Show Army of School Children In Step With War Effort Shortage of Teachers Is the tIle Most Serious Handicap of New Nev Academic Year Willard Villard E. E Givens Executive Secretary National Education Association of 01 the United States State The school children who march back to school this month keep step with another army army army-an an army burdened with the equipage of battle whose units march in Australia Ulster South Carolina Dutch Harbor Colorado Midway Both armies are enlisted in the same lito total tal war both have havethe havethe havethe the same objective objective victory This is to be a story of the army that is answering the school bell of the rebuffs it faces faces of its part in the fight The school army is not as lar large c this autumn as asIt asIt asIt It usually is some of those who would have marched with it are Inthe inthe in inthe the other army or stand beside assembly assembly as as- lines or pore over drafting boards or are arc busy in laboratories The high school especially will have fewer students fewer t teachers teach teach- ach ers for the teachers too have gone to the fighting fronts to the factories Fewer Teachers The most serious handicap which the schools face due to the war is the loss of teachers It is estimated that up to of them a tenth of the lie total number are not in their schoolrooms schoolrooms school school- rooms this fall faU Man Many of the men teachers have joined the colors Newly created auxiliary forces will wiIl take many of the women teachers too Many of those still with their school classes find that their incomes as teachers are not within reaching distance of the grocery basket A teacher whose salary is a year year the the average salary paid to the teachers of a large midwestern state state state-ac- ac accepts a war industry job that maynet may maynet maynet net him three times as much money He ic may not wish to leave his profession profession profession pro pro- but he and his family must eat There are many thousands of teachers whose salaries are not a year but or a year A teacher eacher who receives a year will vill look longingly at a position ina ina in ina a government office paying 1600 a year She is quite likely to be quaIl quaIl- fled fied for it and quite likely to take it The shortage of teachers is naturally naturally naturally nat nat- the most serious where the salary schedules are lowest as ina ina in ina a southern state where the state average last year was for all teachers eachers and school officers but there here is a trek from schoolroom to factory all over the nation The most alarming plase phase of ot the teacher eacher shortage is that it is greatest greatest great great- est in the school subject areas that are most vital to the war effort Teachers of physics chemistry mathematics manual arts and cerain cere tam ain tain of the biological sciences are in great demand in war industries and anti laboratories When they leave the classroom for such work they cease ease to train the thousands of students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents of mathematics and the sciences sciences who are so urgently needed by y the armed forces Between three and four million school chool children this fall faU will therefore there there- fore ore find the thc school door closed when they arrive or their educational educational opportunity considerably cur cur- tailed ailed Measures are being taken to 0 minimize as far as possible the Ill III 1 effect of at the teacher shortage Where students who have lost teachers teach- teach ers era rs are in the same school with those hose who still have teachers classes lasses are combined This is usually usually usually ally not possible in rural areas where it may be many miles from froma a school without a teacher to a school chool which has one Even where classes lasses are combined they often become be be- come ome so large and unwieldy that e- e ef- ef o teaching is impossible Former Teachers Urged to Return Former teachers are being urged to return to the schoolroom The Theban Theban Theban ban against married women teachers teachers teach teach- ers is being removed in some com corn All of these measures however offer only temporary relief as was proved by the experience of World War I when the thc supply of teachers became so inadequate that the quality quality ity of education was greatly reduced It is well worth considering nevertheless nevertheless nev nev- that efficient instruction depends largely upon the teacher and that fully trained teachers arc are arenow now and always will be be hard to get at a salary which will employ a clerical worker who can be prepared prepared prepared pre pre- pared t for r her work in a few weeks The army of f is entering schools this year that are geared as fully as possible to the war var ef ef- ef- ef fort Whether or not there is a lack of teachers the organization administration administration ad ad- ministration and instructional meth- meth Effective Remedy Only one remedy has much promise of ot being continuously effective e Teachers must be paid well enough to enable them to remain at teaching This is impossible in some states unless the federal government go participates participates participates pates in financial support of schools Educators and amI friends of the schools are arc trying tring desperately desperately desperately des des- to secure such aid That however howe is another story employed will be adapted within with with- in the I limits mits of available staff and facilities to war needs In many communities the students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents of 43 1942 will find a whole new division of education the education the nursery school The Man Power commission of the federal government government government gov gov- is thinking in terms of woman power as well weIl as man power It asks for additional