Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1921-06-03
ANOTHER CHAPTER
IN SCHOOL ISSUE


president of the College, clarifies the
air in one respect by submitting proof
that the present attacks which some
correspondents are making upon school
matters, are not inspired by a desire on
the part of Middlebury College to rein
state the student teachers in the high
school, DR.. Collins makes it clear that
the college withdrew from this ar
rangement on its own initiative year
ago, and that it has no desire to re-
introduce practice teaching in the local
schools. His communication follows:
May 2, 1921
Editor, Middlebury Register,
Middlebury, Vermont.
Dear Sir:
1t has just been brought to my atten-
zion that there exists a suspicion about
town that the article in last weeks
Register on the school situation and
Others in contemplation are propa-
ganda with the ultimate purpose of
changing the balance in the school
committee so that the system of stu
dent teachers in the high school may
be restored May l say that while |
am not conversant with the aims or
the plans of those having these arti-
cles in preparation, l am in a position
to know that they are not inspired
by the College.
The intention of the College to dis
continue practice teaching in the local
high school was announced to the local
School Board in the following COM
munjcation:
April 81, 1920
Mr.. Ira H. LaFleur,
Middlebury Vermont.
my dear Mr.. LaFleur:
l think that in view Of the probable
difficulty in securing teachers this
spring, 1 ought to inform you at once
that it is not the intention of the
Department of Pedagogy to ask for
continuation of practice teaching under
the conditions obtaining in the High |
School, and that l shall wish someone
else to take my place on the committee
to secure new teachers
Very truly yours,
(signedl E. D. COLLINS
The discontinuance Of practice
teaching had been recommended to
me more than a year previous by the
supervisor in charge Of it. My own
feeling that it was for the best inter
ests of the whole community to work
together in an effort to produce an
efficient and economical school system
accounts for the retention Of the pTac-
tice teachers during the last year in
which such teaching was in vogue
In fact so reluctant was l to admit
that this community could not capital
ize its educational assets to produce
more efficient schools with less money,
that did not assent to DR.. HOwards
recommendation until after an investi-
cation Of the local situation by a dis
interested party sent upon my initia
tive by the State Board Of Education.
This investigation, may say cost the
District nothing While the final re-
port of the investigator was not made
until we'll toward the close of the
school year, the necessity of our COM
ing to some decision in the matter
earlier led me to secure a verbal opln-
ion from him in April, which was to
the effect that more satisfactory re-
suits in teacher training could be Sc
cured by the College without the local
school. This verbal report was cor
by the written report to
which l have referred and from which
1 may be permitted to quote briefly
"The unprejudiced visitor to Middle
bury must be impressed with the won
derful opportunity for a great educa-
tional project, beneficial alike to the
district, the college and the state, pro-
vded united community spirit would
furnish the basis for working relation
One wonders why there cannot be
some kind of cooperation agreed upon
that will not only meet the require
ments of the school and college, but
which would produce a system of
schools and of teacher training that
would become famous in this section.
Here is a college with an increasing {
body of students, large majority OF {
whose graduates yearly enter the
teaching profession. Here is an intel r
ligent community possessed of high I
(Continued on page eight