The woman who led the under- ground resistance movement In Luxembourg during the Second

3 '.,g .,L:.'.e ..'

RECEIVES

World War has become a Can- adian citizen. Mrs. C. R. Pogue, 50, receives her Canadian citizen-

CI11ZENSI-IIP PAERS

ship certificate from Judge A.G. I McDougall In Ottawa as her hus- band watches. Decorated by both I

WIDENING EDUCATIONAL HORIZONS

THE STATUS OF THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Do you know that in our pro- vince. where there is a teacher shortage. standards for teachers are -lowered and unqualified per- sons are fining our schools.

An address by Dr. Marcus Long. University of Toronto, to the An- nual Meeting of the Canadian Teachers' Federation. Chateau Laurier. Ottawa. August 18. 1955. Continued:

Due to the lowering of the stand- ards for admission to the teaching profession. by the Minister of Education. the Ontario Teachers' Federation protested violently, fre- quently and ineffectively. ,Thelr pleas were ignored. As a result, standards have been adopted that threaten to destroy the status of the teaching profession and to flood our schools wtih incompet- ent teachers.

The Minister of education proud- l.v boasts that no school will be uitliout a teacher this winter. He may wel lbe right. Many of us wish he were wrong. It might be better to have a classroom without a teacher than with an incompetent one. Where there is no teacher the community knows it is getting nothing; with an incompetent leacher they may think they are getting something when hi fact they are getting nothing.

No profession but ours would have accepted. without revolt. such an arbitrary act in lowering the barriers to admit to the pro- fession persons not required to give evidence of Intellectual com- petence.

I have mentioned in situation In Ontario because It is the one with which I am familiar. Un- dnubiedly similar situations assist elsewhere.

I take these situations as evid- ence that teachers ought to take a strong stand against any govern- men action which seems to them a threat to the standards of the teaching profession. If the stand- ards for dmlssion to the profes- sion are not high then there is no hrestige in teaching.

The lowering of standards. apart from the fact we leave the d-velopment of the talents of our children in incompetent hands. is I self-defeating policy. If anybody can he a teacher than there is M Chall to teaching. As a re- fit". it becomes increasingly dif- Ilr'llll to attract the right sort of Dmple to our ranks.

It is not easy to determine die Primer inbeliectuui standards re- quired. There are some who feel that a teacher in ,the kindrgarten need: iiersonaltty and patience rather than intelll ence.-I do not aitree. But even i -it were true 1 should still insist on high intellec- ls'l'rl:ls'sti'lhdn'"dm1-g"

LLIGINCI:

During the war I worked In :Je:'S-0:'llIGI selection. 17. used .3 2;" A; a manure of intellig. NW; can Mlierson wishing to re. sinn had atoll - comm". that test. "" I” ”"

There h no go . . own mind Mat illicit oh igjlhf:

an arbitrary on. mg "3 1;. ' i

doubt that by its application we lost some very good officer mat- erial. Nevertheless, the standard was justified on the principle, supported by experience. that such standards are so much more often right than wrong that it is fully not to acept them. The alterna- tive. in an effort to promote the few who were capable. was to run the risk of flooding the ' stoned ranks with incompetents. A simillar arbitrary standard ought to be accepted by the teach- ing profession. ! hope to see the day when no person will be al- lowed to teach unless he has a degree from a recognized Univer- sity. received through regular at- tendance. Such an ideal is imprac- tical at the moment. It should be

kept as our standard and we

should depart from it as little as possible. DEGREE REQUIRED

Industry seems to be moving in that direction in the selection of potential executives. There was a time when men worked their way to the top with a minimum of education. That day seems to be gone. Now a University degree is quite generally required from those wishing to try for executive positions. What is true of industry should surely be true of the teach- ing profession.

I have mentioned the fact that we are faced with a shortage of teachers. This is something not too easy to understand. Teaching ought to be an attractive profes- alon. There should be more ap- plicants than positions.

