Gorham State College - Hillcrest / Green and White Yearbook (Gorham, ME)

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THE HILL CRES T 1 952 VOL UMB XXXII gf GORHAM 8 T A T B T EA CHERS C OLLB GE Wubh'shed by fhe ?epresen ta :5 1:93 Qf fhe Student Badf

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11AM U E L .-'I.. BREE- LTIJ

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WHY WE TEACH SaMUEL anoatro Since my first year in teaehing-twentyvtwo years agovrl held the philosophical ideal that Teaehing Is A Prieileged Service; Not A Salaried Job. And, without in the least denying the need for much improvement in the economic condition of teaching, I still hold that fundamentally, teaching is a privileged service First. Hence, my title is not intended to stress the What we are teaching for in terms of monetary rewards. Rather nay aim is toward the objective For in terms of service and achievement for our own people, and toe humanity in general. THIS IS THE TRUE FUNCTION GF TEACHING as exemplified by the Master Teaeher-the Natarene. My approach to this brief discussion is undertaken on a basis of defense against undue attacks on publie school education, because attaeks have been Inant,r and serious, and because through that defense I may set forth our objective idEals. We do not tnind honest eritieisrn beeause eonstruetive eritieistn enables us to evaluate ourselves and so improve our efforts. But repeated undeserved attacks on the American Public Sehool can do snore hatrn to the fabric of American life than all the propaganda tnoths bombarding the nation's screen doors from with out . . . The Amefteon- Public: School is the only soeiol agency in our democracy exerting a whollyaanifying forte generally.I approaching a more normal practiced- equality. . . . All of the children of all the people, rieh, poor, of whatever eteed, raeial background, or political alliliation are exposed to the same educational experiences and opportunities . . . Most often, the attackers of publie school education charge that students no longer know how to spell; and they complain, we should serap all the tlfrillsH and return to the fundamental three-R's. . . . The best defense being a strong offense, I. would meet these diatribes somewhat as follows: I. There are no goodwatated spellers in the English language. There are onljrr varying degrees of Inernoriters-frorn college professors down. The fault lies not with individuals; the fault lies in the endless irregular forms of the language itself. . . . 2. Returning to the fundarnentalsl' would be a treesr good way for us to commit national suicide. I know we need not point this out to ourselves as edu- eatots, but it seems to be periodically neeessatsr that we bring it to the attention of Mr. and Mrs. America. Disearding out hard-won gains in public school educa- tion would be like disarming out future generations in the ever increasing strug- gle for men's minds. . . . We teach to liberate thinking and the truth shall make us frees than we ate. Future national greatness will not much longer be measured by strength of arms It will be achieved rather by general enlightenment. Critics of our public: schools sometimes find fault with so-ealled progressiveH education. Theyr object to the freedom of the democratic procedure involved which they choose to interpret as ehaosi But the modern teacher, knowing what she is about, is creating learning situations which are related to life. Nearly no- body pretends to know anything about medicine and law. Henee, little or no eritieisnts there. But nearly EVEIYbDIEIY and his second cousin knows all about teaching merely by passing by and looking,r into 0111' schools.