SUNDAY, JULY 28, 1957
THE SUMMER ECHO
PAGE THREE
Cites 'Great Challenge’ In ATA History
Speigner
It is with profound pleasure
that I welcome each member of
the American Teachers Associ
ation to the fifty-fourth annual
convention which, convenes at
North Carolina College at Dur
ham July 28-30. ATA faces its
greatest challenge in the histo
ry of the organization. Its pro-
lessional responsibiltiesto
teachers on all academic levels
are most pronounced in this era
of transition and uncertainty.
Our Association has the man
power and resources to meet
the issues of this period if we
have the will and determina-^
tion to move out in deeper wa
ter in order to expand the serv
ices of the Association.
The public school system is
America’s greatest heritage.
We shoald never abandon
universal, free compulsory
education in this country. For
the proper workings of De
mocracy require the education
of every citizen. Humanity
dictates that every person have
the maximum opportunity for
the development of his mind
and talents.
This is the most challenging
period in American Education.
Indeed, we are facing changes
in our cultural, educational,
economical, political and social
patterns not only in the South,
but throughout the nation and
world. Each professional organ
ization must face new and de
manding issues which have been
neither tested nor tried. For we
are facing a new era in education
in this coimtry.
The public school system is
America’s greatest heritage. We
A should never abandon univers
al, free, compulsory education
in this couHtry. For the proper
workings of Democracy require
the education of every citizen.
Humanity dictates that every
person have the maximum op-
portimity for the development
of his mind and talents.
The achievements of this na
tion in the field of public edu
cation have been miraculous,
and such hard won gains should
not be destroyed because of thei
problems of desegregation. In a!
spirit of good-will, faith in the
true principles of Democracy,
and mjitual trust and coopera
tion by all citizens, every com
munity in the United States can
solve this seemingly difficult
problem of desegregation with
in the framework of the Su
preme Court’s decisions of May
17, 1954. That is, if we have
faith and courage to face the
issues squarely without prod
ding'ourselves in' a direction to
circimivent the decision of the
highest tribunal of the land.
.The American Teachers Asso
ciation is dedicated to the task
of implementing and achieving
in full the American ideal of
educational opportunity of ev
ery American child, regardless
of race, caste, or creed. To this
end the American Teachers As
sociation has again and again
reaffirmed its faith in the dem
ocratic process and has urged
all citizens to support these lof
ty ideals.
ATA is a channel through
which we can achieve certain
specialized interests for the
benefit and welfare of per
sons engraged in the teaching
of children of minority groups.
Yet, we are an inclusive pro
fessional organization.
The American Teachers Asso
ciation is vitally concerned
with two major approaches to
the difficult problems of educa
tion today. (1) Teacher welfare
and security, and (2) and Tech
niques for the improvement of
instruction. Two excellent piec
es of projective work have been
initiated by ATA. (1) An Eval
uative Study of the Encyclope
dias of America to see instances
where the contributions of the
Negro have been omitted and
to remind publishers of the sig
nificant contributions which
the American Negro has made
to the culture of this nation.
(2) Publications and demon
strations as to some of the im
portant techniques which might
be used to “Improve Human
Relations” during this crisis.
In this perplexing period in
which we are living, we must
not give up those fundamental
tenets which will make it pos
sible for us to anchor safely.
We will need tlje ATA as long
as we shall need the Virginia
Teachers’ Association, The Ala
bama State Teachers’ Associa
tion, the North Carolina Teach
ers’ Association and the Pal
metto Educational Association;
for the Americah Teachers’ As
sociation has a specific function
to perform along with all other
professional organizations.
The NEA-ATA Joint Commit
tee serves as a clearance house
between the American Teach
ers Association and the Nation
al Educational Association.
Through this channel common
educational problems may be
dissolved. These two great
educational organizations are
better able to champion the
cause of educational equality
for all Americans than either
alone.
In this present crisis' all
teachers should be willing to
assume their professional obli
gations and responsibilities by
affiliating with local teachers
association, district teachers as-
ciation, state teachers associa
tion, national teachers associa
tions, and world-wide teachers
organizations. Through these
professional organizations the
grievances of teachers may be
heard; through them equality of
educational opportunity for our
children may be achieved. It is
not healthy for any teacher to
ignore professionail organiza
tions today. Teachers’ organiza
tions are communication media.
Professional competencies are
often achieved through profes
sional organizations. Teachers
cannot dodge some responsibili
ty for remolding and reshaping
community ideas and ideals.
This expression has come down
to us in recent months; “I AM
PROUD TO BE A TEACHER.”
I ask the question, for what rea
son? Is it because you are able
to get a check every twenty
days? Or is it because you feel
and know that in the teaching
profession you will be molding
the lives of men and women
who will guide better or worse!
the political, social, education
al, and economic destinies of
this nation for centures to
come.