This seems to be true at the University level where we are of- ten embarrassed by the number of our students who want to go In for University teaching.

Their decision is obviously not datarmlnad by the hope of fabu- lous salaries. Most of them could do much better in business. Some University teachers, at the junior levels, have had to take in board- ers to help pay the mortgage. And even some of us. at a more ad- vanced stage. have to give speech- es to earn anoough for so ocea- sional glass of beer!

There is no similar desire to go in for teachin in schools below

the University level.

I have spoken to a number of students whom I considered pot- entially good teachers to find out why they had no interest in teach- ing. They gave many different reasons. Salary was one. Inter- ference by school boards. parents, etc. another. Some found no in- tellectual challenge. There were many who held the opinion that teaching at a level lower than the University was only for those who were incapable of anything else.

I offer these answers, without comment. to illustrate the need for more effective public relations on your part. - ANSWERS

There was one recurring answer which I must give although I do so with considerable embarrass- ment' since I do not know if It is well grounded. Most students whom I talked to refused to enter the teaching profession because they dreaded the year required for their ps0I8SSIOIlEII training. All of them believed that the College of Education would be an anti- climax to the University. a com- plete bore and a waste of time.

I emphasized that I mention this point with considerable em- barrassment because. I lack ade- quate knowledge of the situation. I can only say that if the opin- ion is correct I cannot understand it since I see no reason why such Colleges should lack intellectual stimulation.

I know Dean Lewis of the On- tario College of Education and I should rank him as one of the finest men I have ever met. I also know many members of his staff and have a high opinion.o( then- Gbllliycl am quite sure these men are doing their best to provide a course that will be both -'equate and interesting. Yet the fact re- mains that in debates at 0.C.E. the students have Iupporled the resolution that 0.C.E. is a waste of time.

This situation should be investi- gated. It is quite wrong that this necessary training should be con- sidered useless by those who take It and an impassable barrier by others who might otherwise con- sider entering the teaching profes- aion.

I do not know the answer to this

the Luxemburg and Belgium governments. she came to Can- ada in 1951 to marry Mr. Pogue,

(CP Photo)

.

a Canadian.

my present post and seek to be- come Dean of one of the Colleges! I leave the matter to you with- out too much hope that you will find the answer.

DEPENDS ON STANDARDS So far I have argued that the status of the teaching profession depends on high standards of ad- mission and that these standards should include intellectual compet- ence and adequate professional training. The delegates at Istanbul stress- ed. as another condition. that the individual teacher must have pride in his profession. that he must consider it one of the most im- portant in the world. There should be little difficulty in stimulating this pride since the teaching profession is the most important in the world. Without it. as I have pointed out. our clvIli7.a- tion. our culture, our highly in. dustrialised society could not sur- vive. Without the teacher there could be no other professions of importance. Education. in the widest sense. involves the communication of in- formation and the development off skills and capacities which nature either ignores or does not develop -enough. In this sense, almost every 8V9F.Vyexperlence may be called educational whether we be concrn. ed with the training of pickpgc. kets or a Minister of Finance!

IMPORTANT PERSON

In civilized ommunilies not all experiences or subjects are con. sidcred equally important. Philo. sophers and other and nlher ex. Derts are assigned the task of de- ciding what is most valuablg im- the individual and the society so that education. in the narrower 391156. may be possible. The phil- 050Phei's and and the experts of- ten ,disagree. Nevertheless, the curricula of our schools rcpresent Wm: "'9 Wmmunlly considers In

HIGH

to them the great traditions of our civilization. By this very fact soc- ta responsible for developing the grounded convictions and discrim- inating tastes so vital to the free man in the free society. Any pro- fession charged with such respon- slbllities should be one to make us proud.

