The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1921-01-07

have been trained in state normal
schools.
'The training of teachers for
rural schools has not yet been under
taken in earnest in this country. TIC
attempt to train these teachers in
secondary institutions is a compro-
mise. After an experience of thirty
years which has been intimately re-
lated to the training of teachers, ]
am convinced that we shall never
have strong, efficient teachers in the
rural schools until state normal
schools are established for the ex-
press purpose of training rural
teachers"
Commissioner E w Butterfield of
New Hampshire writes:
ut seems to us that state needs
sufficient normal schools to train its
own elementary teachers.
statistics show that the majority
of girls who attend normal schools
, come from the part Of the state
where the school is located"
FavOrS Local Training Schools.
The state of Wisconsin has five or
six colleges in which teachers are
trained for secondary schools, nine
state normal schools for urban ele-
mentary teachers, thirty county nor
mails, training teachers for the rural
schools, and twenty-five teachers
training courses in high schools.
From this state, Commissioner c P
Cary writes:
eve sometimes feel that possibly
we have too many of these state nor
NAL schools, but it must be consider
ed that students will not go away
any great distance to school-few
over fifty miles,"
There is a national demand for
better teachers for rural schools.
Illiteracy and educational deficiency
revealed by army tests were due
first and last to the weakness of the
rural school. Because of this reveal
ed condition a federal bill is now
pending providing federal assistance
for rural schools. February % to
March 3, eight thousand men and
women of the department of superin-
tendents of the National Educational
association will meet in conference to
give special consideration to this crisis
in rural education. In letter sent
September l, 1920, to every county
and district superintendent Of schools
in the United States the National
Educational association recommended
a drive toward securing well-train-
ed teacher for every boy and girl in
America. Why not take the initiative
step? Make Vermont first in the
drive for better rural schools.
Training Glass Certificates IA Grlev-
ance.
In our Misunderstanding program
why not have the different teacher
training institutions function to-
gether? Our training courses in high
schools were supposed in theory to
function with our normal school
courses. But they never did be-
cause the graduate of the high school
training course was given the same
certificate a normal graduate re-
ceived. In fact, the high school girl
was given the advantage in certifi-
cation because she could take teachers
training in her senior year, teach |
one year, attend summer school three |
weeks and receive a qualification
certificate identically of the same !
grade given the normal school girl /,
who attended high school four year, /
normal school two years and taught |
one year.
The United States commissioner of +
education in his report of 1918 said: |
"a recent law in Vermont by allow
ing recognition to training classes in /
high schools equal to normal schools,
apparently tends to lower the stand |
ard of teaching in that state"
The state board at that time de-
Tended its policy by stating that our
normal schools at Castleton and
Johnson were not real normal schools.
These schools were referred to many
times in the reports of the Carnegie
and Vermont commissions as the $50
called normal schools"
Normal Schools Recognized.
Our United States commissioner
evidently classified them as real nor
NAL schools when he made his report
Of 1913. The fact that Vermont nor
NAL school diplomas were accepted
in other states proves that they we're
real normal schools. Massachusetts,
gives graduates of Vermont normal
schools a state bonus just as she
gives graduates of her own state
normal schools and Boston Univers-
ity accepts graduates of Vermont
state normal schools as juniors in
the School Of Education, allowing
them to graduate in two years with a
degree Of Bachelor of Education.
Is it to much to ask that our own
colleges allow the same privileges to
our normal graduates and thus have
'ur normal schools function with our
colleoes7
New York state is already looking
toward this advanced step in the
education field. George w Wiley.
assistant commissioner Of elementary
education writes:
I'VE are endeavoring to strengthen
'ur normal schools from year 70
rear. We have recently readjusted
he salary schedule in these insti-
utions and are now completing the
reorganization Of our normal school
curriculum. It is expected that
when courses of study have been re-
that many colleges will
i've full two Years credit for work
lone in these institutions"
At the present time Vermont is
with three distinct
ypes Of supervision. The Union
-