Our responsibilities are to
prepare our youths for a new
era in human relations. They
must be encouraged to become
active participating members
in an integrating society. But
more important in this transi
tion period in education is the
teacher. She must become
fully integrated in her think
ing, action, and personality,
before she will be able to trans
late a new philosophy of life
to her pupils. Today the use of
the text book alone is inade
quate to prepare fiie student
for the application of knowl
edge to every day working ex
periences. Our pupils must be
exposed to a larger environ
ment than the four-walls of
the classroom and the two
backs of the textbook.
Democracy must develop
within every teacher such a de
sire for excellence that she will
work at the highest level of her
capacity at all times. This type
of teacher will teach as the
Master - Teacher taught. Fur
thermore, Democracy must de
velop respect for every person
who works at his highest level
. with the desire to achieve ex
cellence. A competent teacher
recognizes the dignity and
worth of each pupil in her class.
She tries through her resource
fulness to develop his mind and
talents to their fullest capacity.
She takes the child where she
finds him and makes the most
of the resources at her disposal.
We belong to a great profes
sion. We have a great heritage.
This heritage came to us with
out cost and without price. But
it places upon us an obligation.
An obligation that we shall
make excellence our goal in the
teaching profession; in order
that the rich heritage of the
past may be made richer for
our children in the' future. The
American Teachers Association
justfies itself in that it creates
a medium through^ which wei
can qualify and participate in
policy-making bodies of leading
professional organizations of the
coimtry.
The American Teachers Asso
ciation is a watch-dog for our
cherished hopes and Ideals in
an integrating society. The
American Teachers Associa
tion is an educational resource
for many teachers who have
not as yet achieved complete
equalization of this nation’s'
resources and rights. ATA
needs your support, and yon
need ATA’s resources and In
fluence in these days of crisis.
The unselfish builders of A-
TA^ have thrown us a torch. It
is incumbent upon us during
this fifty-fourth annual con
vention to hold it high so that
those who are to follow may be
heirs of a brighter future be
cause of the positive decisions
which we make here. We must
rededicate our energies and re
sources for the improvement of
the status of teachers and pupils
in the American public schools.
This is the least that ATA can
do as a professional organiza
tion during its fifty-fourth an
nual convention. It is up to A-
TA membership to make this
convention a historic one. May
the delegates and members of
ATA leave North Carolina Col
lege campus inspired, enthusec^,
refreshed, stimulated, and mo
tivated to the extent that the
quality of learning and living
will be enriched throughout
this nation.
—THEODORE R. SPEIGNER
Mr. Artus Satterfield, sopho
more from Oxford, N. C., is
shown contemplating the cam
eras. In commenting about pho
tography and the new cameras
Mr. Satterfield said, “I like pho
tography because it gives me an
opportunity to produce some
thing that I can say is mine.
These cameras sort of solve my
present photographic problem —
access to a good camera. I haven’t
been able to really see what I
could do because I haven’t been
able to buy a good camera. Now
I can check out one of these and
use it. This will give me a chance
to see what I can do. I like these
C-3’s, and I believe I’ll get one
just as soon as I get enough mon
ey.”
AV Center Gets
Argus Cameras
The North Carolina College
Audio - Visual Center has re
cently received a gift of an Ar
gus Camera Kit. This kit con
tains two Argus C-3 35 mm
cameras (List $69.50) and onel
Argus Super 75 (List $32.75).
All three cameras have carry
ing cases and flash units.
This gift is a part of an ex
perimental program which is
bing initiated by the Education
al Services Division of ArguS
Cameras, Inc., a division of Syl-
vania Electric Products, Inc.,
,Ann Arbor, Michigan. These
kits have been available to high
schools with twenty-five or
more students in a photography
club or class, and which havei
been in progress for two years.
The present experiment is
with college Audio-Visual Cen
ters. Mr. Robert R. Wilson, Di
rector, Educational Services of
Argus Cameras, Inc., wrote Mr.
James E. Parker, Director of
the NCC A-V Center as fol
lows: “We are planning an ex
perimental program with a few
selected Audio-Visual centers
where the scope and direction
of the program seems to be
well planned and supervised.
We would like very much to
place one of the kits in your
Center.”
The cameras were given on
a permanent basis without any
obligations whatsoever.—
Company is interested in wide
use of the cameras by students
and faculty, and they will be
interested, from time to time,
in knowing just how they fit
into the program.
The cameras will be availa
ble for loan on a check-out ba
sis. Tentatively, the loan peri
od will be for forty-eight hours. ^
A permanent arrangement will
be made when experience dic
tates a more suitable arrange
ment. The cameras are ade
quately identified by local
methods and also by a perma
nent label by the Argus Com
pany. This Company label
reads: “Donated for School Use
by Argus Cameras, Inc.”
For
In
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DR. WILLA B. PLAYER
President
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I
FALL TERM BEGINS SEPT. 11, 1957