Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-04-06
AS OTHERS SEE US
By H. Addington Bruce

wv HAT do visitors from abroad-visit
wv ors really competent to express an
opinion in the matter-think Of edu
cation in America? That is a question OBJ
viously worth asking, and attempt to
answer it has been made by Wisconsin
educator, W. J. Osburn, in volume recent
ly published by the United States Bureau OF
! Education.
| Industriously Mr.. Osburn has burrowed
through a great mass of English, French
and German critical literature. Rightly he
has paid special attention to the findings OF
| visitors who came to America expressly for
| the purpose of studying at first hand Amer
| lean ideals and methods in education. Also
| he has attempted to evaluate their findings
| in the light of the actual educational situa-
| ton as American experts see it.
The result is publication Illuminating to
all who have at heart the advancement of
education. For, while the foreign visitors
find much to praise, they also offer much
constructive criticism, noting conditions and
tendencies which undoubtedly call for cor
rective action.
Thus, acknowledging the value of the pres
ent educational system in developing such
qualities as alertness, self-reliance, and mi
tiative, they feel that our education is in
general too ''hurried' to foster thorough
ness in thinking and doing. They further de-
plore what they regard as failure to make
proper provision for the exceptionally bright
In our school population.
And, contributory to teaching that
makes for superficiality rather than thor
oughness, the foreign observers quoted by
Mr.. Osburn stress the failure of school off
Gals and the general school-supporting pub
lie to insist on teachers being properly train
ed for the work of teaching.
''The worst defect of ALL" is the way one
critic puts it, sis the lack of training. .
The examining boards see that the candidates
know what they are to teach, but whether
they know how to teach is seldom asked"
Besides which there is noted an overbur-
dening of many teachers with tasks addi.
tlonal to the work of teaching, and an under
paying Of these same teachers. This leads
some of the visitors from abroad to express
belief that, keen is the public, interest
IN education, it is not altogether an enlight-
ened interest. If it were, teachers would be
better paid-and, as a result, better teachers
would be obtained.
Also, as indicating imperfect public ap-
probation of the great worth of education
and OF the esteem in which teachers should
be held by reason of the great Importance of
their work, attention is called to the inferior
social rating actually given teachers:
IF a man remains a teacher he suffers
the odium of being looked upon as an in
capable; for the American does not conceive
OF an 1dealism which renounces the goods of
this world in order to become and remain a
teacher
There is reason, far too much reason, for
this criticism.
AS everybody knows, indeed, there is a
constant exodus from the educational world
OF capable teachers disheartened by the pub
lies attitude toward them. If Mr.. Osburn s
survey of foreign opinion will contribute to
more general recognition at home of the So
cial value Of teaching, that alone would JUS
tlty its appearance in print.
Copyright, 1922, by The Associated News
paperS.)