The Glenwood post. (Glenwood Springs, Colo.) 1897-current, 1920-03-20
GLOOMY OUTLOOK
FOR EDUCATION

Inc htHfcu lbSuo OIL Luo 6CuOol 0Ohiu
journal, periodical of school admin
istration, contains some interesting
statements showing why men are losv-
ing the teaching profession, and why
younger men refuse to enter the game
The editor of the magazine wrote to
number of educators throughout the
country asking them to set forth their
opinions.
The commissioner of education Of
Vermont wrote: "Other professions
and trades offer better financial OPP
rortunitics. In these professions and
occupations, young men are freed from
many Of the petty and disagreeable
expenses that invariably come with
public service and which have come to
be very prominent i'll the teaching pro
fsssion. !"
Cnas. IL. Judd, head of the depart
nent of education in the University
of Chicago, said 81 am sure that an
important feature of the present sit
uatiOn is that first class men will not
submit themselves to the political con
troll which makes their work trivial. -
e. 2. Cubberly of Leland Stanford
university, enumerates the reasons
thus: Inability to use much initiative
in the work, due to cramping admins
trative restrictions, true of enough
places to act as a deterrent
Continual interference by unintel-
ligent boards of education in profess
sioual and executive functions which
keeps good men from entering with IL
view of preparing for the higher
work.
DIR. Ii. S. Evenden, of Columbia has
this to say 1.-The second subsiding
reason is that the standards of prepar
alton for teachers are becoming high
enough SO that when a man is ade-
quately prepared for responsible
place in teaching, he is also prepared
TO enter many other lines of work.
which are much more remunerativc. +"
Then he goes on to say that the
low standards of the past have allow
ed many unframed, incompetent and
irresponsible people to enter the work
OF teaching. "The public" he says,
has rather unjustly made its estima.
non OF all teachers from these conspic
uous misfits, 20 that there is not a
general respect for teachers as a
group
Dr. Hams, of Harvard, gives as a
reason, 1.-THE inability or unwillingness
OF employers of teachers, to select the
more competent rather than the less
competent teachers. OF course. this
inability is not universal, but it is
common enough to suggest to teach
'e's that the surest way to secAre Il
promotion is through non.professional
'attainments rather than through sup.
error attainments. Many men refuse
TO put themselves in the position OF
sohcitlng nOn-professional influences
10 secure post. The better the men
the more likely they will be to refrain
from entering the teaching profession,
or from remaining in it, so long as it
must be widely recognized that non
professional influences weigh more
than professional equipment in deter.
mining the election or promotion of a
teacher.''
In addition to the above, every writ
err mentions low salaries "a nm ;rpo,.
ant cause
but, greater difficulties face the
schools, than these already cxperieue.
ed; There is a very pronounced pres-
GU shortage of men in the profession,
and yet few men are now enterip,
teaching, or taking courses leading in
that direction. And descrtion from tho
ranks of sehoolmen continues. II seems
thst men must be recalled into service
by special inducements, or that 4 per.
iod of weak and inefficient manage.
ment will follow.
Standards for certification of teach.
crs have been lowered during the war.
Much inferior material is now being
Z used. But, the situation will become
increasingly difficult. The fact is that
there s now an inadequate supply Of
properly trained and prepared teach
ers. No amount of raise in salaries
can save the situation for the immcd.
late future. Closing of some schools
will be but partial remedy. Efficient
md properly equipped teachers are not