Fortunately we have the records of some great teachers of the past such as Buddha. Confucius. Jesus and Socrates who may, by their example, help. us to live up to the exacting standards of our profes- sion. 3 One thing the great teachers had in common was a sense of mis- sion. a feeling that the thing they were doing was important. They had an irresistible urge to teach. Thai. Jn my opinion, is the first requirement of a good teacher. Salaries and working conditions are important but they must never bave priority. The man who teachp es only to make a living cannot be a good teacher. The truly gi-sat teacher is the man who cannot help teaching. - You may reply that it was easy for these men to have a sense of mission. an irresistible urge to teach. because they were concern- ed with moral, religious or poli- tical questions. They were spreiad- ing opinions destined to change the course of history. It is not so easy in feel a sense of mission while teaching the multiplication tables or the French irregular verbs to reluctant and unruly students.

QUESTION OF IMPORTANCE

I sympathise with this point of view. And yet It is wrong. Soci- .ety has decided the question of iimportanee. That is why I stress- ed the fact that society, through its representatives, has assigned to the schools whatever is considered most important for the individual and the society. If that be true, any subject which is properly in the curriculum is an important subject. If it is not taught pro- perly the individual and the soci- ety will be the poorer. It is vital to grasp

this for,

pmhlem' U I did I should resign without a sense of importance. it

induence wherever our students may go or whatever they may do. EXAMINE CONDITIONS

This is a good place to examine one of the conditions I laid down for admission to the teaching pro-

ttie responsibility of devalontnl h- tiellactual competence!

Every philosopher who has ex- amined agrees that democracy can only hope to survive with a literate and

Tuegdayhnec. 20. 1955 The Guardian Page 7

the basis of democracy latc which we seem incapable 0”

solving. The humble ratioiialis

may suggest that a very I3-' Hy on

adequate professional is ' ing. He must ilso have a desirable person- ality. The teache may influence as much by his personality as by his intellectual brilliance or skill in teaching. The good teacher, in teaching. imparts not only his sub- ject matter but a very large part of iiimiieii. Thai is why I would

eat appraisal of political platforms and, promises. schools can provide such people. We are living in the atomic age. an age when the scientist has as- aumed a new importance. No na- tion can hope to survive unless It can maintain scientific leadership. And only the schools can provide us with competent scientists.

urge each one of you always to bring your happie personality in- to the clas.sroom,a personality expressing itself in patience, sym-

Man has travelled far evolutionary march. There is much farther to go. Our control of the atom threatens to destroy us when

pathy and understanding.

It is easy to fall into the trlipl of assuming that all that mattersl in education is drill and dlstip-y line. Particularly when there is al certain amount of material to be, covered in a limited time. Drill and discipline by themselves con-I tribute to memory rather than understanding. You can get a mea- sure of success through drilltreal real accomplishment comes only through insight. Any teacher of mathematics will understand whatl I mean.

There is no more thrilling ex- perience for the teacher than the one he gets in the moment when the student who has been plodding. and stuggiing to understand sud- denly sees the secret, learns howl and why the thing works. This insight is vital to intellectual ac- complishment. For most students it can onl ycome through patient guidance or suggestions from the teacher. The sympathetic and un- derstanding teacher, therefore. is indispensable.

MOST IMPORTANT PROFESSION

Teaching is the most important pi fession in the world. There can be no question about that. No mat- ter how humble the part you play in the educational process you are helping to shape persons and to

it ought to be used to further our interests. Social problems

.. I the answer depends on , ,

f I ' dmon I have .0 ya, intelligent utizenryy The free soci part, of , H mm at the CIT!-I may 1;s,::'d. '-I-an good tench”. mus, ety can only be nliaintanined ifnthle man wiigieyliglzrzie alidndazggy mu; fi?..5'r'e"iL.m. Srio much by guardingay have ' t " tnnl , t------ and 3” I5 r 9 P” ' gzfmolf a"r'e charged with develop, the profession from ncompeteiiu.

the ing intelligent men.

