River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1920-12-02
Not Enough Teachers

Recent Investigations indicate that
the teacher shortage is little, if any,
relieved, in spite of the efforts of
school officers to secure competent
teachers by sharply advancing salar-
les. Not only is there an actual
shortage of teachers, many schools
being unable to open, but there is an
even larger number of incompetent
and unframed teachers in charge of
schools. A close estimate of the short
age of teachers, and of teachers below
standard for Wisconsin, is 1877, a
figure given out by the n E. A. in
recent bulletin. The total number for
the United States is only trifle short
of 100000. Americas second line of
defense" is surely crumbling.
The enrolment in teacher training
institutions for the current year
shows a falling off in the num-
Der of young men and women train
ing for the teaching work. On the
other hand, there is an increase in the
enrolment in nearly all other classes
of schools. From Is to 40 per cent
of the students in some of the Wis
consin normal schools are in college
courses and other non-teacher train
ing courses. Schools with these
courses show an increase in attend
ance, while schools with strictly
teacher training courses show no in
crease and have generally fallen off
in attendance.
The situation is attracting wide at
tention throughout the country. The
normal schools are criticized for not
furnishing the state with an adequate
supply of teachers; they are accused
of wasting their energies in admins
tering expensive side-lines, chief
among which is the college course.
1t is proposed to abolish this course,
making the normal schools 100 per
cent normal schools, as these critics
phrase it. Of the Wisconsin nornfals,
only River Falls and Platteville are
rated as giving only teacher training
courses.
So important is the above question
that it will, no doubt, be subject
considered in the coming legislative
session in connection with normal
school appropriation bills.
However, the teacher shortage in
Wisconsin schools will not be deter
mined by the presence or the elimina-
ton of the college course; it will not
be determined largely by advances IN
salaries, important as is that ele-
ment. The normal schools will only
be able to discharge the very import
ant responsibilities resting upon
them when they are better supported.
The State has allowed the normal
schools to fall behind other classes of
institutions, particularly in physical
plant and in educational equipment.
To verify this statement, one needs
only to visit the high school plant of
a neighboring city, or the campus OF
college or the campus of the State
University. A college of 500 stu
dents, for example, is equipped with
set of eight modern buildings. The
River Falls normal school last year
enrolled 701 students, including sum-
mer session, but counting no student
twice; add to this an enrolment of
200 children in the training depart
ment and you have school of nearly
1000 individuals.
If your progressive young men and
women are to be attracted to our nor
NAL schools for educational work,
this institution must be given build
ings and equipment second to no 9TH
err institution, for the work in which
the normal schools are engaged is
200 children in he training depart
or educational institution. "The
preparation of a competent, we'll
trained teacher for each boy and girl
in America is unquestionably the
greatest educational problem before
the American people"
]. III. Ames,
President, Normal School.