additional additional ad ad- women in the war industries industries indus indus- industries tries by January 1 1 1943 19 A large percentage of them willbe will willbe willbe be married women who have young children The nursery school is being established to take care of these children while their mothers are in the factories factories fac fac- tories and offices The nursery school is already a fixed educational level in many of ot the better school systems and the necessities of war will likely in increase increase in in- crease the scope and efficiency of learning in the earlier years of childhood Sp Speed Up School Army The school army will face the demand demand demand de de- de- de mand for speed made in every field of preparation for this war The United Nations have until recently recently recent recent- ly found themselves everywhere equipped too late with too little Consequently the cry Hurry hurry hurry hurry hur hur- ry It is aimed at the assembly lines the cantonments and field op op- op- op The urge has not missed the schools Battles are fought by men who use machines therefore s 92 j I Fortunately man mant high schools throughout the nation had well developed developed developed de de- de- de technical in their curriculum courses before United States en en- the war Now throughout the land such sueh scenes as this one taken aken of ot the aviation technical co course rsc in a Brooklyn N. N Y high school are arc common Reading writing and repairing is the theme today hurry the preparation of men is a logical demand It has been proposed proposed pro pro- posed that high schools continue during the summer on Saturdays and holidays that the school terms be reduced in length in order to give those who will soon be under arms as much education as possible In general educators have strongly strong strong- ly opposed universal acceleration tion of high school pupils The attitude of the Wartime commission of the United States Office of Education ma may be taken taken tak tak- taken en as typical Its recent report points out that hastening the progress of students through school will enable them to go into defense jobs defense trainIng training train- train Ing tog classes non defense jobs to replace persons who have left for defense jobs or into the armed forces or to enter college earlier carlier These purposes purposes purposes pur pur- poses are arc commendable thinks the commission but it rules against general acceleration in favor of stepping up the tue rate of 01 progress only for pupils who are physically and intellectually able to speed up with profit to the war effort and no damage to the pupils themselves I Because this opinion is so widely held by educators there is little likelihood that the school year 1942 1042 43 will be shorter than the years ears preceding it Another policy will be followed by colleges and higher institutions institutions in in- where the maturity of students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents and the exigencies of war make acceleration feasible and prof Different Courses Emphasized The students who are entering school this month will find some outstanding outstanding out out- standing shifts of emphasis in the courses of study since September 1941 1041 These do not represent radical radical radical radi radi- cal changes Only a few of ot these changes can be offered by way of illustration Geography is an excellent subject with which to begin since unlike e current events and history It is usually thought of as not changing much from day to day The continents and oceans the mountains and rivers are more or orless orless orless less constant in size and position These physical facts however are not of great importance except as they affect the lives of men The geography geography ge ge- ge textbook therefore which includes a chapter on the rubber plantations of Sumatra and the Malay peninsula is due for some revision War has considerably altered altered altered al al- al- al the political status of great portions of the map world commerce commerce com corn merce has found new trade routes and trade itself is heavily in commodities com corn little sought a few years ago Methods of travel are changing changing chang chang- ing the character of ot the maps which today's students will use Aviation has made the flat fiat map or Mercator Mercator Mer Mer- cator projection of secondary importance tance The globe is taking its place Those of us who visualize Japan due west of the United States find it difficult to realize that airplanes on their shortest route from Tol Tokyo o to the Panama canal would first strike the thc United States somewhere on the Canad Canadian border The Need for Mathematics Mathematics another study that thatis is often oHen thought of as fixed in nature since the same two numbers always add up to the same total will see its ts change also For many years the schools have been adjusting arithmetic to the daily needs of ot a people at peace The textbook problems problems lems ems therefore have had to do with matters like life insurance income taxes budget making home management management man man- and bookkeeping Suddenly Sudden- Sudden ly y there comes a demand for skill sh in the use of the mathematics needed need need- ed edby by the Ule bombardier and gunner The reason for the lack of ot these skills is the same reason which prompted our government to sell scrap iron and gasoline to Japan We were a peaceful people and hoped loped to remain so The mathematics of navigation navigation na iga tion and ballistics the chemistry chemistry chemis chemis- try of the munitions worker the physics of the military engineer u incer will vili most certainly find their way into school and college curriculums curriculums curriculums cur- cur and will stay there until until until un un- un- un til the minds and hearts of men are set once more on the arts of peace |