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Page six
THE TWIG
December 14, 1951
Teaching Profession Becomes a Realistic Experience As Student
Teachers Fill Varied Positions in Local School Situations
By
MARJORIE BLANKENSHIP
Christmas is for the young and
for the young in heart. Ask any
fortunate education major who
is embarking on a premature
second childhood through her
student teaching in the Raleigh
elementary schools. If you
doubt the validity of this state
ment, think back over your own
pig-tailed days. Remember the
calendars, pictures, verses, clay
ash trays and popcorn strings
that flowed from your own busy,
nine-year-old fingers?
“No, it’s not a new experi
ence,” laughed Barbara Stal
lings, thinking back over her
gaily decorated class room at
Sherwood Bates. Crossing over
to the desk she picked up a large
folder smelling strongly of cray
ons and manila construction
paper. “This is proof of my
fourth grade’s Christmas spirit,”
she explained, opening the origi
nal Christmas cards, pictures
and presents. “When I think of
how I struggle to get new ideas,
I renew my admiration for the
healthy imaginations of those
fourth graders. Right now the
projects are cleaning up old toys
to give to charity, and studying
the inevitable ‘Christmas in
Other Lands’.”
Letter
She opened an original letter
home from an avid boy named
Mike who was attempting to
describe his adventures in the
desert.
“Dear Mr. Pee-Wee-McPeeny
Pincher,
The class is in Cairo and are
we having fun since we came
here! Right now I’m eating
desert fruit.”
When asked about her Decem
ber project in the junior history
class at Hugh Morson High
school, Martha Holland an
swered readily.
“Our project was given
December 7. It was a solemn
experience; in fact, quite a few
celebrities were present in the
class room, including George
Washington and Benjamin
Franklin.” With a twinkle in her
eye, she proceeded to explain.
“We held a Constitutional
Convention, with each member
of the class participating as a
delegate. The students made a
research report on the delegates
they represented. The most im
portant issues presented were
the Virginia and New Jersey
plans for government and the
slave issue. The Convention was
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conducted by strict Parliamen
tary procedure and was cli
maxed by a move that delegates
recess for lunch.”
“I guess my story is much the
same as Martha’s,” said Marie
Edwards, “only the setting is
different. I teach a junior his
tory class at Broughton High
school. Everything runs along
pretty smoothly, except for the
‘off days’—like the one when
I found myself teaching the
‘Neutralization Laws’ instead of
the ‘Naturalization Laws’. After
much tireless effort, it’s slightly
disconcerting to find answers on
your test papers that define the
Republican party as ‘a party
made up of Republicans’.”
Although the overall routine
of teaching is similar in all
classes, amusing situations have
come out of them . . . like the
morning Jean Joyner’s dad mis
took an eleventh grade English
student to be a current admirer.
“We were sitting at the Sir
Walter eating breakfast,” Jean
explained, “When Otis Johnson,
my only problem child, walked
in. Otis is a good-looking prob
lem child, I might add. When
he headed toward our table, Dad
stood up, mentally calculated
him as a ‘nice kid,’ and turned
on the charm. Imagine his be
wilderment when Otis replied to
Dad’s afforts with a deflating,
“Is that your pop. Miss Joy
ner?’ ”
Dicipline
Discipline problems in the
form of little tow-headed six-
years-olds also enliven the stu
dent teaching job. In Lou Griffin
Hale’s first year class at Fred
Olds elementary school, Larry
is already showing the char
acteristics of his sex. Lou, dis
turbed over his apparent lack
of interest in his boy playmates,
noticed that he was spending all
his time on the girls’ play
ground. However, the little
rendezvous came to an abrupt
halt when Larry was heard to
be chasing a girl with the plain
tive wail,
“Sometimes you will and
sometimes you won’t.”
Larry, still undaunted, has
since sidled up to the teacher’s
desk on every opportunity with
the unwavering belief that
“only sissies sit in those silly
little chairs, Mrs. Hale.”
If you ask a student teacher
how she likes her job, she’ll give
you a tired smile and say en
thusiastically that there’s noth
ing like it. Then she’ll resume
correcting her numerous themes,
‘weekly readers,” multiplica
tion problems or history note
books while you wonder how
she can feel so happy about the
situation.
“Of course she’s right,” as
sures Harry Dorsett, a member
of the education faculty. “Any
one with a love of young people
and a knack at teaching should
consider education as a major
or minor. There’s satisfaction in
the work along with a good
salary if the student holds grade
“A” certificate. The salary
ranges from $2,200 to $3,100 for
both high school and elementary
teachers. Besides the other ad
vantages of teaching, students
can answer a definite need for
teachers—especially elementary
teachers. Only recently in North
Carolina, only two-hundred ele
mentary teachers in comparison
with eight-hundred high school
teachers entered the profession,
when as a matter of fact the
ratio should be reversed. At
Meredith we are now emphasiz
ing the need for elementary
teachers.”
