Pace 2
SUMMER NEBRASKAN
Thursday, July 28, 1955
Compressed Culture
Why is it that sophisticated Americans ask for and
receive all manner of shortcuts, compressions, selections,
anthologies, condensations and outlines when we go in
search for knowledge ? Why are we seldom satisfied with
what a writer says or the way he says it, but must seek
out w hat someone else thinks about what the author said,
in a streamlined, cut down, shortened- and inevitably
weakened way?
Perhaps we as a nation are becoming intellectually
soft. We have come to expect our culture to be served
to us on a foreshortened platter. So accustomed have we
become to technological shortcuts that we feel an attempt
to educate us must be equally quick, fast, and easy as a
do-it-yourself kit.
What is the use of reading a novel when the Reader's
Digest will give you a version that can be read during the
television commercials? Why torture yourself by wading
through War and Peace or Das Kapital when any number
of learned gentlemen will explain what these folks meant
to say, without all the fuss of actual reading? We find
that anyone can learn to speak French or play the piano
or become an irresistible salesman if one has ten dollars
and is willing to study one hour a day for three weeks.
We must be objective and thoughtful and slow to make
up our minds. It might well be that our craving for the
easy way is not so bad after alL After all, it certainly is
good that people want knowledge in any form, even if
they do want it in three easy, painless installments.
It could be that this is the way to wean people awav
from their television sets. TV isn't too rood in the sunf-
IITTIE MAN ON CAMPUS
by Dick tibler
mer anyway.
!
ccGison s Lure
' I'm sorrr Omstock, bat yaVe flaatced TEariish. B. becaase
dat have a large ewougk- stolen eaiwOmeat for tbe fall lrm".
Currently there is a drastic shortage of properly pre
pared teachers in public schools. What are its causes?
This question is of major concern to professional edu
cators and the public alike.
Dr. Wesley C. Meierhenry, Coordinator of the
Teacher Placement Division has cited as causes for the
shortage a low number of college graduates cow because
The Changing Role
Reading Instruction
panels En Scope
skills, stdy skills and argaatza
tioaal skills.
Tbe workshop students are also
By KAY NOSKT
of fewer births than ordinarily daring the depression and las Air Age, correspondent 'study
ine umavoraoie uuciicitv enven tne aimcujties sm nraw- ,mmr,;' nwtt sirnr in. i
backs Of teaching This Ta:hlifitv. w ssid cuiisf! ercre. tvnA
people to go into more lucrative fields. id Three R's should not be for-
What is needed to cure the teacher shortage is a rise
in paTalie esteem of the intellectual quality of the teaching
profession. How can this be brought about? Three meas
ures would help quite a bit.
The first is a modification of teacher certification
standards to include a requisite number of credit hours
in the subject or subjects which a prospective teacher pro
poses to teach. The initial certificate would then be issued
for a minimum number f academic hours, including, of
course, the required hours in education courses. The ad
vanced certificate would be issued upon completion of a
stated number of hours in the subject bevond that re
quired for the initial certificate.
The second measure is a reorganization of teacher
training. This would involve elevating teachers colleges
to the level of other professional colleges.
Under this plan, prospective teachers would take
their first two years of preparation in the colleges of
liberal arts and sciences and their last two or three col
lege years in colleges of education. They would, of course,
continue study in their teaching fields."
The third measure is a codification by state legisla
tures of the minimum curricular offerings of public
schools. Such legislation would state definitely which
subjects are basic and which are secondary. The law
would necessarily provide for standard examinations in
these subjects and thereby set certain standards which
today are lacking.
These three measures along with others would tend
to raise the intellectual quality of the teaching profession
and therefore attract more college graduates into it, thxus
alleviating the teacher shortage. R.W.
"I would rather hav men ask why I have no statue
than why I have one" Marcus Cato.
"If misflry loves company, misery has company
enough" Henry David Thoreau.
"Candy
Is Dandy
But, Liquor
Is quicker" Ogden Nash.
I would rather be first man here than the second in
Rome Julius Caesar.
