Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-02-21
AS the People View 1t

Reply TO ''The First Grade Teacher"
Albuquerque, n. NJ, Feb. IA.
Editor Morning Journal.
Are those friends or education
sure that they learned all there was
to be learned concerning the fall
ings and faults of the poor teacher
they visited? If / might be allowed
to suggest l would say that the
three hours of a half session of
school make rather short period
in which to find out very much
about either the teacher or the
work. / acknowledge that the ac-
count given (if strictly unbiased)
does not give much credit to Miss
Blank; but are the visitors giving
the devil his Just due?" Visitors
come so seldom to the district
school that the teacher naturally
becomes flustered when they do
drop in on her and does not do her
best. May it not be possible that
the teacher in question, anxious for
her pupils to be seen in the best
light, left out those classes in
which the children were particu-
Iarly "dumb?" OF course this is
merely a suggestion, but. perhaps,
if the friends" had devoted bit
more of their time. say five or six
half days, to the sacred cause of
education they might have seen a
great change in the work; they
might have found out that Miss
Blank, when she wasn't frightened
to death, could spell Connecticut
correctly.
It seems to me small matter
and Miss Blanks own business as
to whether. she does or does not
want to use fractions in grading the
spelling lesson. Even college pro-
fessors are allowed to use their own
Judgment concerning the strictness
of their grades. Another matter OF
taste, as it appears to me, is whcth-
er she prefers the pictured face OF
one great man or the pictured
grave of another upon her walls
The great need in New Mexico. as
felt and expressed by her educators
is for more of the three RS and less
of such things as drawing lessons
among children whose education
must generally step at or before the
eighth grade The teacher, there
fore, is certainly justified in having
very few specimens of the pupil
talent in that direction on her walls
l am giving these excuses as pos
sible, not probable. We all know
that, due to low salaries. conditions
are not as they should be in the
rural schools; but there Is such q
thing as constructive criticism. IL
was not used in the article entitled
"The First Grade Teacher" There
is an organization known as the
Parent teachers association. II the
"Tax-paying Parent" would. IN
stead of visiting the schools at IN
lteryals of four months, he interest
ed enough to organize such an as
sociation | am sure he or she conlt
get better results than by WRITING
up the mistakes discovered in one
brief half day. Since the young
| lady in question must be both IN
terested and conscientious in hel
work to have attended normal II
the summers on the salary she has
.been receiving. l believe that sht
would be deeply thankful FOR any
criticism given by parents VINO
/ who were backing her up. Benz
young and inexperienced she Woult
treasure hints given her privately
as to the hanging of her flag or the
removing of tacks from the walls
While Miss Blank may deserve
! all the criticisms hurled at her,
seems to me neither clever no.
funny to hold girlish ideals to rldl
Guile. Would it make her better
teacher now if she did not dream
of some day Specializing in his
tory?" It is surely her misfortune
rather than her fault that she wa
compelled to quit high school pc
| fore finishing, 1t would be ne.
fault if she did not plan to go baci
and had not gone to normal. =
I am q teacher. / began at |
and | am not yet q. | hope to b
some day q seasoned middle-aged,
particular kind of teacher. witt
a normal diploma and q profes
sional certificate" But how, 10
goodness sake, am | ever TO be
come such a paragon if Tn not al
lowed to teach in the meantime
fortunately, 1 teach in com
munity blessed with a parent
teachers association. l am enable
to meet the parent face to face q
friends. l know that if max
mistakes l will be told about ther
kindly so that l may profit u
them. And when / become one {
those sought-for paragons l WI
not rush as hurriedly to the cit
schools as most county teachers q
because I was fortunate enough
escape the back lifting meanne'
found in most rural districts.