Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1882-01-05
MINNESOTA NEWS.
SCHOOLS OF MINNESOTA.


of schools, end others interested In education,
assembled at the state capitol on Tuesday last,
Gnd wero called to order by Mr.. D. L Kiehle,
state superintendent OF. pubic instruction 4
temporary organization was effected by the
as chairman and Mr. O. w. Smith,
Of Hennepin county as secretary. After the
appointment Of committees and other routine
business, Prof. Kiehle delivered his address,
which was listened to with earnest attention
Without including So, TOO pupils in the graded
children scattered OYER this great state, over
broad prairies, along tho ciTeIe, m the timber.
children of every nationality, the products Of
all kinds and grades of civilization extant
on on bt the esvsfad eanfnens odnsaon Tna 0uhs ae
begged leave to call their attention to such in
terests as il his Judgment most merited their
attention, naming first the matter of blanks,
reports, statistics and the hike, which he termed
the bookkeeping department, asking them to
consider Whether tite presen; systaIn conld no5
be improved in the economy CT lGbCr, aud re-
suits. The next important duty is tho saiec-
ton of teachers for tho schools, suggesting that
while they shonld rather elevate than lover tae
standard of scholarship they ought to exan1ine
more carefully the teAchIng ability OF appil-
cants. He spoke at length upon training teach,
ers, hoped every county would
vored Normal schools; called the attention of
the county superintendent TO the necessity to
keep an oversight over the school house s1sd
grounds, and the consideration of plans for
improving their condition in regard to ventll-
alton and cleanliness, etc.
On Wednesday, q paper on the examination
and grading of teachers was read by S1perlu-
tendant George @. Tanner of Steel county. The
reading of the paper wac followed by an AMI
mated discussion.
aY,1 oSiv
was read by Superintendent D. NJ Lord OF
Winona county, on tie subject OF Row Shall
We Improve Our Teachers? ..
TIE ONLY sure test of candidates ability up
on which absolute reliance can be paced Is
| Werk in the school room.
How Can VisitstioEs be Made Nest Profitable?
WAS read by superintendent John Brady Of
Fillmore county. We should always rap at the
door-giYe the teacher warm shake of the
hand, and detain her q moment in friendly con-
versat,on. This win give her confidence to go
on with her work, and may save her much en-
barrassment 1t lsnot advisable for us to make
ourselves too oficious, for the object of
our visit is to gee rather than to be seen. 1t is
| mistake upon the part of the superintendent
| to observe defects in school, and go away
| without correcting them. It his paid duty to
| correct errors and introduce the lest methods
of instruction. This as well rs al other papers
were discussed at length and the programme
was interspersei with fine music, vocal and
| instruu entail
A taper was read on the question, How shall
thu time of county schools be economized! oy
Superintendent ? P. qarInan OF StsaTns cgun-
| by, who answered il by saying thet the time
could be economical when the best X suits for
| which schools are established are attained. he
proceeded to Illustrate different types of inet-
| cient teachers who are obstacles in the way OF
all economy and OF all progress IN the schools,
| and suggested that a full supply of the best
| t8achers might be secured by taking the schools
| out OF politics, cut OF the IsIns, and pia sna
them under the management of purely business
| principles, and making the wages OF the teache,
| commensurate with his work
| The next paper on the subject OF higher ed
| ucstion in our common schools was road By
Superintendent E. A. Hendrickson OF Ramsey
county Make teaching profession, give 1t
| place among the professions, and pay 1t IKE
other professions, and We will then have teach
ers and not merely textbook drivers, who
| hear recitations during school hours and pre-
pare themselves for other work when they
ehould be preparing their lessons for the NOR
row. Then we should have more teachers
capable CT teaching these higher studies, ana
delighting in the Work of beading their people
up to something higher aad noblsf thsn their
home life promised them. The paper ehc!fec
quite lively discussion, which was psrnoiI-
pated in by Superintendents Roe, Brady, Smith
and others.
