The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-11-29
BETTER PUb[|CSCHOOLS.
That Is One Of the Problems
Folks Now Face
CAME WITH PEACE TERM
Shortage of Teachers Must Be
0bviated: Talk BY an
Educator
limited Press Dispatch

limited Press Dispatch.l
New York, November 21.-One Of
the greatest reconstruction problems
facing the nation, now that peace
has come, is the problem of lettering
public education, according to lead
ing educators here.
| The public schools, as well as most
private schools and colleges, have
suffered severely on account of the
war. Many American cities had just
formed plans involving large expendi-
lures for education, when the United
States entered the war, and the plans
have been held in allegiance since
Great school construction programs
were postponed, and will be resumed
with many difficulties.
In New York City several million
dollars worth of construction was
planned for the public schools, and
the money has been available
throughout the war, but the govern
| ment would not permit labor and ma
terials to be diverted from war work.
Just as soon as the ban is lifted the
construction of new public schools
will, begin, even though materials
| still are very high. Thousands of
children are unable to attend school
for full day because of lack of
space.
|. Similar conditions exist in most
other large cities. Surveys show that
| the greatly under constructed public
school plant is the rule in American
cities. The fairly complete plant is
happy exception.
Other Problem Bigger
But the physical plant is a thing
that can be built up with fair de-
gree of promptness if the people
want better facilities and are willing
to vote the money. 1t is the problem
of training teachers and improving
methods of instruction that is wor-
rying the educators most of all.
Half the school children in the
United States are attending schools
taught by unframed or badly trained
teachers, according to a commission
of educators headed by G.. ID. Strayer
president. National Education associ-
alton. This Commission has COM
pleted a study of national education
conditions, and its conclusions are
none too f1attering to Americans who
believe that the fate of free people
rests largely upon the widespread
diffusion of sound education among
1.-The people. 'Pe tafa . g-es 0sobe
10 Concerning conditions in the rural
and village. schools, the commission
says: ,,.\,,-,,-. u tiohSl eGHGsr2g
!, 500 Teachers tsck Training ~
|oE ut is, in the little schools of the
villages and the rural districts that
the :. youngest, most inexperienced,
and. least well trained teachers are
| to be founl Little schools they are in !,
ditidually, but large in the aggregate
and big with national significance, for
in them more than one-half of the
nations children are enrolled. And
of all phases of the teaching service
that which is represented by these
rural and village schools is the most
exacting, the most ardaous, and in
many ! ways the most responsible.
While the teacher of the graded city
school instructs single group of
children approximately equal in age
and attainment, the rural teacher
must cover wide range of subjects
with many groups, adapting himself
score of times each day to the vary
ing levels of growth and attainment.
While the city teacher is helped by
expert principals and supervisors,
the rural teacher is all but absolutely
isolated and must supply through
his own initiative, enthusiasm and
rescurcefulness many of the elements
of good teaching that one working in
an urban community gains through
contact with his fellows.
"And yet the environment of these
small and isolated schools is in many
ways the best that could be provided
for the education of boys and girls.
The equipment Of libraries, shops and
laboratories may be lacking, but po-
tential resources in abundance lie
round about. What is needed is the
mind to interpret them and translate,
their lessons. But this is the hardest
kind of teaching, far harder than to
assign lessons in books and hear re-
citations. 1t is kind of teaching,
that requires knowledge, insight,
and skill to be obtained only through
a broad and thorough training fol-
lowed by faithful and carefully sup
ervised apprenticeship.
Teacher Should Lead
"Nor does this tell the whole story
of the possibilities and difficulties of
rural school teaching. The right
man or the right woman in this office
may become a real leader in the
community, knowing it's people it,
mately and alphabetically Under
his or her tactful direction, the school
house may become true COM
munity center, enriching the social
life with a round of wholesome &C.
tivities. 1t would be hard indeed
to overestimate what two hundred
thousand mature, well trained, and
permanently employed teachers in
these small schools would mean both
to rural America and to the nation as
whole. They could do for America
and American democracy what he
village dominies have done for Scot.
land and what the rural schoolmas>
tiers have done for Denmark and Nor
way. They could make these lonely
outposts of culture what they should
be, strategic centers of national
strength and national i6ealism.
More Attention To Teacher Training
1T cannot be source of pride to
our people that the United States
gives less attention to the training of
teachers than does any other great
nation. It cannot be a matter of
pride to our people that, lef all our
professional institutions, those that