Printers of The Tnisfor Years
special conferences with Miss
Lila Bell, elementary supervisor
at Meredith, B. T. Tyner, head
of the education department, or
me immediately so that we can
plan their four year courses. In
this way students could save
much summer school work.”
Certificate
“At this conference, the stu
dent would receive specific in
formation regarding her major.”
“She could learn that education
majors carry pretty much the
same load as other majors. She
would learn that after gradua
tion she would have to renew
her certificate every five years,
either by attending school or by
means of approved travel, and
thus keep abreast of educational
developments.
“The relationship between the
Raleigh City School system and
Meredith is extremely good. We
have Meredith students teaching
at Cary, the Methodist Orphan
age, Broughton, Hugh Morson,
and Hardbargers Business
School. Within the school the
girl must observe and teach a
mihimum of 45 hours, attend all
school activities and participate
in the Parent Teacher’s Associa
tion, which is very active in Ra
leigh. During the teaching
periods which lasts one semester,
she is observed by members of
the education department, the
school principal, the general
supervisor, and a mernber of
Meredith’s academic depart
ment.”
It is believed that many poten
tial education majors do not
understand the requirements
that must be met for a grade
“A” certificate. If a girl plans
to enter high school teaching,
she can minor in education,
using a preferred academic sub
ject as her major. However, a
major in education is required
for all elementary teachers.
Those preparing for elemen
tary education must take all
individual methods c ou r s e s ,
such as reading, spelling, chil
dren’s literature, art, music,
arithmetic, principles in educa
tion, and child psychology. In
high school the student need
only take the one method course
in the subject which she is plan
ning to teach. Other require
ments beside the Praticum in
clude two subjects in three
fields, two courses on the pupil,
and two on the institution. For
an “A” certificate, the student
must have completed at least
18 hours in education.
In addition to planning sched
ules, members of the education
department assist majors by
holding special conferences, giv
ing them the opportunity to
select the grade and school in
which they wish to teach, ar
ranging for summer school work,
and placing them in accredited
schools upon graduation.
Students who are doing their
supervised teaching during the
first semester include:
Jane Luther Compton, Marie
Edwards, Jean Johnson, Jean
Joyner, Zeta Morton, Martha
Holland, Virginia Price, Ruth
Ann Simmons, Janet Tatum,
Mary Jo Shaw, Molly Britt,
Anne Creech, Nancy Cheek,
Rosalyn Poole, Metta May
Spence, Lou Hale, Dorothy
Helms, Peggy Poole, Barbara
Stallings, Barbara Ballenger,
Barbara Bone, Barbara Harper,
Jean Miller, Jane Slate, Betty Jo
Smith, Louise Stewart, Linda
Swann, Liberty Wilson.
i
v)
1
A
V
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Martha Snow, of Raleigh, N. C., models a black wool jersey blouse and
an Ibis white pinwale corduroy skirt in “Autumn Plumage,” a fashion
show sponsored by the Simplicity Pattern Co. Inc., and reported by Miss
Olive Berry.
American Birds Serve As
Miss Olive Berry, college fash
ion adviser for the Simplicity
Pattern Co., Inc., presented a
fashion show entitled “Autumn
Plumage” on December 6 in the
Meredith College auditorium.
The bright new colors of the
outfits were keyed to the plum
age of American birds, since this
year i^ the observance of the
centennial anniversary of John
James Audubon, the renowned
artist and naturalist. Each cos-
Mr. Dorsett continued by say
ing, “I want to urge all freshmen
who are considering a major or
a minor in education to arrange
CIVIC MUSIC ASSOCIATION
(Continued from page one)
American concert tour. Miss
Bachauer in three and one half
months, will travel from coast-
to-coast to fulfill a schedule of
over fifty concerts.
tume had been given a name
that was associated with birds,
such as the blue jay plaid rayon
which was made up into a cape
stole outfit called “V-Forma-
tion.”
Not only were the colors in
the wardrobe planned for the
college student new and excit
ing, but the texture story was
also full of news. Poodle cloth,
taffeta, corduroy, jersey, and
suede cloth presented many
interesting contrasts in the dif
ferent articles of clothing.
Throughout the collection the
skirts were very full, held out
with petticoats of taffeta, crino
line or plastic screening. The
skirts were fourteen to fifteen
inches from the floor. All of the
outfits and many of the acces
series shown by Miss Berry and
modeled by Meredith home eco
nomics students were made
from patterns which should
have been great inspirations to
the one who enjoys sewing.
Miss Berry, who brought the
fashion show to the campus, has
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been visiting colleges for sev
eral years and is well aware of
the needs of college girls. She
styles a wardrobe for on and
off the campus with an eye to
ward suitable clothes for careers
after graduation. Miss Berry
also talked to the home econom
ics club on opportunities in the
textile field.