Evening star., 1947-02-23
Nations [. O.
SOurs Author
His Evidence Indicates
Training Method
Is One Fault
By Louis Br0mfeld

1t is possible that no nation in
the world spends so much money on
education as this one and, it is also
probable that no nation gets so little
result in proportion to the expendi-
ture. That is certainly broad and
challenging statement and a diff
cult one to prove or disprove; yet
the evidence is all about us.
One has only to tune in upon any
one of our popular radio quiz pro-
grams to discover how poor are the
results of our educational program.
Presumably, the majority Of the per-
sons quizzed in the audience have
had an education through the eighth
grade, some certainly are high school
graduates and a few must be college
trained, but the most striking thing
about the programs is the amazing
ignorance displayed concerning the
most elementary facts of history,
literature, art and the elements
which are presumably the founda-
tions not only of culture but even
of simple education.
Not Regional Ignorance.
It cannot merely be a regional
Ignorance for the level of ignorance
seems to be about the same with
programs which move about the
country. Even age does not appear
to have much to do with 1t, so one
cannot say that any particular gen.
Grafton or age seems worse than
another.
The impulse, Of course, is to ask
why Is this SO? What do the ma
jority Of students get out of our
schools beyond simple reading, writ
ing and arithmetic? Certainly the
writer is not prepared to give the
whole of the answer. Like any one
else, he can only speculate upon
what is fact.
There are many elements-the
overcrowding of most schools, the
lack of any real personal contact
between student and teacher, the
miserably low pay Of teachers in
wide areas of the Nation and, in
the latest generation, the evils done
by ideas Of progressive education
misunderstood by many which
have led to the abandonment both
of intellectual and physical dis
cipline, imposed either from within
or without.
Certainly personal contact be-
tween teacher and student is of the
utmost Importance. It has been 50
since the time. of Christ and Soc
rates and before There are, it is
true, not many born teachers and
few such teachers are attracted by
salaries which make it barely pos
sible to live. But any born teacher
and there are good many from
one end of the Nation to the other
has little chance to accomplish
much in classrooms crowded by
noisy and ill-mannered students,
coming out of the shambles largely
represented by the word "home" in
these times. The inevitable tend
ency Is for the teacher, even the
good one, to give the current class
good enough marks to get them out
of the way for the next mob COM
ing in.
Parents Share Blame.
Much responsibility lies with the
parents, for a child can scarcely be
expected to understand the eco
nomic and social handicaps that
will blight his whole life If he has
a poor education. Much education,
to be sure, comes out of the home
and what is heard there and from
the contacts the child makes there
But not much can come out of
homes where the father talks only
Of his business and spends the
evenings in the pool parlor or the
lodge and the mother is always
playing bridge or at the country
club.
Certainly homes should be better,
teachers paid more, classes smaller,
children should have more disci-
pline, for education without disci-
pline is impossible.
I don't profess to know what
should be done about it. I only
know that the situation is serious,
SO serious that it can affect the
future of the whole Nation. If you
! are observant even in small degree
doubt that you will put up much
argument about it.
tcopyriEht. 1s47. By Bell snydioats. 1ns.,