The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 378 The Educational Screen The School — A Service Center on CAMILLA BEST Supervisor Special Division of Audio-Visual Aids, Orleans Parish School Board New Orleans, Louisiana PRESIDENT Roosevelt in a few simple, well- chosen words has defined the role of the schools in the present world crisis. Speaking at a Con- ference sponsored by the United States Office of Edu- cation Wartime Commission in Washington, D. C, August 28-31, 1942. he said, "We ask that every school house become a service center for the home front." In this one sentence he has told us in the educational field m America wherein our responsibility lies. Doubtless many of you have read the account of tiie devotion of the teachers of Norway in keeping alive the ideals of freedom. This story was published in the United States Office of Education's Education for Vic- tory, and later republished in the September issue of The Elementary School Journal. I quote it to you here because it exemplifies. I believe, the courage, devotion. and vision which are characteristic of true educators throughout the world. The article explains that the 14.000 school teachers in Norway were ordered by the Nazi and Quisling government to join the "Teachers' Front." This was done by the Quisling government because they were quite sure that school teachers were soft and would prefer to join, rather than to give up their salaries and pensions. Through the surrender of the teachers, an example would be set whereby more difficult sections of society could be overcome. The order was issued in February. Very few teach- ers joined. They went on with their w'ork without salaries or pensions. The Quislings then closed the schools, ostensibly because of a coal shortage. Teachers were arrested throughout Norway for resisting the Quisling orders. Some of them were sent with Rus- ♦Address presented at the Sixth Annual Southern Confer- ence on Audio-\'isual Education in Atlanta, November 4-6, 1942. A scene from the Erpi classroom film titled "Mexican Children." sian prisoners to do hard labor. By the first of April, 1.300 had been arrested but still onlv 500 had joined— 500 out of 14,000 teachers! Seeing that they were not progressing along these hnes, the puppet Education Ministry made the an- nouncement that all schools would reopen and that no teacher would have to join. As teachers, they would be regarded as members automatically. All they would have to do was to acknowledge membership in order to get their pay. The Statement in answer to this issued by the teachers on April 10. so frightened the Quislings that schools were closed again. Parents now joined with the teachers, and 200.000 letters of protest were sent to the puppet government. On April 21 the Reich Commission for Norway declared that the resig- nation of the teachers was regarded as a strike and threatened the interest and the security of Germany, ihe 1.500 teachers who had been in prison were now tortured. Five hundred were sent on a filthy shij) without sufficient food or water to the far North The Nazis believed that people of culture and refinement could not stand this. Only four recanted, and two of these had lost their minds due to the torture thev had suffered. During the summer months, the Nazi-Quisling gov- ernment, having been defeated in their effort by the courage and endurance of the cultivated minds', de- cided to withdraw from the stand thev had taken, hoping that the teachers would come back in the fall with changed minds. They were disappointed in this for the teachers' ultimatum was "there will be no sur- render because, while German has been substituted for English as the second language, the Quislings have not been able to make the 'V stand for 'Verboten'. It still stands for 'Victory'." I mention this situation in Norway because it brings home to us here in America the grave responsibility