire to teach
to make due preparation, and then
pay the tecaher salary commensur-
ate with the service rendered. eff
we reduce the wages of the school
teacher we must raise those of the
recruiting sergeant"
We need better qualified men and
women in many Of our State normal
schools, colleges, and universities to