The Profession of English and the Training of Elementary Teachers: A Case of Neglect.

ByAnderson, William The Profession of English and the Training of Elementary Teachers: A Case of Neglect. Spons Agency-Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, D.C. Pub Date Sep 68 Note-18p.; In “A Pride of Lions,” (4th National Conference, USOE Tri-University Project in Elementary Education, Sep. 1920, 1968, Minneapolis, Minn.) Lincoln: Univ. of Nebraska, pp. 330-46 EDRS Price MF-$0.25 HC-$1.00 Descriptors-Childrens Books, *College Teachers, Degree Requirements, Doctoral Degrees, Elementary Education, Elementary School Teachers, *English Instruction, Interprofessional Relationship, Literary Criticism, Poetry, *Professional Education, Scholarly Journals, Student Development, Teacher Attitudes, *Teacher Education, *Teacher Educators, Teaching Methods, Textbook Selection Identifiers-*Tri-University Project in Elementary Education The two requirements for admittance to the college English profession–the Ph. D. degree and scholarly publication–frequently have little connection with the problems of teaching, the means of livelihood for most English majors. In acquiring the degree, the student must master material, acquire “professional” attitudes, and eval’uate himself against a scientific standard that will often contradict normal human values. Because of these circumscribed interests and the fact that English Ph. D. candidates frequently receive little teacher training, most English professors are not concerned with the problems of teaching English at the elementary, secondary, or even college-freshman levels. College professors should become aware of needs in the teaching of elementary writing. They should bring, their critical ability and devotion to literature to bear on the production of children s anthologies, such as “Children and Books.” They must devise, for teachers, courses in critical explication, linguistics. and children’s literature; they must publish in periodicals read by non-college teachers; and they must visit classrooms to become aware of the difficulties and challenges of elementary and secondary education. (LH) TE 001 326 .