The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1886-05-06

1ne subject or the series of short articles
which propose writing for the CHRONICLE,
Is not 1.-THE most important one TO which
attention could be invited" nevertheless
II has occurred to me that at least no harm
can come from such article, even if no
good arises out of them. | shall not at
tempt an exhaustive discussion of the sub
Ject; but rather in plain, practical way
shal! try to present some of the more i'm
portant features of the Summer Normal.
Historical.
Probably the first Teachers Institute in
this country was held i'll Hartford, Conn,
III 1889. In the latter part of that year,
Hon. Henry Barnard, Secretary of the
state Board of School Commissioners, ar
ranged for twenty six young men, without
expense to themselves, to receive instruc-
tlon in both matter and method from the
most competent teachers IN the city; and
form actual observation of the work of
the public and the private schools of Hart
ford, to study the art of teaching In the
early part of the following year, similar
arrangements We're made for sixteen young
women. The work begun in Connecticut
was soon introduced into New York, Mass
achusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio and other
States, and though not so at first, soon be
came known as Teachers Institutes. The
term OF some of the Institutes being length
ened to three or four weeks, and the man
ner of conducting them being similar to
that of Normal schools then Just building
III this country, they We're called Normal
Institutes.
Thus it is seen that the Teachers lnsti-
tute is a natural Outgrowth of the public
schools, and that the Normal Institute
grew out of the Teachers Institute The
question now arises,
What is n Normal Institute.
A Teachers Institute is an assemblage
of teachers for mutual Improvements in the
theory and practice of teaching. The in
structors are usually taken from among
the teachers, and each of these instructors
IN turn leads the exercises, while the in
stitute does not hold any particular person
or persons responsible for its success 1t
is more "A mutual exchange of ideas-a sort
Of experience meeting and not so much IL
school. The Normal Institute usually has
principal and regular corps of teach
ers, the session continues longer; lessons
are studied and recited; the experience"
feature almost disappears; there is not so
much talk, but a great deal more work.
Indeed it is a miniature
Normal School.
What then is Normal school? As to
its object all concede this to be to furnish
perfect agreement as to how this object is
to be attained. There are two we'll de
fined positions taken in regard to the true
functions of the Normal. The first is that
it is the province of the school to teach
methods only; that matter must be learned
elsewhere; and that only in so far as it be
comes necessary TO employ the branches
in teaching the ''IIow!'' shall the '.What?'
be taught at all.
This school exists only in theory. Ia
practice, there is no such school. he
/, time may come when our schools Will be
| so thorough that the district school teacher
will need instruction in methods only, but
| that time is not now. He who has made
| himself familiar with the work done in
the public schools of this country, knows
| that this is an erroneous idea of the work
required of eur Normal schools. our
county Superintendents of Public Instruc-
/ zion will testify that nothing could seem
more completely at variance with the real
! facts than that the teachers in our com
! mon schools need not to be instructed in
| the branches The other theory is that
! the Normal school should have two courses
+ an academic and professional course
| that the theory presented in methods
classes should be applied in teaching the
geography class, the history class, the al
gebra class, etc, that the science of school
| government should be reduced to the art
| of governing the science pupils; that the
teachers on the cultivation of the mental
powers should be illustrated III teaching
the very pupils who take the lectures. Nc
arguments seem to me TO be necessary tC
prove this idea CT the proper work Of the
Normal school the correct one; hence | as
sumo it to DO correct, and shall have ii il
mind in speaking of the miniature Norma
school. NELSON B. Henry.
Chanel Hill Y q Nav