Not By Chance (1957)

you [Music] Jack isn't your turn to lead the flag salute [Music] good schools good teachers the best of teaching for our children Betty may burn has a warm personality a liking for a feeling for children but to become a good teacher she had to have something more much more in the course of the school day Betsy Marin has five classes a hundred and thirty six students how is she able to work with them answer questions listen alertly keep the whole class thinking cover the necessary subject matter deal with interruptions and gives special thought to dozens of problems how did Betsy Mabel acquire an understanding of children and how they learn a knowledge of how to help different children in different ways day after day helping them grow good teachers don't just happen like other highly skilled professions good teaching demands professional preparation how did Betsy mayburn become a good teacher in America there are more than 1,200 authorized universities and colleges for teacher education institutions large and small private and public these are the colleges that graduate professional qualified teachers 100 thousand of them every year these young people are sought out by principals superintendents and school board's aware that they know the subjects they are to teach that their attitudes and education are professional knowing that they can teach how do these young people become good teachers accepting the responsibilities of their profession maintaining and raising the standards and quality of teaching wherever they teach Donna is one of many thousands of young men and women who want to teach will she make it will she become a good teacher personality aptitude academic record I see that you were Secretary of the Future teacher's Club well your advisers seem to think that you'll make a good teacher of course you realize that your placement here depends only in part on your past record I've heard about the exams well with your record you shouldn't find them too difficult the children need teachers Donna they deserve good ones preliminary examinations include English math science history and social studies all of these applicants have qualifications which might help them become good teachers examinations help classify and select the best and there are further psychological and aptitude tests health both mental and physical is vital to alert teaching and any speech defect is spotted for study in correction any more than they see their own faces there is not even a lookingglass to the voice of course there is something audible to us when we speak but that something is not our own voices it is known to all our acquaintances all right well I'm sure that you'll agree to the teachers voice should be warm and versatile and encouraging and your voice is and yet firm when it's necessary to be fir well but thin but I'm sure our speech course will help you achieve more depth all right it's a good voice English history mathematics psychology economics science languages are the main part of Donna studies but what is the extra added quality that will make Donna a teacher it begins in the way these students approach their subjects in all her classes Donna sees that the students are teaching and learning from each other government and now we're going to take out the third type of government we'll look at the structure and a few of the advantages and disadvantages of this type this is known as the city manager plan in this the voters actually elect their counsel and the counsel in turn chooses the city manager this city manager is responsible this constant awareness of teaching skill or alertness to the manner of teaching as well as the subject matter is Donna's first step and learning to teach Donna's objective is to help others learn up to this point in our study of human circulation we have been following the pathway of the blood around the human body as it carries materials to and from the functioning organs of the body now a serious problem arises well now I'll try to illustrate the problem and let you see how it's solved I don't laugh at this outline somewhere there's no one being it looks like this believe it or not might be even one of you in every college there are outstanding professors teachers whose knowledge and enthusiasm for their subject they're lively alert personalities they're creative inspirational teaching makes them unforgettable well it's very simple or too little flexible flax constituting of one-way valve via one way because they yield to allow blood to move posteriorly into the ventricle but when they buddy put on the pressure here these clothes forcing the blood to leave through the normal channel with undiminished pressure now your laboratory material let you see these one-way valves in operation think about it I can't see it oh well it's see no lights alright you've forgotten to close down your diaphragm with a highly transparent object now look I remember what we're looking for the heart is longitudinally the courses Donna is taking give her a broad and thorough background in subject matter and special knowledge and competence in her chosen field of science but a teacher must know more no two individuals are exactly alike not even identical twins these individual differences top us to understand why children in a family with the same father and mother may react differently to guidance one child to one method a brother sister to another method such knowledge and understanding will help Donna understand individual children there are characteristic patterns and growth the basic dynamics of how they learn [Music] in a carefully selected and controlled situation in a real school guided but unobtrusive observation sessions give the students their first real view into the marvels of planned and purposeful teaching of the interaction between student and teacher now we're going to study what are some of the things that are present in the air was here's Jimmy 13 a squirmer growing so fast he doesn't quite know what to do with his arms and legs can you tell us Jimmy nitrogen oxygen and carbon dioxide once he would have been a bad boy for not sitting still but now we know better Jimmy is a growing boy and a teacher can help him learn as he grows here's Susan 14 aware of her young womanhood busy liking her friends wanting them to like