New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-18
AMERICAN NORMAL SCHOOL ASSOCIh
TON
FIRST DAY.
From Dor Own Reporter.

The Fifth Annual Convention of the American Nor
nal School Association meets this morning in the
Normal School Building in this city. The attendance
is large there being not less than fifty persons present
who are engaged in teaching in Normal Schools. From
Eew-York notice Mr. Hazeltins, well Known as the
head Of our Normal School, and Messrs. Benedict,
Eager Crozier and Gould of Board Of Education.
Most of the principals of the Normal Schools in the
country and many Of the teachers here.
Mr.. WIN. +. PHELPS Principal of the New. Jersey
Normal School ard President of the Association, called
the Association to order. He said that the great
jorty of teachers in this country unfit for their
positions We had depended upon academies, colleges,
0nd high schools for teachers, aud they had failed
TO educate them for Normal Schools must supply
their deficiencies, and this Con vention called
make the people better acquainted with Normal
Schools, and TO improve their character. Normal
Schools might have failed too, but only because they
were not professional enough.
The length of the papers limited to % minutes.
Nr. ALPBEUs CROSBY, Principal of the State Nor
NAL School, Salem Alass read paper on the Proper
Sphere and Work Of the American Normal School.
He thinks that the Nor nal School should b. pro-
fessional az the Law Divinity School and that its
teachings should be exclusively normal, exclusively
teaching to teach. We needed a different Normal
School from that of Germany. There pupils
drawn mainly from the lower classes, and drilled for
teaching in the lowest schools; the pupils sup
piled with places by Government Our teachers had
TO find their positions. One of the pecuaritles
Of school system was the almost exclusive em-
ployment Of females as teachers. The number of
males and females respectively attending State Nor
NAL Schools was In Massachusetts, II aud 37j in
Rhode Island IS and IS; in Connecticut 80 aud 1870;
in New-York "a and 1873; in New-Jersey 81 aud 81.
l. 2 Quad ton rharo in Msa
chuseis 1870 males and 1884 females, while in
1878 there 500 females and but ,9Sl males.
Hethougbt that needed irregular course of study in
our Normal Schools embr scng the principles of educs
tion, the nature of mind, it's powers susceptbites
and methods of action. The greatest difficulty in n-
struction lay in teaching the elements, and 30 the
principles of the common school course covered tae
principles of all the rest. He suggested that the
standard Of admission into Normal Schools should be
so raised that the time should be spent in professional
training merely; the Normal Schools ought not TO be
Obliged to suppy the shortcomings Of inferior schools.
In discussion which ensued upon this paper, Mr..
GEO. Ii. EMERSON gave some account OF his VISIT
several years ago to the schools of Prussia. lie was
happy to say that the Normal Schools of Massachu-
sets were far ahead of those of Germany But he
had found in the Gymnasa of Germany superior
training The best teaching ne had ever seen was IN
one Of these where man who had spent ten years IN
the Gymnasium and four more in the University,
was teaching the alphabet to 40 little boys. Were
our schools taught by such teachers they would take
care of themselves; they would need no Normal
Schools. In foreign country had they yet learned
that the godprepared teacher OF chill tren
He bad seen in Switzerland great stupid ubberS
going through the motions Of teaching over the
backs Of boys, while were at work in the
peighboring fields. Some years ago "a gentleman
visited America, sent by the King Of Sweden, to ex-
anime our schools and he went bsck saying that he
had found in the employment of women as teachers,
the means of establishing schools In the poor noun
tain regions of Norway.
Several teachers spoke on the desirabilty and the
impossibiy of advancing the standard OF admission
TO Normal Schools 1t was generally agreed that, TO
require good knowledge of the elementary branches
of an English education would seriously diminish the
number Of admissions to the Normal Schools
Gen. OLIVER instanced the perfection of Normal
teachers at West Point where each cadet was trained
to train his company. lie thought that teachers
were best produced by careful study OF good teach
ing.
The invitation of Mr. +. S. Field of Princeton, that
tbe Association should visit the literary institutions
there on Friday and partske of bis hospalities, was
accepted.
Mr.. C.. K. HovEY, of Illinois, read paper on
Model Schools Schools of Practice or Experimental
Schools: their relation to the training OF Teachers
About Model Schools, he thought they must be under
The same roof with the Normal Schools must be open
,o and excite interest in the public. He was not sure
that drillteaching was not the best of the Normal
School much a. its necessity was deplored by most
MAMMAL School teachers. Student teachers could
teach much more in the classroom than in the Model
School. The great use of the Model School was to
ahov the students Of the Normal School what could be
done in the way of order and drill they had confidence
in the possibility OF the fine ideal OF teaching placed
before them. He thought Model Schools mainly
valuable o. models merely, lees valuable as expen-
mental schools, and of least value schools for
practice.
In the evening Ex-Governor boutwell,, Of Mass,
GAVE history of the Normal Schools of saehusett,
and their results.
Tbose in attendance. who have registered their
John q Hair, Phu.delphia. S Stevens, Newark, n.
n % Sn"Is New.Yors Henry whes.nd, Salem, Mass.
krsssu. c. Benedict, New Yort l. b cSrey' y \:
S,ls. Bsr. EiIes Mich G. 3. Emerson, Winthrop, Mas
q NJ C.up N er,ap Conn C. +. Hov-y. Bloomington Ill
l. Hassltins. New York. Geo n. BSe0~, Frsmtsoam'
!; CS'3s, New Yout T. Allen Yves: Newton, Mas.
Nd IIoisew sonervie n J. 4. A H. Allen, New SedlOrd,
Nm H. tsbSs Rs l NJ AG Boydsn Briis~a.er Mas.
o. A. Kibbr Rocky Ill., N. J. s.M Bani Lsw rrneey'le,SJ
Cha. W Dean. Chester Pa CT AeISH New -S'9,'H c.
n A. Cslkin. New York c. ID; Woodruff, Jr.' Railway
,speels.m Nrwsri NJ Levi w. H.rt, Brooklyn Y
O n Pa.ns% L.rie' Del G. H. kimbIe' Moor,s'owu NJ.
pS.a rss ctolS, s S MAJ. l. j. 6o:se BSd S
III X Oliver Lswrencr Mass G. HOLMES. Rocky aiu n j
~. NJ. si,tOn, Baltimore. y. merritt Frs"i.shs'n Mas
W Dickinson, Weshd Mas NJ Macgegor, SOuhlio, Mas