[FADED SCHOOL STAMP]
Knowing does not
come to us by details
but in flashes of light
from Heaven.
THE ORIOLE
Any sincere thought
is Irresistible.
Vol. 3-No. 9
MAY, 1924
Published Monthly by Students of the Maryland
State Normal School. Towson, Md.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
AND ETHICS OF THE
TEACHING CRAFT.
By Nicholas Orem
Supt. Prince George’s County.
Only a few years ago educational
writers were defending the thesis
"teaching is a profession”; but now
happily within the last decade the
professional status is that the teacher is accepted not only by the educational writer but by a large part
of the intelligent laymen, who no
longer tell the teacher how to teach,
but who express in no uncertain
terms their contempt for the untrained person who would attempt
to teach.
Only comparatively few years ago
Dr. Payne said: ‘‘Teaching is the
noblest of professions but the sorriest of trades.” But another writer said: “Teachers must never fail
to rise to the greatness of their vocation — even as yet though poorly
remunerative.”
And still another: “Human life is
the finest thing in the world, the
trraining and development of it, the
finest calling in the world."
Thus we see teaching referred to
variously as a calling, a vocation,
and while its professional status is
rapidly becoming fixed, this status
will not and cannot become firmly
and finally established until we who
are engaged in its practice fix for
ourselves and our calling certain and
definite standards of conduct and a
code of professional ethics that are
recognized not only by ourselves but
by the public in general.
What is a profession? Webster
says "That of which one possesses
knowledge, a vocation if not purely
commercial, agricultural, mechanical, or the like.”
To classify a vocation a profession,
MORE TRUTH THAN POETRY.
What Normal is to teachers,
What popularity is to the boys.
What fame is to the Pests,
What grammar is to English,
What themes are to History,
What projects are to Geography,
Yea, yea, and more yeas
What sleep is to Juniors,
What commencement is to Seniors
Gives but a slight idea of what
Our faculty is to all of us.
P. BAILEY, Sr. IV.
those engaged in it must be able to
answer in the affirmative these questions:
1. Is there a body of knowledge
peculiar to that profession, a content
of method, of practice, procedure
and technique that can be taught,
and which no one not possessing can
follow the profession? Lawyers and
doctors, “yes,” but teachers not yet.
2. Does its practice satisfy a
public need, perform an essential
public service of such nature that
those practicing it have the complete
respect and confidence of the public,
who acknowledge its leadership and
essential nature?
For teachers, "yes ”
3. Are the standards of admission
to its practice controlled within the
craft itself as is done by physicians
and lawyers?
Not entirely so with teaching, although there is a rapidly increasing
tendency in this direction on the
part of the public.
Stated another way:
1. Teaching will become or has
become a fully recognized profession
only in so far as members of the
craft itself will or have fixed and
jealously guard the requirements of
admission to its practice, when those
requirements are so standardized
that to be a teacher will mean for
everyone so engaged a certain minimum of qualification in its methods.
2. When methods of practice,
procedure and technique of those
who practice it have become so
standardized, as they are rapidly becoming, and are so exact that to be
a teacher will imply not only a thorough knowledge of that method, but
a real willingness; nay, even keen
desire to maintain and apply an
acquaintance with changes and improvements in that method.
What can you and I do to help
make teaching a firmly established
profession?
1. Know method and technique.
If not, then teaching is but unskilled
labor.
2. Keep abreast of the times, for
the science and art of teaching is so
rapidly improving that we cannot be
content with what we know today.
Matthew Arnold said: I would rather my pupils drink from a fresh running fountain than from a stagnant
pool.”
3. Stand for a high standard of
admission. Only last week a committee of the Baltimore Bar Association reported:
“The best place for elevating the
(Continued on Page 5)
THE EXHIBIT OF THE
VIENNA SCHOOL FOR
ARTS AND
CRAFTS.
Talmadge A. R. Strong.
I don’t believe I ever before saw
such a combination of color in all
my life as I did when I entered the
room in the Maryland Institute
where the work of the Viennese children was on exhibit. Red, green,
blue and yellow, in many tints and
shades, were the predominating colors which caught my eye.
The exhibit was especially interesting to me because it was the unsupervised expression of the children's own ideas. As you would
naturally expect, most of the pictures
were of action: such as children at
play, farm scenes and animals.
What struck me the most forcibly
was that many of the best pictures
were painted by children from
twelve to fourteen years of age.
The picture which I liked best
was painted by an Austrian girl
fourteen years old. It was evidently a picture of springtime, for a
little girl is standing with her arms
full of flowers, which she had picked
from the many which grew around
her feet. Little trees, just coming
into leaf, are on each side of her.
A little bird is sitting singing in one
of the trees. In the distance white
clouds float lazily in the blue sky.
The wood carvings were equally
as good as the paintings and showed
great skill. The one of these which
I preferred was made by a boy thirteen years old. It depicted cavalry
marching and showed great skill and
thought, as even the smallest details
were fully carried out.
The school where this work is
produced is in Vienna. It is open
only on Saturday and Sunday. Any
child who desires to may attend.
The materials are furnished free of
cost by the city. There is no instructor to suggest what to do or
how to do it, so the children's own
ideas and thoughts are expressed in
their work.
If the work is continued it seems
evident that Italy will have many
great artists.
WHAT A DUMB-BELL!
One of our girls was heard to exclaim upon seeing a pumpkin, "Oh,
there is one of those jack-o-lanterns,
but it hasn't got it's eyes open yet.”