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VI,7.

States the amount of education is prescribed, as in Texas where "four full courses" are required for a Permanent State

Certificate.

A detailed report on the requirements for college certificates does not fall within the province of this study; they are not restricted to agricultural teaching, but apply to all. It will suffice to point out that agricultural colleges will be somewhat restricted in the making of the course for the training of teachers by the requirements of their state for approved college courses. especially to the professional work. On the other hand,

This applies

these atate certificates provide a powerful inducement for students to take the professional training.

**

VII

The Evolution of Courses for the Training of

Agricultural Teachers.

The colleges of agriculture have, on the whole, only slowly and reluctantly assumed the responsibility of training teachFirst,

ers of agriculture.

There are three reasons for this.

many colleges held that agriculture in schools was neither necessary nor possible. In their long struggle for a student body, they had developed all kinds of short courses, farmers' institutes and other extension devices for bringing the gospel of better farming to the farmer. The movement for agriculture in schools arose at the time when the colleges were beginning to draw students. Their enrollment grew by leaps and bounds. It is only natural that the colleges should think that they were fully able to give all the agricultural instruction needed. Moreover, they

had no faith in the ability of the schools to give the kind of agricultural instruction which would have value. Secondly, they had all the work they could do. The sudden increase in their enrollment taxed the resources of the colleges of agriculture to the limit. The demand for graduates was larger than they could supply. There was no demand for teachers of secondary agriculture. Why should they create a new demand when they were unable to meet the present demand? Thirdly, the colleges did not appreciate the value of professional training for teachers. As they understood it, their mission was to discover new truths and to train farmers. In general the instructors in agriculture naid little attention to the problems of teaching. The incessant plea of their leaders was for a"pedagocic form" In fact, then the

majority of the instructors had no formal training except that provided in the regular college course in agriculture. In the reaction against the early practice of neglecting agriculture, there was now a strong tendency to restrict the non-agricultural courses in the curricula of the agricultural colleges to the minimum. took some courage, in those days, to suggest that courses in pedagogy and psychology might be offered.

It

Since the agricultural colleges are closer to the people than are other colleges, they are usually quick to respond to popular demand. It likewise became apparent that much of the subject matter taught was of secondary grade and should be relegated to the lower school in order to make room for agricultural instruction of collegiate grade. The extension departments now began to give their attention to the public schools.

(1)

Davis shows that the object of the early extension work among public schools was a propaganda for arousing a favorable sentiment. The next step was to assist in the introduction of the subject. Soon this work took on such proportions that the regular college departments could not do justice to the work. In some colleges, a special department was established for this work and usually designated as the department of agricultural education.

The following table shows when the various states began the work and who was appointed:

1, Davis. Agricultural education. El. School T. 10: 190, 1910.

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