New Britain herald., 1929-09-12
=DR, WEL7E REPLIES
 TO ROGERS' ATTACK !: 0N TEACHER TO-DAY
(continued From First rasc)

~p0m parable to the type O. S'f\ltt rendered than in teaching II is true s1hat such conditions are not con- .4ducive 10 the hest interests of the Teaching profession but at the sam" lime, the point miGh; be advanced 4,hat conditions are improving in this respect.
 Cuest3ons Reelection on Culture -- "Thc statement N Prof. Rogers that our normal schools are enrolling etgirls whose cultural hacEground is Limited, and who intellectually. can ~reither pass tho ynjr@nr' r@&mlna- fions nor stand tho pac" ct oHr in- '-craasing'y difficult collr@ts for Wcm- ~cn' can hardly be sunstaNuated by ~the facts which are ayallahl". Th" -state normal school &, New Britain, -end this is also true of the ether -hree normal schools in Co0n"ctIcut. is enrolling q distinctly superior type .of student. All apphrltjo"s for Hd- mission are made hy th" h.EA school -pupils themselves on standard forms -prescribed by the state board of cdu- cation. These applications are further supported by aGidavls con -cerning the scholarship of tn" pros ~pective teacher rom the high school principal Thus )t is possible to Select those students who, according to their high school record, will like iy become superior teachers.
 Tt frequently happens tkat this ~method does not always guarantee the selection of the very best stu dents from the various high schools but it is believed that the general .idea is sound and that if actually -Norks in a majority of c@So2, lt has been found that there is high cor -relation between success in high school and success in normal school and. in like manner, that there is a thigh correlation between success in normal school and success in teach Ing. If there are cultural deficiencies ,among normal school students and .for the time being let us assume that "there are, it is the responsibility of the normal school to correct these. Thus far we have been unusually successful in this respect.
 Women ,s. Men Teachers
 @ "To argue that the public schools fcf America are turning out a product .the quality of which is questionable, aand to attribute this to the fact that there are too many women teachers sWho are intellectually inferior, is rabout as logical as to assume that the products of our factories are in aferior because we have too many .lnachines. Some of the best teachers T have ever had were women and l 'distinctly remember one of my poor est teachers was d man.
 D. During the past decade, much progress has been made in recruit ing men for the teaching profession. ~Nith increasing salaries and with the rapid development of graduate seb ools of education. has come ar Increasing demand for men teachers < Tn many of our teacher-traininG in- \ Atitutions, especially in the west, tho Eesio of women to men enrolled iS { Approximately three to one, and in Cre graduate schools there are in the leigh borhood of eight men for
 ~sery two women. It is quite true sfhat many men have gone into ad- -.ministrative and supervisory position .but it is also true that both our high schools and our elementary schools are attracting men in increasing numbers.
 Modern Product Not Inferior
 '1t is an age-old controversy .phether or not We are doing things Better today than we did in the Food old days. The writer chooses
 b disagree with Prof, Rogers when ,iie says that it is an 'undoubtrll rfact that the average normal school 'broduct Of today, tho young woman teacher, is inferior intellectually and culturally to the normal school product of the past We do not contend that we are turning out teachers who are perfect in every respect but in what other profeS- Sion are We turnin" out perfect -Iroducts2 w. do believe howeyr, that we are doing the specific task which has been assigned 10 us q a bigger and better way than cvrr before. We are constantly raising the requirements for graduation from normal school, and with th. .fulfillmcnt Of these additional To- -auirements will como better trained Teachers of our boys and girls ir the public schools, The America people have an all-ah.1ing f0th T. ~pur public schools as W.ll as in in. ..stitutions which have as thou ma .jor objective the training of teach. CTS for these pUbIo schools We ar5 cndeavoring to be deserving or tha faith and tho only almamr ,yi -sdence that "" arr. actually accom-
 rlishing Grfnlt" and swriir rrny Is the fact that our pubic suoor are functioniug hettor 'oaav fhu ever before in the history of rhi country
 - "Critrt~m is n.en1v dasjnulr lu
 lnt lis not h" blinded by rn. .~a' which remains that in our mc~ as
 inely comp,eN -ncuty ;Ur school Of today taH" heon forced 10 ac cept d task and g challenge whjol they ha>" rovor fur.3 s..orr bu in spite Of 'ajs re.r lorrasug m. den, they lave wIury aae,pu.
 the chaIieng. and within B com rparativeiy sAor, period ruy hay ~aucceeded aimirlMl"
 -13 DIhM1Nn2 IkL