The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-11-29
THE NORMAL SCHOOLS.
Report of the State Board of Normal
School ,COmmissiOners.

The Legislature of 1886 provided for
the appointment of board of commits
sioners to investigate the condition of
the Normal Schools, and make such sug-
geStions and recommendations as SEEM
ed best to them. The work of this com
mission and that of the commission APP
pOinted to prepare new school bill
touched in part upon common ground.
In accordance with the joint resolution,
Gov. Ormsbee appointed Jonathan Ross,
Ii. o. Wheeler, Justus Dart, ii. NJ.
Willard and Edward I'll. butcher as
commissioners. These gentlemen have
made their report to the present Legls-
lature. We made reference to it briefly
last week, we wish to speak OF 1t more
fully this week. At the end of the re-
port are figures giving the number OF
graduates from the three normal schools
of the State since their organization.
From these it appears that Castleton
has graduated 295; Randolph, no,
johnson, 1856; total, 1850, Randolph
has graduated more than both of the
other schools. These schools have re-
ceived from the State appropriations
varying in amount from $500 to nearly
$4,000: total amount appropriated, SlOS,-
$50 Most of these students have been
natives of Verm )nt, and the larger por
ton have come from those sections in
which the schools are located. Two
points are made against existing al
rangements-one il, that there should lie
one normal school instead of three. We
take exception to this. 1t would.be bet
ter to increase rather than diminish the
number of our normal schools. We be-
lIeve our common schools can be inn
proved through them more than through
any other agency. Better multiply
our normal schools and not build so
many Bennington Battle Monuments.
These are the monuments that do honor
to any commonwealth. The more
schools there are, the more student there
will be in them. These schools take the
place of the old academies in the sec
tions where located, so far as an English
education is concerned. We do not be-
lieve the statement needs any proof,
that other things being equal the gradu-
ates of our normal schools make the
most efficient teachers. The existing
schools do not furnish only small pro-
portion of the teachers needed for the
common schools. If the normal schools
are doing good work, equip them for
more work so long as that work is need
ed. And facts show that the work Is
needed. TIE consolidation of these
schools would most likely diminish the
total number of normal pupils IN the
State. 1t is not probable that any one
school could gather TO its instruction as
many pupils as are now gathered into
the three existing schools. Many are
drawn into school because of its prox-
unity. Make more of these schools and
more pupils will be secured, operating
within reasonable limits. Many good
teachers are now made up from the raw
material of whom the public would have
known nothing if only one school had
existed.
The other point is, that the one normal
school recommended be located in some
large community, so that the pupils can
haye the benefit Of training schools and
demonstrate their aplness to teach.
They more than broadly hint that the
normal schools located as they now are
in small communities. do not give to
pupils the training demanded for the
practical work of teaching. Theory and
practice should be connected in a course
of training, and our impression il, so
far as the Randolph school is concerned,
that the theory and practice are com
bined. Some of the time, at least, there
has been training school in connec
ton with the institution and very few
of the graduates of that school, who
were intending to teach have passed
through the prescribed course of study
with lut some experience in the practical
work of teaching IN the the districts and
towns near their homes or in the vicinity
of the normal school. This is a nature
method of training, not an artificial
one. This is just the kind the pupils
need. We que ,tion whether it be the
best method to place teacher in a city
school under the eye of a normal school
teacher. The position Is too constrained
and artificial. Give the pupils FONTS
upon teaching, discipline them thor
oughly for their work and then send
them out to apply these points accord
ing to the ability gained, independent
of any dire personal supervision.
More Of the good sought by the State
can be secured under the present ar
rangement than under that suggested.
There is a sense in which each normal
school Is the center of large fl I'D of
training schools, in which the ndepend-
ence and resources of the teachers are
developed and brought into use.
1t seems to us as though the report of
these commissioners might have been
made much shorter anu convey all that
they intended. Stripped of all that is
supelfuous, it might be made to read :
Let us have one normal school in the
State, and let it be located at Rurling.
ton, where 1t can come under the eye of
the U. V. M. Thus coming in close
proximity to the Agricultural College
the farmers of the State may be bene-
Fl ted - Rutland Herald