Harvard Undergraduate Teachers are not students who are dying to get into teaching as soon as possible. Although some definitely want to teach, others are not sure and some probably do not want to teach at all. But as David M. Goldberg '59 commented when asked about his motives for originating the group, "You can help put out a fire without wanting to be a fireman."
Because of its youth and experimental nature, the group operates in a flexible, vague way. Once an applicant gets over the initial hurdle of Group IV, junior standing, and honor grades in his field, he arranges his schedule and program directly with the school principal or department head and with his classroom teacher. He reports back to HUT only occasionally.
So far, activities range from directing advanced work in labs to accumulating and arranging outside reading for a history class. Later, the course may include anything an undergraduate knows about that will fit into the pupil's curriculum--as long as the scheduling is less than ten hours a week, the maximum time an HUT agrees to give the program.
As the undergraduate acquires more assurance and experience, he is encouraged to expand his activities. Thus Frank R. Rossiter '59, now giving a series of weekly talks on British History to a Newton High School world history class, will later on in the term work with advanced students on certain topics in ancient history.
If the need is for a "labman" and the HUT would like to work in small groups, he can confer with advanced students on special projects. Most public high school teachers do not have time for work with especially talented students, thus Jerry Bell '58 is able to assist chemistry teachers at Newton High and Judith Silk '59 can work with a Somerville High teachers setting up chemistry experiments.
Other arrangements can be made within the program's flexible limits. Rodney Hinkle 2L teaches a "Problems In Democracy" course, which enables him to utilize his interest in law problems. Jerry Siegel and William Ross, MIT seniors, are coaching advanced physics students in Belmont and Newton.
The success of the experiment so far has derived from the benefits it produces to the schools as well as to the undergraduates. David Goldberg points out that an HUT can fill in the gaps in a teacher's knowledge and bring a fresh approach to the subject. New theories which an undergraduate is studying can be discussed with advanced students.
An HUT does not spend all his time in the classroom. Preparation for talks and drawing up assignments take up time away from school. Classroom time includes observation or leading question periods. These different activities may add up to the maximum of ten hours, but the amount of time spent varies.
Classroom teachers are enthusiastic, if only because they don't have to write reports on HUT's as they do for the horde of "practice teachers" from local college teacher-training programs. And the scheduling process is so flexible that teachers do not feel an HUT is trespassing on his domain. The relationship between the two "varies from flunky to research assistant, to guest lecturer," as a Newton High HUT put it.
"Sympathy, but...."
Like many undergraduate organizations, HUT was the child of a midnight bull session--this time in Lowell House last December. Goldberg took the idea of students helping out in high schools and presented it to several possible supporters, but received no real encouragement until he went to Deans Herzog and Keppel of the Graduate School of Education. Herzog pointed out that they could give some definite support whereas the Yard had "sympathy but ..." about the idea. The Deans served as a liason between Goldberg and schools that might be interested and also gave official sanction to the group.
Goldberg and John Provine '60 tested their idea out last spring at Newton High and established its validity. Convinced by their success, other schools picked up the program this fall.
New Vocabulary
As a guinea pig for the HUT last spring, Goldberg worked in a history class at Newton High. He and Social Studies teacher Charles Peltier worked together on a short unit about Karl Marx. He found that a new vocabulary was needed for teaching in high school, but after a session he confirmed that it "was a lot of fun."
One of the HUT's said that he thought he might not have a chance to have a look at teaching after this year and "wanted to know what it was all about" before graduating. Another knew of the over crowded conditions and thought he might be able to help out with the slower students in a class.
M I T Added
While the program was getting underway at Harvard this fall, a similar group was being formed at MIT. The Tech group's schedule is less demanding, which means that the public school involved can take its choice between a lot or a little help. When a school needs an undergraduate for only a few hours a week, it negotiates with students in the MIT group. If an MIT student finds his schedule too time-consuming, he can switch with a Harvard student.
Well-to-do "Idealists"
Although connected closely in this way with the Harvard members, MIT teachers are financially separate. They pay for their expenses themselves and have no support from any undergraduate organization. The HUT's, on the other hand, receive a certain amount of money from PBH and the Graduate School of Education. Because of the importance of publicity, the GSE paid for pamphlets. It can give no further aid however. PBH has allocated up to $350 for HUT transportation and food expenses, but even with this support the students must pay part of their expenses.
HUT members must make considerable financial sacrifice to teach under the present system, and MIT teachers even more. As it is, only relatively well-to-do "idealists" can afford to participate in the program. Scholarship students are effectively excluded as are many students with cars, Herzog reports. Most of the students could earn extra money tutoring if they were not in the HUT. Herzog is looking for an organization that will lend financial support so that the group can pay interested undergraduates a salary of $2.50 an hour plus transportation expenses.
Paid Manager Needed
As the group is now organized, Goldberg keeps track of the HUT's as much as possible in his capacity of volunteer manager. Some of the noticeable vagueness is there on purpose, since a great organizational structure would freeze the group and hamper the project's flexibility. The group needs a paid manager, however, to maintain regular channels among the schools, the University, and the officers. The HUT backers are looking for someone familiar with "school politics" who would act as liason between schools' needs and the academic and social obligations of undergraduates. If the HUT can find a student interested in this sort of work, they hope to expand to 30 students by next year. But even without a paid manager, the group continues to expand as undergraduates and teachers learn about it. Goldberg says it is possible for interested students to become HUT's up until the middle of the spring term.
No Cambridge HUT's
But before the HUT can expend much more it must get more schools to cooperate. Some interested schools are almost too far away for the program to be effective. (Transportation to Newton alone takes three quarters of an hour by MTA.)
In some schools the success of the program depends on one interested person, and if that person moves away, as a member of the Lexington system did, that school has no hesitation about pulling out of the project. Cambridge, the most logical place for the HUT, has shown no interest so far, but Herzog hopes as the project gains stature Cambridge will become involved. Cambridge schools, significantly, have not accepted apprentice teachers from the MAT program at the Graduate School of Education either.
Supporters of the HUT see this program as not only an aid to the quantitative problem but also a way of solving the qualitative shortage. Participating undergraduates are notably well-trained in their respective fields.
If financial support can be expanded and the program made selfperpetuating, the Harvard Undergraduate Teachers could be a very effective antidote to the Boston area teaching probrem--as well as an interesting "extra-curricular" for energetic students.
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