Norwich bulletin., 1919-10-25

 |f lege. Columbia university. made the l eliminating address Friday afternoon ! at Slater Memorial in the fall meeting Eof the Norwich section of the Gonnec-s !ticut State Teachers association, pre- ] senting the topic of The Professional i Improvement of Teachers and Teach i ing Through Organization
 l Dr. Snedden told the 300 teachers i who attended the convention from all l parts of this section of the state that i the primary purpose of organization in l their vocation should be professional, ! a drive for better teaching. better 1 schools. and that the better salaries I would come. 100. Fight for more sal- aries. but improve education l Principal J. B. Stanton of the Mt. i Pleasant street school was the pre- ! siding officer during the day. opening l the convention in Slater hall at II | o'clock.
 ! music. normal school of Willimantic. ] was leader of a community sing and an interesting address on A Woman's ] Reason was given by Miss Lena Made 1 sin Phillips. executive secretary of the l National Federation of Business and 1 Professional Women's clubs of Wash l ington. followed by an address on The 1 Schools and Community by Dr. Milo B. HiilegaS. state commissioner Of edu- 1 cation, Vermont.
 ] The sectional meetings were held in 1 the Academy building and at Park l Congrega tional church.
 | | Greeneville school presided at the high l school section but Supt. E. J. Graham was prevented by illness from preSid- ing in the junior high school section. The afternoon session began with sectional meetings at o'clock. In the afternoon at 3-15, the con vention was addressed by George E. Utley, secretary of the American Li- hrary association, who spoke on The | Educational Value of the Library. As the development of the free school in America has advanced. and the neces- sity of compulsory education to com bat the evils attendant on Iliteracy. so the library from sh1all beginnings, , has tried to keep pace with the times, until now there is scarcely a large city in the United States which does not possess an adequate public library. Even as it is now an understood fact that teachers must be taught to teach so librarians must undergo special training to St them for their duties; that was the beginning of the library schools, of which there are now fff- teen t1 the country.
 There has been a great desire for vocational reading during. the war, by sity there sprung up the largest pulp lie library in the world over 7,e0e, 900 books were in circulation between 4.G00, 900 men in camps, transports, and overseas
 The lesson of it all is right here; now. that the soldiers are demobiliz- ed, they are demanding libraries com rensurate with that they had while in service. So the American Library association Is trying to meet this sit uation, realizing that much has. and will be done along the, lines of Amer ieanzation by reading. A wide cam paign of library extension is being planned to hiring greater efficiency of service.
 By system of county libraries this
 service can be extended far and wide 1e of rfa ,-t be exaggera fed; their potential possi- biiit es as supplement to education. starting in where the school leaves off. ] is a very great factor in the world to- | day.
 ! Following Mir. Ut7ey's remarks Dr. David Sheldon of Teachers College. 1 Columbia university. gave a most in i terestins. talk on The Professional I'm l JlroxeTnent Of Tea chers and Teaching Through organiza ton.
 There is vast deal Of restIesSness today in the teachers profession. said Dr Snedden, due in part to the high cost of living, and inc fact that sal aries remain rather too stationary. What teachers should do to make ins question in America. Teachers should organize. recognizing that by means of organiza ton, people are able ot put things over
 Suppose there were organized bodies
 of teachers, what should be their pri-
 mary purposeo That should be large
 ly professional; it is a dangerous thing
 for teachers. or any public servants, to
 gain the unenviable reputation of con-
 tinualiy demanding higher pay and
 shorter hours. unless they bring
 strength and purpose in tn improving
 their own general work. Organize If
 need he but do not foreet to make bet
 ter progress for education yourselves,
 Tight for more salaries, but, inn
 prove educa ton.
 If we are going to have orsaniza
 tons, let io hc cAl leetive effort is directed towards bet
 ter schools as well as better salaries
 IT that is done, then tea chers may march forward toward getting what they ought to have. A teachers guild must posses real collective driving power to earn it's right to existence
 There are two fundamental classes or teachers; the young ones. unnasr- ried, with no claims upon them who are not affected by the pressure Of the high cost of existence and the old CT ones who are settled in the pro- fess1on for life, with families depend- | he foo 4l,o +