The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-06-06
A Day Mt II NOrmaI,SchOOI.
ALBANY, n. y, May %, 1870.
PRELIMINARY.

/ NOIIllul SNllOblo az AOlllI
new enterprise. Not long after the cs
Establishment Of the common school system
il was found difficult TO secure Il suilicicn
number OF properly qualified teachers. /
process Of time It became apparent als
that what were termed educated mel
even the graduates Of our colleges IN
other schools, did not always prove to b
successful teachers. A different trainin
was needed. The logical faculty, too, de
duced that il II peculiar and professions
training was necessary, or ut least yer
important, for other professions, it wa
equally 50 Tor the profession Of teacher
If we cannot properly officer our arm,
without a West Point, scarcely, if ut a.
more, can we officer our common school
with proper teachers without what la
come 10 be termed Normal schOOls-th
West Points of the school system.
TIE ALBANY SCHOOL.
Among tho first Normal schools cstab
lished in this country, was this New orr
State Normal School, ut Albany: Its titS
principal was the lamcnted David +
Page. whose work on the Theory ant
Practice Of Teaching is still Il standard
as Il whole, still unsurpassed. Since thcI
II Inns had number Of principals-S. Il
Woodwork, D. II. Cochran, &c, and nov
il has Rev. DR.. Joseph Alden, for somC
time President of Jefferson College, il
Pennsylvania, and author OF several sue
Ccssful volumes, mostly Of an educationa
nature. He has, by the wise permission
ofthc Trustees, drawn around him corps
of teachers Of rare ability and attachments
who work in entire harmony with him
and in complete conformity with what
has now become the characteristic idea
Of the schoOl-an idea somewhat strongly
in contrast with that OF the Training
School," under the charge Of Prof. f. A
Sheldon, ut OSwcgO, in this State.
THE CHARACTERISTIC IDEA.
While the Oswego school gives great
prominence to what is known rs "ODlcci
Teaching" and to oral lectures and tangi'
bic Illustrations, DIR. Alden insists that
the only way To learn one 10 teach right
is by being taught right himself "lt,
the DR.. insists. "yOu teach the pupil by
right methods, when he in turn becomes
teacher he will inevitably and necessarily
teach hv these same right methods, and 80
YOU have taught him to be II teacher by
the only feasible method"
II strikes us, however, that this is OF Il
piece with thousand and one other hall
truths, that are wrong only by leaving out
Il more or less important factor in the
premises. There Gun hardly beat least Ill
all ordinary cases there will not be- q
proper method .0I teaching acquired, eX-
ccpt by being taught and drilled i'll that
method. In other words, you may be
told Il right method, but if II wrong
method is used, even in telling tho right
one, tho student will almost uniformly
follow the vicious method Of his teachers
practice, rather than the right one Of his
theory. So much we readily grant.
But there is an advantage in voicing
the right method Of your practice. II ii
is Only voiced, ii will make little i'm
preston. Just rs, il you Only tell u car.
pcntcr's apprentice what TO do, he will
never thereby become good carpenter
You must show him how TO do 1t by do
ing it in right manner before his eyes.
But we submit that if you only do it in
silence, it will not be 50 effective, by con-
siderable, us though you mingle' little
instruction with your example, little
theory with your practice. And so II
seems TO us that Mr.. Sheldon has run oil
IL little too fast and too far with his hobby
of object teaching, or theory, and that DR.
Aldcn's team would .be bcttcr@d by har'
Messing in the other horse Of theory along
with his practice. 1t seems TO us that the
double team is far preferable to either OF
the single ones. Albeit, we arc not sure
but DR.. Alden does really give more theory
than he claims TO. And, besides, if one
has right practice drilled into him, he
can easily enough, in most instances, i'm
part the proper corresponding theory
while, If he has only the theory with
out the right practice, lie MS yet is utterly
untitled as true teacher.
TILE ORGANIZATION.
As in most of our colleges, there arc
several departments, suChas mathematics
natural sciences, &c, &c, each presided
over by some competent instructor-wht
in several cases arc ladies. And, DR.. AL
den asserts that he never had male pro
fessor Of clOCution in college equal to tho
female teacher, or professor, he has here
These different departments, OF course, art
so arranged as to work harmOniously TO
gcthCr
There Isl two years COurSC-nOt in
GLIDING the classics. 1t has been fOunG
necessary to go down to the very begin
nings, so very imperfect, in nearly all in
stances, has been the previous instruction
received.
A marked popularity is the "mode
school," This is composed OF primary stu
dents, Of two classes, who are received
from the city. Such are the advantage!
of this department. to its own members
Ms well rs to the Normal School proper
that, although considerable tuition fec II
charged for them, when they might at
tend the ordinary primary schools free, ye
there is even pressure on the part o
parents to get their children into thi!
model school.
This model school has teachers Of it
own, who, in connection with the PrcSi
dent, keep close supervision over all thu
instruction and methods used therein
But, ut the same time, large portion o
the actual teaching in this department /,
done by the students Of the senior elias.
in the Normal school proper. Thus they
acquire practice, under the nge and thu
criticism of their Superiors, so that It is al
most m impossibility for them to form in
correct habits or methods of teaching,
CHARACTERISTICS.
A striking characteristic Of this schoO
Is its thorough organization. DR.. Aldenh
allowed 10 carry out his idea and his plans
in all the departments and arrangements
and being good organizer, all thing
work in harmony, and with almost thu
precision of clock work, Each part is ar
ranged and worked with particular ref
.. i > 4. al. 800. 4