"Be sure you are right, then go ahead" Davy
Crockett
The Summer Nebraskon ,
Member: Assciated CMleglate Press
Intercollegiate Pre
EejwTsentatlve: National Advertising Service,
Xnearpwated
Editorial Staff
ditor , Sam Jensen
Assistant Editor - Eager Wait
Business Staff
Business Manager Barbara Eicfce
3
Sua
gotten. Bat
even the
teaching of
reading lias
taken on a
new aspect
these days.
A workshop
seminar at
the Universi
ty is devoted
to finding in
struct toil
i. j
uicumjus a a a Jwrwi &
materials for helping high school
students improve their reading
abilities. High school students?
One would think they should have
learned how to read in the grades.
Tbe truth is that many students
Am not leara bow read is tbe
grades rod not eeecsarQy be
cause f poor teachers. The rea
S4Hts are masy and are smnetimes
m complicated as require cx
leesive diagnosis. Educators,
therefore, found the seed for read
ing instraetMMi the secondary
levels aad the big push far iastrae
timm ia high schaols eaaoe fire r
tea years aga. Bwever, ami much
has beea &mm ia Nebraska tutli
ibis wiromw.
The Cooperative School Study
Council, realizing the importance
of reading instruction, asked the
University to set up a workshop.
Teaching the workshop is Dr. Ger
trude Stearns, associate director
of the High School and College
Reading Center at Boston Univer
sity. Thirteen teachers and admin
istrators are enrolled.
Teaching reading in high school
is different from teaching reading
in tne grades. However, in the
clinic at Boston University, many
cases are so bad that a return
io grade school methods is some
times required. The purpose of this
seminar is to show teachers how
to help all students, even good
ones to read better.
Speed ia reading K un important
prehemion of that whktb is read,
mi evonse, is tbe final gal. These
in the workshop r beemlng f
miliar with the fuU meanings ml
sack terras as cmprebensin
From
The Editor's Desk
Probably everyone s aware that
Xebrka has teen well represent
ed in "pukhritudinous" contests
over the past fern weeks and that
Donna Jo Strever f Grand Island
placed third in the Miss USA con
test, but I wonder bow many per
sons are aware of the fact that
this particular Miss Nebraska used
to baby sit with yours truly . . .
And to think I was so young . . .
Mrs. Strever 's younger sister re
cently was named Miss Colorado
in the Miss America judging in
Denver. For Sharon's talent ex
position she gave the reading "The
Murder of Leidice" which concerns
i Nazi terrorism and the sadistic
annihilation of a small village dur
ing World War EL You might
say that a rather paradoxical com
bination of 15eauty and the
Beasts" boosted her into the m in
ner 's cidcle.,
A proud editor, if there are such
things, never should apologize for
U,e content of his publication. The
timely coverage on the "baring of
the knees' is being featured in this
week's issue because of its world
wide importance and has nothing
to do with the anti-climactical go
ings on around toe campus as the
19Z5 Summer Session iraws to a
close.
For those who are contemplat
ing being commissioned in the U S.
Army as second lieutenants at
some future date, I would lie to
quote a release concerning a forth
cor -ig movie concerning the war
experiences of cinemactor Audi
Murphy. "A second lieutenant was
the first guy I ever saw killed. It
seemed second lieutenants always
got it first.' Murphy was com
missioned on the battle field after
his platoon lost four lieutenants.
Id closing, 1 would like to say
that contrary to general knowledge
arc laws of . just desert, I have
ability of certain machines which
are sometimes used in teaching
reading. One of these, for example, paij editing tbe 1 955 Sum
mer Nebraska. Applications are
new being taken for the 1956 editor-
the tachistoscope, flashes words
and phrases on a screen with
length of exposure varying from
one to 1-100 of a second.
Teaching reading ia high schools
is an extremely important field
which seems to have been over
looked until relatively recently. II
would be a wonderful thing if this
summer's seminar was a step to
ward a more organized program
in the hi gh schools.
ship. Goodbye now.
PRIXTIXG
Frmmrmiyr. Sow iff- Oryip
312 Km m W. t-2957
ST
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ON THE STAGE
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