Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-07-05
THE BIG NEEDS OF
EASTERN NORMAL
Great and Growing Institution
Requires Mese Funds To
Prepare Teachers

Z the great scarcity OF trained and
efficient teachers, the proven fact
that good teaching must have a
:. scientific basis, the rise in teach
Iers' salaries Ill over the nation.
the resulting increase in taxation,
/ the desire Of the people for bet
ter schools, the belief Of wise
men and women that the future
Iof democracy in America de-
ponds upon right education, the
established truth that cas- is the
i teacher, so will be the school,"
all these facts have acted togeth-
er to make the problem of teach
er training acute.
| Kentucky has not done her du-
ty-and she dare not do less
until every child in the State has
had chance to sit at the feet of
a good teacher, a teacher of right
character. broad education, en-
thusiasm for the training of a
noble citizenship, and teaching
power. The performance of this
duty depends upon Kentucky's
teacher-trainiilg institutions.
In the 90 coanties of the East
ern Normal School district. there
are over 5000 Elementary teach
ers alone whose duty it is to train
and to teach over $4,000 chill
dren. OF these 5000 teachers.
possibly 1900 have had more or
less training. Over 1000 of them
quit each year, and their classes
must be supplied by young people
just out of the grades often with
less than good sixth grade edu
cation.
To train these 1000 or more
teachers for their great work
each year, AMI gradually to re-
duce the number of unframed
ones in the 5000 group, is thel
herculean tasiz of the Eastern
Kentucky State Normal School
and other State accredited
schools at present Berea Normal
School, Sue Bennett and Union
College Normal Schools. In the
verynature of. things, the State
cannot expect, much less demand !
great help form these institutions
established for other purposes
than teacher training. There
fore, the burden Of this work
must. fall upon. Eastern unless
the State decides to build and
equip other normal schools in
this district.
States have solved the problem
of teacher training in two gener-
al ways: (l) To build several
small normal schools scattered
over the State as in Wisconsin
and West Virginia; (2) To build
one or two large institutions and
enable and require them to dol
the job through resident and ex-
tension work, as. in Iowa and Col /;
orado. The ablest educators be-
lieve the latter to be the better
plan as we'll as the more econom-
ical one
Eastern must do this. job her
self or the State will be compell-
ed to establish other normaIi
in this district, leaving
Eastern a smaller and weaker
school than at present A law
was introduced into the last leg
islature to establish another nor
NAL school at Louisa, Ky, but it
failed to pass. 1t will probably
be introduced again the coming
session.
Richmond is vitality Interested
at this point. Eastern is alive to
her task, and IS doing her best
to perform it. The Board of Re
gents understand what it before
it. and is wisely and carefully
planning for the future. This is
the meaning of the extension
work this is the meaning of adj
ding Prof. Jayne and Prof. Chas.
Lewis to the faculty. The plan
is to bring students here in vast
ly greater numbers and to extend
the influence CT Eastern to the
remotest districts. Eastern pro-
poses to give the best normal
training possible to the increas-
ing numbers entering her DOORS,
and to carry normal training to
the doors of those who cannot at
tend. i
To accommodate the ever in
creasing numbers coming toll
it is necessary toll
complete and equip the dornai-
tories, now in process of COM
struction, to. build an auditoriuns
large enough to accommodate
the school and the people Who'll
wish to attend its functions. with
offices attached. To build q haaIfhI