Superintendent Tanner, chairman on The
subject of the examination and grading oi
teachers made report recominend,ng
tirst-That questions be issued seml-annu-
ally by the state superintendent III the seVera
branches required 10 be taught IN our common
second-That legislation be seured at al
carly day to add to the list of studies now in
cluded in the second grade, physiology, civi
government and elementary algebra, 80 that TN
lines between the second and third grades ma!
be more marked.
lThird-That no certificate of any grade b'
orsnted TO candidates under seventeen years O.
age, and that legislation be secured to this enc
az soon as practicable. =. f.. -.
Fourth-That private eGamlnation pe olH
couraged
Fifth-That superintendent has no lega
right to endorse certificate issued by any gu
perintendent other than himself.
The report Of the committee was, tier SOM
discussion. adopted. The rest OF the day wa
spent in answering NueslohS ps Flol AAeu4e
On Thursday Senator H. A, Wilson read
paper on the subject, s'Is the County Superln
tendency Worth Preserving?" which wal
strongly on the affirmative side of the question
The great Improvement in all departments o.
our public schools within the last decade anc
their results are principally due to the enorts
of the county and city superin tendents.
| Prof. Soaring of the state normal school a
Mankato spoke of the relation OF county super
intendents to the normal scAools, and request
ed the superintendents in their visits through
out their districts to pick out bright and csps
, BILE boys and girls to send to the normal schooi
and not send pupils who had no natural capa
bilities for the positions of teachers.
Super intendept c. ". Smith Of Hennepll
county addressed the convention on the practl
cabiliiy and advantage Of grading countr
schools.
President Folwell, of tho state university. OK
, planned the workings of the new high sehoo
$ aid law and requested that superintendents lie
all who were desiring to prepare themselves .
enter college know OF the advantages offere
! by high schools which have taken aid unde
: the law.
! Superintendent George F. Cowing Of Otte
: Tail county read an interesting and practices
2 paper upon the subject, How May Our Blank
aud Records be Improved2 Suggesting varlou
b changes from the form now in use.
The next paper was on the formauon
9 new districts, and was read by Superintenden
! w. H. Sanders of Douglas county, VINO polnte
out the defects of the present, the principal or
! of which was the absence of any maximum o
{ minimum in respect to the size of the district
S and the lack of any maximum or minimum
r regard to the amount Of taxaole property.
!. Superintendent A. d. Roe, OF Washingto
:. county, was on the programme for paper Q
! ! "How Shall the Office Of County Superintent
9 9 | ent Become Most Effcieut?" He spoke OF II
4 difficulty in finding good teachers and elaine
Q | that the superintendent shonlu nave tne III
a cretion of changing them from higher to
n lower grade, or from lower to higher grsd
: The committee on nomination reported II
following, who were eleetsd officers OF the col
vention for the ensuing year.
!. President-O NJ Lord of WinOna.
Il Vice President-G. F. Cowing of Otter Ia
# Secretary-A ID. Epgstrom of Goodhue;
d Committee Of Arrangements-C. W. Smith
70 Hennepln; W. II. Sanders Of Douglas, and
e w. Levins of Freeborn. -
el After adopting resolutions on the death
. Hon. David Burt and favoring the continuan
= Of the association as Q permanent organizatio
= to meet at the call Of the state superintende
n and the committee on arrangements, were al
) adopted, and the convention adjourned 81
a die.
= Mr. McDougall of Worthington from for
% acres Of land raised ], 1,515 bushels of osss
i The supreme court is busily engaged IN
10 Gliding the cases which have been argued
ID submitted, and expects to cltar the docket
81 y the first of the year.
Ct M. " Austin found near Fergus Falls
!, !. remains of young Norwegian woman nam
"a Peterson, who wandered from the home
It Mr.. Smith, in Western, last summer.
10 Edward Carey Of Winona claims that he
tn knocked down by unknown parties, who z
his money and then threw him into the riv
\ A.. .l.sx> 1, ,,rr brrkx xtyoa