The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-01-27
TEACHERS COLLEGES
ARE THEY NEEDED?

AXE lMI NEEDED!
Part Time Teaching by Jurists, Ply
sicians, TheolOgians
1t is surprising how large number
Of men schooled in law, medicine, and
especially in theology are teachers in
the public schools of Germany and
Scandinavia and even in Finland. In
Finland theologian is at the head OF
every normal school-and Finlands
normal schools are celebrated. What
a good thing to have little balance IN
the faculty, a little variety in its
makeup. And incidentally under GER
tain conditions, what a saving. Our
present shortage of teachers could
partly be overcome by employing
graduates of positive science as part
time teachers. Surely, there are col.
lege trained lawyers, physicians and
ministers who could do little teach
ing in our schools without inconven-
fence to their practice and profession.
However one Of the troubles with this
is that a college trained physician or
jurist does not feel the need of pin
money" and that the ministerial rank
has too few representatives that COM
bine a good college training with a
good, scholarly theological training.
But the greatest trouble is the limit
alton of school administrators, who,
generally, quite ignorant of the speclf-
ically educational value of the pro-
fession of law, medicine and theology,
would feel his own profession slight
ed, if he were to break the bread Of
school life with the lawyer or minister,
a physician in any other capacity than
that of setting with him.
I congratulate the State Normal
School at Valley City on having on
its faculty member of the clergy who
teaches French at the normal school,
vet takes care of his parish in the
city.
The salvation of the graded and
especially the high school in our coun-
try depends on getting a greater va
riety of training represented on It's
faculty, and not on retaining tradi-
tional uniformity, certainly not uni
formity of mediocrity. Rules, regu-
lations. good traditions are necessary
in school work. That is truism.
the mechanical canons for selecting
teachers, have sometimes wrought
havoc in public school education: We
are at present concerned with the
training and selection of teachers,
which, however, also may affect the
time element. The poor teacher IS
the very teacher who makes the pupil
''do time"
Larger Opportunities for Normal
Schools
Notwithstanding, our norman
schools cannot cease to function ex-
cept at a great loss to public lnstruc-
ton. However, they must be given
larger opportunities in order to 1--we,
and not merely to exist. The high
school is gradually supplanting the
high school courses of the older nor
NAL school; and if the high schools
will 90 on developing Junior colleges,
a great many normals will have to
perish unless they become teachers
colleges, giving a four year course
leading to a degree This naturally
need not, and for years to come, should
not. affect the two year course beyond
high school graduation. The reten-
ton of one or two year courses IS
matter Of expediency; and though one
normal school president writes that
the one or two year course does not
lead definitely anywhere unless 1t IS
to blind alley" we are not ready
in North Dakota to drop the two year
element, applied to the pupils ana
But two factors, the over-exactlng
course, perhaps not even any OF the
other courses, though many of us feel
we should add two years OF work to
what we have.
The contention of the normal schools
today is that if normal school train
ing is needful for teachers in the
grades, why not for teachers IN the
high schools; or to state it very mod,
estly, why should the normal school
not be put at least on par with the
independent college, so that it can
give four year college course, with
emphasis on teacher training. This
would not siinify normal school mo-
nopoly, but plain parity. There are
many independent colleges which are
granting acceptable B, A. degrees and
vet do not measure UP to older nor
NAL schools in Minnesota or North
Dakota either in personnel or equip
ment.~
Data on Four Year Courses and
Granting of Degrees
In order to find out what the pres
idents of our state normal schools are
thinking about the future of our nor
NAL school system, l wrote letter to
I55 normal school presidents, asking
for a personal statement of theirs in
regard to- giving a four year college
course, with emphasis, as heretofore,
on teacher training. Since writing:
four weeks ago, have been receiving
, replies to these letters every day. l
have thus far received letters from
eighty presidents. more than one hun
bred new catalogues, many pamphlets,
also mimeographed papers recently
presented by normal school commit
tees advocating the four year college
course in the normal, or the teachers
training college.
On basis of this material, find that
62. of our normals are already giving
four year collegiate courses and B. A.
or =. S. degrees. More than 55 are
working hard to get the consent OF
their legislature to become teachers
training colleges. To this group be-
long eight normals in California, nine
in Massachusetts, five in Minnesota,
,1,,o, -, Now York ~ in PennSyl-