Show A DISCOURAGING DISC CONDITION Reports received by the state super superintendent superintendent superIntendent of education Mr Ir Nelson show that out of 31 applicants for po positions positions as teachers In the schools of i Utah only or practically succeeded in passing the required ex cx examination examination with an average sufficiently high to entitle them to certificates This fact tact is In itself decidedly discouraging but the disappointment is accentuated when it is stated that a majority of the applicants failed in the simple tests t in spelling reading and pedagogy It would w uld be interesting to know where these applicants acquired their education education education tion and on what they their theory that they are competent to in instruct instruct the children of ot the state Spelling Is not a hard science In the theold theold theold old days it was drilled into the heads of the children until they could not fail faU to know it And reading reiding the first of the three Rs vas was similarly insist insisted ed upon Pedagogy is simply the science of teaching and surely anybody of average intelligence should be able to give some sensible Ideas regarding its application in the school room The tests for teaching in all branches are not hard The average high school graduate should be able to meet them successfully Why then thep did two thirds of the recent applicants fall fail The answer perhaps Is that people who cannot do anything else think they would be successful as teachers It was once thought that failures in other lines would surely succeed as newspaper newspapermen newspapermen per men but that we believe beHeye is an ex exploded exploded plotted notion To be able to teach suc successfully successfully requires special training just justas as it is necessary to have haye special train training training training ing to become a successful newspaper newspaperman man or to be successful in any line of human endeavor in these days das of highly highl r specialized work There may have been boen a n time when the individual who could maintain a reasonable de degree degree degree gree of discipline and at the same time impart some knowledge to children could get a place as a teacher That day if there ever was such a aday aday aday day has long since passed The mod modern modern modem ern em public demands superior ability in its teachers The work is far different and speaking generally far better than it was Children learn more rap rapidly rapIdly rapidly idly and more thoroughly than they once did and the improved system of teaching is responsible for it While it seems a pity pit r that nearly out of the 31 entrants in the recent examina examination examination examination tion failed it is better for them to go godown godown godown down to suffer the disappointment than to fetter and hamper the schools with wl h Incompetents The rejected ones have at least east the consolation of knowing that in some other line of work they may be able to o earn a living The sooner they turn to it the better off they will be |