her Susan will you tell the class what you see smell so they can decide enough to go black smoke is causing white fog now look at it Oh what if a person's brain can live near the water vapor from the burning candle in the air Ron Susan would have been judged a silly flighty girl now we know better Susan is a growing girl and a knowing teacher can help her learn as she grows that's right Thank You Susan now let's go on to the next experiment there's a pattern in mr. Allens class he has planned it carefully but it seems so easy and casual that no one notices he has just begun another demonstration when all I'm afraid we won't be able to complete this one today poor planning on mr. Allens part of course not even the student observers are involved they want to come back tomorrow and see what was about to happen when the bell cut him off mr. Allan planned it that way Anna Donna's observations go into her notebook she begins to see a plan the day's work and progress it is as clear indefinite for Donna now as it had been for mr. Allen all along other plans are prepared and critically discussed what are Donna's goals in this particular lesson what materials will she use what experiences can she provide for the students how will she evaluate the results in testing through the components of food this would be the lesson plan for the first day I feel that I've included in it all the material that could be comfortably covered in one day and in the following days we would test for the other components your plan is fine Donna but suppose the interest of the class peers away from your clan what is your job then well a good teacher can use almost any interest of the class if she's alert she generally can find a way to bring out the points which he's planned to make and of course new teachers learn and understand the use of the new tools of their profession here accrual of students are working on closed-circuit TV program ok let's have a complete run-through through the audio-visual Center various types of equipment are available to teachers among these are a felt board record player film and slide projector tape recorder motion picture projector [Music] teaching has come a long way since a blackboard on a map for the teachers only tools there are many ways of keeping up with new developments there are summer sessions where you can work towards an advanced degree you can travel with professional groups during the summer then of course there are the professional organizations and their publications that are very helpful in keeping up with what's going on do you have to belong to a teacher's organization you don't have to but a professional person gives some time in support to its professional organization I think that the best teachers are active on a local state and national level and of course it takes a national organization to be effective for the whole profession do you know the professional publications I read the article on professional ethics in the NEA Journal I've seen some special publications for math teachers history science phys ed music I guess there's one for nearly every field professional publications are a great help in keeping you up to date and on your toes simple diagnostic measurements and their significance is a part of a special knowledge necessary to every teacher intelligence tests reading comprehension tests tests for special aptitudes are necessary tools not for grading a child but so the teacher can know better what the child needs and how the hell how was that could you get church clicked off like that people going to Donna has the opportunity to study and observe special techniques such as in the speech clinic but Donna's aim is to teach science so she must go far into biology this means bacteriology biochemistry botany zoology she must dig further into mathematics and physics she must develop a minor chemistry anthropology human geography and ecology and with all this a knowledge of history of our American heritage [Music] all young teachers look forward to actually working with children Donna's first real chance comes with a science class field trip at a school camp for students see and touch the many things they study and he was this Timmy does anybody know what kind of animal he is a dragoon he's like a gun skin tag you can pet him if you want to Timmy's a very young raccoon when he gets older he won't be as gentle and he might bite or scratch you can I hold him sure if you want to but hold him gently and don't make any quick movements it might scare ya that's your future hold [Music] some had to be brave about that raccoon if she'd seemed afraid how many of them might have become more timid and afraid of animals Donna knows a good teacher tries not to pass on her own fears and prejudices to children in every good college the library is a major center of learning Donna uses it with easy familiarity as one focal point of her college life and of course there are other faces equally important [Music] [Music] James rallies Ganz's bull sessions in the dorms talk over coffee and cokes all these are part an important part of every young person's college life [Music] you [Music] I can't help but notice that as seniors you all seem pretty confident of yourself well as a matter of fact you do understand more than you realize now a lot of the things which we've studied but there's one big hurdle still ahead your internship of student teachings without that without successfully completing a period of real teaching no one can be certified as a professional teacher will be working under careful supervision as a matter of fact you will meet your supervising teachers when you visit the schools next week they've been carefully selected they know and understand what we're trying to do here at the college they want to help you so don't be afraid to ask questions I know about conditions in the community go to a meeting of the Teachers Association and when you start to teach be sure that your progress reports are kept up to date where are you going friend I'm going to Rosedale a big new consolidation I've gotta bring clear with only 200 kids Wow keep your eyes open your mouth shut don't try anything new I hear Eddie's going to teach some speech courses Eddie how do you feel about this back to teaching he scared me of course not I'm the girl that isn't