The Future of German in the Public High Schools

Abstract

EVERY teacher of German is naturally interested in the future of his subject. He looks hopefully forward to the day when German will again appear on the curriculum of all the public high schools. It is not easy to work up a great pitch of enthusiasm for your work when the administrative officials by their attitude toward it all too plainly say: This subject has been restored to the curriculum because we are among the few broadminded communities who have laid aside wartime prejudices. Such an attitude is unconsciously communicated to the pupils who react by assuming that they are somehow entitled to special consideration for enrolling in such a subject. Some of us, I am sure, have experienced something like this either during or since the war. It is self evident that all teachers of German would profit by the reintroduction of the subject into the secondary schools. More students would enter college with some knowledge of German. This would permit the colleges to devote their time to more advanced courses instead of concentrating on the elementary courses as at present. The increased attendance in the more advanced college courses and the necessity for more teachers of German would stimulate the enrolment in the graduate school. We are all looking hopefully to the future for this consummation of our desires which we so devoutly wish. In the meantime we are anxiously scanning the statistics of attendance in foreign languages and noting in the news items of the modern language periodicals where some city or village has restored the study of German in its public schools. The past two or three years have brought some increasing measure of comfort to us. Floreat et crescat!