Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1921-06-03
ANOTHER CHAPTER
IN SCHOOL ISSUE
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Continued from page one)
ideals with a public school system that
is sadly in need of educational reorgan-
ization and guidance. There is a great
demand for better and more efficient
teachers throughout the country and
particularly in Vermont, for other
states are taking our supply, There
is a general recognition of the need of
the states more adequately providing
for the practical training OF teachers.
While | can see a possibility of a great
school, built up by the joint efforts OF
the school officials of the district, the
college, and the state, which should be
at once and by virtue Of the same mer-
it's a model school for pupils and for
the training of teachers, cannot con-
scentiously recommend the state be-
coming a partner in such an enterprise
under existing conditions, | base my
final conclusions upon these facts: the
expressed hostility of the school di-
rectors to the practice teaching sys-
tenn the inappropriatenes of attempt
ing to train teachers for the present
day in a school such as has been de-
scribed and reluctance of the school
officials to accept suggestions for re-
organization.
Recognizing these essential facts, |
early advised the college to discontinue
practice teaching in the public school
at the close of the current year, The
acceptance of this suggestion forces
the college into one Of two alterna-
tives: either to discontinue practice
teaching entirely or to organize mo-
del school of its own
In accordance with this recommen-
dation, and after consultation with
the State Commissioner of Education,
DR.. Hillegas, upon receiving assur-
ances that he would support the plan
suggested of developing in connection
with the College model school, | an
nounced in the spring of 1920 that such
a school was in contemplation. The
circumstances connected with DR.. Hill
egas' resignation from office and de-
parture from the State, together with
the complications introduced by the
Carnegie plan of establishing all teach
er training in one central institution,
and the decision of Middlebury College
not to negotiate for such an establish
ment here, led necessarily to the
abandonment, or at least the tempo
rarv abandonment, of the plan for a
model school.
Under these circumstances, | hardly |
need to add that the College has no
desire to re-introduce practice teach
ing in the local schools nor has it any
desire to exploit the public schools in
any way for its own interests, or to
foist upon those schools any work
which the community does not desire.
[ have become convinced as DR.. How
ard became convinced much earlier,
that the people of the District would
much prefer to pay college students for
teaching classes without supervision
than to secure their services free of
charge under supervision from the Col
lege.
1t would be unfortunate if the pres
ent efforts Of interested parents to Sc
cure improvement in school condi-
tons should be confused in the pub
lie mind with any policy or propa-
ganda of the College. The College is
proceeding along other lines to secure
if possible the results which it was
unable to secure under the regime OF
the local high school 1t is not my
purpose in this communication to re-
fleet discredit upon any of the officers
or teachers of our local schools, but
simply to clarity the point upon which
there seems to be misunderstanding
Yours truly,
EDWARD D. COLLINS