afraid of anything remember the raccoon I'm scared skip Donna has been assigned to a junior high school [Music] a fine new building with everything teacher needs for her work such a building and facilities prove that the people of a community care about their children [Music] having the necessary materials to do a good teaching job makes teachers want to justify all of planning and hopes and money that have gone into it good morning Donna getting settled all right at the elders oh yes I like them very much mrs. eller should be a big help in getting acquainted three children of her own she's very active in community affairs she asked me to go with her to the parent-teacher meeting tonight good I'll be there too we want our parents to see what our student teachers look like you'll see how much a good PTA can do for a school [Music] yes you take this seating chart so what helped you to get to know the students just observe for their to get the feel of things then we'll get down to brass tacks [Music] Matis will be teaching English this is Miss Donna Morgan who will be working with me and science she's made a fine record in college and we're lucky to have her with us [Applause] Donna knows she has a big job ahead of her [Music] can I do it all those children will straightforward and honest with their questions counting on me to be say look who's going to know so many things can I earn their trust and I keep from favoring and brightly at the expense of others who are not so quick and I keep from taking out my own feelings on the one who is bound to be mischievous can I get them interested in science and keep them as interested as I am can I ever be a good teacher [Music] morning you're here bright and early for uh I was just I know you're wondering if you'll ever be able to do it I can still remember my own student teaching days believe it or not here let's run over my plan for today it's a little sketchy I'm afraid but I think you'll be able to understand is a plan for learning mr. Adams has given Donna something familiar Donna knows how to make one how to use it the college has put firm ground under her feet you can call it what's going on at once all I won't need it you can't teach without a plan you understand that I would you've been at it for a while you won't need a piece of paper you'll see we've talked about sound coming from something that vibrates the vibrations creating sound I spiked this tuning fork you hear sound because the tuning fork is vibrating at the same time if I take a musical instrument and pluck one of its strings you hear sound it's exactly almost the same sound you heard from the tuning fork because in this case the string is vibrating any vibrating source to bell or string or tuning fork sets up by pressure atoms is a good molecule keeps the class alive and sparkling now I'd like you to see another way that we can create sound through vibrations this time vibrations and columns of air here we have test tubes partly filled with an orange colored liquid you jazz fans may think of blue notes of music if I can create for you some orange colored notes any rate I'm going to blow across these test tubes can anyone tell me which column of air is going to have the highest note John what do you think the one was a shortest column of air John says the one with the shortest column of air will give us the highest note let's see if he's right [Music] he was right the shortest column of air the highest note the longer column of air the lower notes that's exactly the way wind instruments work that musicians play how can they get different sound when they only have one hole to blow into that's a good question many of you musicians answer of a Lurie with the clarinet you have different keys to press to change the notes mm-hmm and the clarinet by depressing and opening the keys we change the column of air as a sound vibrates in of course it's obvious isn't it in a slide trombone how we change the sound boom boom well in addition to that brass instruments can also change the notes fight what the musician does with the tension of his lips at the mouthpiece without any vowel Donna cannot help but wonder if she herself will ever be able to do as well it isn't long before mr. Adams gives her a chance to find out and Donna is conducting her first class on her own her own plan her own full responsibility you've ever been to attract me of which one of the events has been 100-yard dash mm-hmm well generally the starter has a gun using the gun to begin the race now if you were timekeeper when you start your stopwatch when you heard the gun or when you saw the flash from your gun Kathy when I saw the flash that's right but can you tell us why oh well the runners are near the gun but the timer is far away so it would take him longer to hear it can you state that another way and make it a bit clearer well let's try another example from something you've ordered in your environment take for instance the thunderstorm probably have a flash of lightning up here having a good knowledge of her subject a clear plan for the day's lesson and most important of all a sound understanding of how children learn [Music] Donna is going to succeed as a teacher busy giving happily for strength and skill and understanding to new generations of children she will be a professional growing in her profession for a hundred years men of great vision have worked bringing to reality free public education for all all news that upon sound public education depended our whole concept of democracy freemen educated to govern ourselves for a hundred years and more all the knowledge patiently gained by teachers all their understanding of children and how they learn all the efforts to improve the quality of their own teaching have been gathered to create a constantly growing legacy in our colleges for teacher education from these colleges a continuing replenishing force of new teachers goes out each year to the schools of America for it is first as children that the opportunity for growth and learning is freely offered to every American but even as our children grow and learn and are influenced by great men of history they are being influenced even more deeply by other great Americans thousands of professional teachers who are ever enriching our heritage the heritage which is Americans [Music]