SELECTION OF TEACHERS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22082, 3 May 1937, Page 4

SELECTION OF TEACHERS

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —I must confess that. I did not place any significance on “Psycho-nom-de-plume in relation to the subject matter of his letter. Neither can I now, so far as his suggested remedy is concerned. The broadness of his outlook covering the whole question is another matter, and I think I made it clear'that I was quite in agreement with him that the occupation of teaching should be sought by those with the very highest ideals. Your correspondent admits: “It would be- ridiculous for anyone to state that because one cannot pay one is not a desirable candidate for the teaching profession.” Yet he certainly inferred that a bar should be placed against the entry of persons unable to pay; otherwise I should not have written my letter. With regard to easier entrance to training college, “Psychological” has quite missed my point. I said “the easier it is made (from a’monetary point of view) for a person to' enter training college,” etc. Apart from the question of means, I think the profession should require ndt only a high educational standard, but also a high standard of character and prospective teaching ability. Under the old pupil teaching system a fair idea as to whether a candidate possessed this

latter qualification could be arrived at before entering training co}J®S<s Your correspondent Is quite correct in assuming that I am not a teacher. It was purely as a layman that I suggested a return to the two years pupil teaching. If going back to it would be a retrograde step, there must be reasons for this of which I am unaware In “The Press" this morning “Dominie” gets to the root of the matter—the character of the students in training. It is apparent from his remarks that some of them do not take their positions seriously I am Quite certain he would not cut out all pleasure from the life of a student; but as he says students whose heads are crammed with memories of the previous night’s festivities cannot develop strong characters. . . ~ I appreciate the fact that Dominie would allow some remuneration to students, but 1 am afraid hall the present sum would not be sufficient. However desirable it may be for a student to help himself financially, if he works at his studies as he should there would be little time for outside tasks.—Yours, etc., WJD April 30. 1937. [Subject to the right of reply ot “Psychological,” this correspondence is now closed. —Ed.. “The Press.”]