The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1920-06-18
SHOULD We GROW OUR OWN TEACHER CROP

lust how important is the territorial normal school anyhow? The
question is suggested by the row which has broken out once more over
Three such prominent men as former Governor George r. Carter,
Theodore Richards, and the Rev. John F. Erdman waited upon the
school commissioners this week to emphasize the Importance OF the
local training OF teachers. "We. don't want mainland teachers, was
the sense of their message. Therefore we must nave aclhte OF
producing our own
Let us think Of this a little. The biggest job before the education
al department today we are being told, is the Americanlzation OF the
people of these Islands. 1t would seem to be the logical thing, there
fore, to entrust the Job to those who know Amercanism best
There are sections of the United States mainland today where the
peculiariies of the people are so marked as to make them conspicuous
eddies in the great stream o. the nations life. Formerly characteristic
of all the older parts of the country, these stagnant places are rapidly
communication made possible by railroads and, more recently and
efectuaTy, by the advent Of the automobile.
Now Hawaii is an integral part of the United States which must
always be more set apart than any of the rest of the country excepting
possibly Alaska. The AmericanHm which we hear advocated for us
the customs of speech and manner Of the great people of which we
are proud to be a part. Why then should we be told that we should
not bring in professional educators, but instead should train up our own
Our own teachers understand our children better than mainland
ers." is one of the arguments presented to the commissioners. Besides
this there are a lot of things which we would rather not have taught.
We We are not sure Ta that we want to be too thoroughly Amerean-c0n
And this has been the spirit of every local eddy that ever tended
to 1oeo ou ieu dp Se focai nTde a fed St thnt ms wsy ao ar ~n superior to those a of
the outside world, and has always been proud of its idiosyncrasles.
Generally it has required outsiders to break through this wall of self
sufhciency to let in the fresh air.
If we are wise we shall meet the outside world more than half
way We shall welcome all qualified teachers that we can get to come
to these Islands to teach. 1t is quite true that these teachers may not
understand us" but the essential thing is that we try to understand
them.
Our problem of a poygot jargon which we by courtesy call Eng
fish, is one of the striking examples of why we need mainland teachers.
AS everyone knows, the speech of even the better educated of our is
land born teachers, regardless of race, is generally marked by peculiar
tiles of infection even when grammatically correct. Such teachers
cannot possibly teach English as it should be taught-through their
own example
did and loyal body of island-born teachers who have been the backbone
of our schools in the past. They have done, and are still doing, and
will continue to do a splendid work, and no dhparagement should be
found in this argument for assistance in this work. q,
1t would, of course, be neither practical nor desirable to have Y be
but mananders as teachers, and for this reason a well organized NOT ml
school is highly necessary. But as long as we clam to be American in
ideals we should not be afraid of real American institutions.