DEPENDS ON THE TEACHER The future of civilization depends

on the teacher. That is the.es-

senee of what I have been saying. ,

Once we grasp that vision we shall

And only

lcvcn

need for intellectual interests. Bd9'

proicssion that is essential to our success. The good teacher, like At- las. bears the world in his ”i1oui- ders. From him must come ilie men and women capable of solv-, ing our problems and endowed with enough wisdom to gude us through perplexing pathways to a

tude in the classroom.

in his

Estele Bowness. General

u.

Province of Prince Edward Island DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS

TO ALL CITIZENS OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

I feel. at this time. that I should request the d'H'eI'lI'IOn and co-operation of all con- cerned in so for as the practice of good driving habits on our highways are concerned during the holiday period immediately ahead.

All our roads now have a covering of snow and ice. This condition itself requires a driver's utmost care csnd caution to continue

more sensible and a haPPIB,l' W07”- The status of the teaching .pro',

,,ve fcsslon. thcrefore. depend! Pflml" I

the teacher himself. Such or- " -

the profession from in competentso if II involves conflict WII-hlyi government officials. and by I. Tconstant effort to prod teachers ' into a proper recognition of the

develop the sense of pride in our quam twining any a proper '.”l.mH .. This tlcpzirlment is conducted by)? ' the Prince Edward Island Teach-.l1 er's Federation. Contributions ara-V welcomed and should be sent 10. acre- ' (my, 98 Prince 51. Charlottetownnu

,. ,..g...m... :

is impossible to teach effective- ly. When a teacher is ent” slas- tic about his subject some of his enthusiasm will brush off on others. When he is indifferent the indifference will become contagi- ous.

The importance of teaching is not limited to the subjects taught. Every good teacher has an influ- ence on his students that will go far to shape their personalities and. in ways not always easy to trace. spread through them to al- fect society and even civilization itself. This is. perhaps, the most frightening aspect of our work, that our influence for good or ill extends far beyond the develop- ment of cuupetence in a certain fi-eld.

EXAMINATIONS

It is not easy to support this point since we try to measure the influence of the teacher through examinations. Examinations are useful but they are no adequate measure of what a teacher does. Judged by examination results the teachers of Sir Winston Churchill were failures and yet each of them. in his own way, helped to prepare Churchill to bear wisely and well the great burdens of his office.

influence. Hardly anyone present knows the names of the teachers of Churchill. That is characteris- tic. The teacher is so often des- tined to be anonymous. known only to the world through the lives of the men and women he has in- fiuenced.

That was certainly trite of Soc- rates. He wrote nothing. We know him only through the writings of others. Particularly through the writings of Plato who. with his own pupil Aristole. basic concepts of our Western civi- lization. All of us, as someone has pointed out, are either Platonisis or Aristotelians. All of us, there-

be of most importance for the in- dlvldn” and S0CIei.V. Such subjects: age. entrusted to the'teacher. By . I5 Very fact the teacher is mark-I ed as one of the most lmportantl Persons in the community.

As a part of his task the teach- er is entrusted with the intellectu-

fore. are under the continuing in- fluence of a great teacher who is known to us only through others. Of course the ideal of Socrates is much too high for us lesser mortals. We cannot hope to emul- ate his accomplishments. But the principle is the same. Each one of us shapes the tastes and convic-

81. development or his students, with the training In the hasir-I skills required by an industrial!

3001915? and with communicating;

tions and characters of our stud- ents in ways which cannot be mea- sured and in so doing extends our

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stimulate your pride in your pro- fession. But there is one point

without mishap. For the many who do partake of alco-

That ought to be enough to

more that ought to clinch my argument. The school is the only

There is another phase to this

provided the

institution in society charged with

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holic beverages. as well as Hie many .who do not. I suggest -that in so for as possible. al- ways. one who has not been drinking should

drive.

Christmas is ci ioyful occasion and is the un- nive of a Birth. Let us. in the days ahead. not mar this Glorious Event. Ihrouali careless driving on our highways. with en Death.

I extend my best wishes to everybody.