Weekly Messenger - 1916 December 16

              THE WEEKLY MESSENGER
Devoted to the Interests of the Student Body, Washington State Normal School
Vol. XVI. BELLINGHAM, WASH., SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1916 No. 11
E
A I
Some years ago a series of articles
on "Formative Influences," written by
persons of note, appeared in The
Forum. One writer facetiously re­marked:
"Each one is so well satis­fied
with the result that he is glad to
recommend the training that accom­plished
it." I suppose it is something
of this feeling that prompts this series
of sketches.
When Mr. Bond askt me to tell
how I happened to make teaching my
profession I told him there was little
of interest to tell; it was in the blood.
When one comes of a long line o*"
teachery ancestors it is easier to fo.
low the impulse than to resist it. So
I always intended to be a teacher, but
I did not intend to do the kind of teach­ing
in which most of my life has been
spent.
Like many ambitious high school
students I decided to be a high school
teacher, the subjects of study seemed
so interesting. Soon I narrowed my
ambition to being a Latin teacher. Ac­cordingly
I took five years of Latin
and two of Greek, with cognate courses
in Ancient History and Mythology. Af­ter
I graduated from the Normal
School at Ypsilanti, Michigan, I taught
first year Latin for one year. At the
end of that time "the divinity that
shapes our ends rough," as Shake­speare
puts it, turned me into a very
different field. Ten years later, while
teaching in the Normal School at Su­perior,
Wisconsin, I again taught a
first year Latin class and that is all I
ever practist my "specialty." There­fore
I say to the students: "You do
not know what is ahead of you and
your early training should be broad."
We talk of fitting the square peg to
the square hole and the round peg to
the round hole, but the fact is most
jobs are compromise jobs and need
compromise persons to fill them. More­over,
if the teacher finds the position
that exactly fits him his chances for
growth are considerably lessened.
Speaking from experience again, I
like the plan of alternating teaching
and going to school. I did my work
at the University of Michigan in this
way. It pays in accomplishment and
enjoyment to take time out to study.
The feeling that one must hurry and
get .thru takes away half of the fun.
Then, too, it adds to life to follow some
line of study that one never intended
to turn to a living. With this idea in
mind, while at the university I always
kept a course in German on my pro-continued
on page 8)
New Course of
Study for Normal
-SB-Some
few weeks ago, President Nash
announced that a revised course of
study for Bellingham Normal was in
process of formation: this course to
provide for a three years' course for
graduation and allowing elected work
to fill half the requirements.
After much thot and expenditure of
time, the committees appointed drew
up such a course and passed it unani­mously.
On November 27 it was ap­proved
by the faculty as a whole.
Students, present and prospective,
will be much interested in this care­fully
prepared schedule of credits. The
two and three year courses of the new
schedule are:
TWO YEAR COURSE.
Required, 40 Credits.
Observation and practice teaching,
10 credits.
Psychology, 4 credits.
Sociology, 4 credits.
State manual and civics, 2 credits.
Public school music, 3 credits.
Drawing and hand work, 3 credits.
English composition, 2 credits.
Oral expression, 2 credits.
Library practice, 2 credits.
Physiology and hygiene, 4 credits.
Physical education, 4 credits.
Total, 40 credits.
Selective, 20 Credits.
Primary Group:
Psychology of childhood, 2 credits.
Nature study, - 2 ' credits.
Primary methods—Reading and
phonics, language and spelling, num­ber
and elementary science, history
and geography—8 credits.
Story telling, 2 credits.
Primary music and hand work, 4
credits.
Kindergarten theory, 2 credits.
Total, 20 credits.
Grammar Group:
Psychology of adolescence, 2 credits.
Science, 4 credits.
Class room management, 2 credits.
Grammar grade methods—Arithme­tic,
reading, English, history—8 cred­its.
Geography, 4 credits.
Total, 20 credits.
Rural Group:
Rural life problems, 2 credits.
Organization and management, 2
credits.
Agriculture, 4 credits.
Rural school methods—Arithmetic,
reading, English, history—8 credits.
Geography,. 4 credits.
Total, 20 credits.
Elective, 20 Credits.
General: English, foreign languages,
mathematics, science, history, sociol­ogy,
economics, etc.
Professional: Psychology, methods,
management, supervision, organiza­tion,
etc.
Specialized: Manual training, home
economics, commerce, agriculture,
music, art, expression, physical educa­tion,
etc.
As chosen, 20 credits.
In case of specialization in manual
training, home economics, or com­merce,
the selective and elective
groups are combined as follows:
Manual Training, 40 Credits.
Mechanical drawing and shop
sketching, S credits.
Advanced mechanical drawing, 8
credits.
Elementary woodwork, S credits.
Advanced woodwork, 4 credits.
Cabinet making, 4 credits.
Forging, 4 credits.
Pattern making and moulding, 4
credits.
Total, 40 credits.
Home Economics, 40 Credits.
. Food study, 2 credits.
Elementary clothing, 4 credits.
Fundamental foods and cookery, 4
credits.
General chemistry, 4 credits.
Nutritional physiology, 2 credits.
Textiles, 2 credits.
Dressmaking, 4 credits.
Dressmaking, 4 credits.
Advanced cookery and table serv­ice,
4 credits.
Chemistry of foods, 2 credits.
Household management, 2 credits.
Dietetics and invalid cookery, 4
credits.
Bacteriology and sanitation, 4 cred­its.
Pattern draughting and clothes de­sign,
2 credits.
Total, 4Q credits.
Commerce, 40 Credits.
Shorthand, 12 credits.
Typewriting, 6 credits.
Penmanship, 2 credits.
Commercial arithmetic, 4 credits.
Business English, 2 credits.
Bookkeeping, 8 credits.
Commercial law, 4 credits.
Commercial geography, 2 credits.
Total, 40 credits.
THREE YEAR COURSE.
First and second years same as two
year course.
(Continued on page 8)
Mrs. Larrabee, one of Bellingham's
talented pianists, talked most enter­tainingly
at assembly last Friday on
the origin and growth of orchestra
music. The modern complex sym­phony
orchestra music was traced
from the simple song of generations
past and the instruments which go to
make up the effect were explained.
The themes of several famous selec­tions
were related, and, in closing,
Mrs. Larrabee and Mrs. Irving J.
Cross, head of the Normal Piano De­partment,
played in duet form the
"Overture," by Beethoven, and Liszt's
"Hungarian Rhapsody." These were,
most effectively rendered and so>
pleased the audience that these musi­cal
artists received an ovation.
E
The HOUSP Committee held a meet­ing
in the registrar'-; office Tuesday,
December 12, at tne students' hour.
Mr. Edson, Mr. Rindal, Mr. Grady and
Miss Woodard were present, Miss Lee
being the only absentee.
(1) The committee decided that
any organiation desiring a meeting
place for business or committee meet­ings
at the student hour should se­cure
permission from the secretary
of the committee at least one day in
advance of said meeting.
(2) It was further decided that any
organization desiring the transfer of
furniture or other property for special
occasions should present a written re­quest
to the chairman of the House
Committee one day in advance of said
occasion.
(3) The committee next discussed
the possibility of economizing on
house bills. The chairman reported
the expenditures for last year as fol­lows:
Heat, $2,889.53; light, $846.95;
water, $273.80.
It was decided to ask for the co­operation
of teachers and students in
keeping the expenditures as low as
possible.
The committee also asked that no
window be opened unless the radiator
and ventilator were closed before­hand.