The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-03-07
NORMAL SCHOOL FACTS
Great Success of the Gradu-
ateS-Ma1e Teachers
in Demand.
speeial % the Jer,er citu Nso,.

Normal School Is just out, aud contains
some interesting facts concerning the adj
vance of education ia that institution.
There were in attendance on the Normal
during the past year 266 different students
10 males and 247 females. The total
number Of different students at the Model
was 4S9-227 males and 262 females. The
enrolment at the Farnum school was
1877. The Normal enrolment exceeds
that Of the last year by eleven. The
Model has an excess OF forty four and the
Farnum school an increase of twenty.
The number of students graduating from
the Normal was fifty-seven.
Principal Green in his report states
that the favorable reception of the gradu-
ates appears in the fact that of the fifty
seven. all but three are engaged 10 teacn-
ing at the present time. OF the three
who are not engaged, one has been un-
able to take position on account of i'll
health; one, colored, had not yet received
an offer OF an appointment. and third,
owing TO a fault of ner own, has not Sc
cured an appointment. Thirty-one Of the
appointments were secured through the
school, the remainder being secured by
the graduates directly. The average
salary received by those employed is s45O
per year, an advance of $50 per year over
the average salary received by the class
of last year. The class of last year raised
their average s35 in one year. The de-
mand on the school for teachers is much.
greater than the supply. Full forty calls
have been turned away, all available
graduates being engaged.
MEN IN DEMAND.
The call for men is still urgent. The
two young men who graduated received,
one S7OO,. per annum, the other $3.50, and
both in desirable localities. The feeling
toward graduates Of the Normal is cor
dial In every locality of the State, except
ing possibly one or two small towns. 1t
was once true that IL a graduate of the
Normal failed, it was held as a type of
the whole school, but growing liberal
ity of judgment now compares the pro-
portion or Normal graduates who fail
with that OF those who prepare else
where, and the Normal is found not to
suffer by the comparison. IL Is coming
to be generally recognized that as special
training is valuable in all other lines, so
is il also in teaching; and as the art of
teaching increases in its freight of conse-
qusnces to the rising generation, so
should preparation for it increase
The course of study as announced last
year remains the same aud the work un-
der it has been very satisfactory. the
change in the method of the Primary
Department was quite radical, and for
time, Prof. Green says, some of the pa
irons of the school mistook the happy
manner of the pupils in their work for
play, but when they came to realize that
within the year the pupils acquired just
as much knowledge in language, num-
bers, reading, ETC., and accomplished 1t
in a much more thorough manner, it
having been presented 10 them by a
method nearer TO nature, opinions chang
ed and the department rapidly increased
n nOnnlQrity and nnn1 hers
KINDERGARTENS.
The department by some accident re-
ceived the name Kindergarten" While
the adjective Kindergarten" is very
broad and may cover almost everything
elementary, the adjective primary"
gives the better understood meaning
of the department. The department
does take advantage Of the kindergarten
principle of appealing TO the mind
through the sense at first. but this prin-
ciple is much broader than the meaning
usually attached to the word ''kindergar-
ten"
Under the commissioning system in
augurated a year ago the following High
Schools are now on the approved list
Long Branch, New Brunswick, Newark,
Jersey City, Caldwell, Orange, Passaic,
Ashbnry Park. Plaintield aud Trenton.
Students have entered directly upon the
pedagogical work from each of these
themselves among the best qualified
In the report of President James l..
Hays of the Board of School Trustees, a
comparison is made, showing the advance
in the schools during the past three Years.
The result is that there has been a steady
advance in the popularity or the Normal
School. The Increase in enrolment over
that of two years ago is over ten per cent.
The temporary shrinkage in the MODEL
School noted last year has been more than
made up this year, the advance in the en-
roilment being ten per cent. over that of
last year. and four per cent. over that of
two years ago.
THE ATTENDANCE.
The attendance also shows a gratifying
improvement. The percentage OF atten-
dance has increased two per cent. in the
Normal School during the three years
and two per cent. il the Model School.
There is falling of in the number of
young men IN the Normal School IN pro-
portion to the number of Young ladies, the
shrinkage beng twenty-one per cent.
This points 10 the fact that fewer young
men are selecting the teaching profession.
The president thinks that the insuffieiency
of the compensation accounts in part for
this falling OF, but a more potent reason is
found in the fact that the difficulty of
using the position of teacher as a stepping
stone to something else is increasing.
Formerly the remuneration which might
be obtained from two or three years
teaching furnished fair support to
young man preparing for the law or the
During tine last ten years a
great change has taken place. The re-
Quiremenrs made of the would be teacher
in the way of normal preparation have
greatly increased, and the result has been
that the young men who do not intend to
follow teaching are being excluded from
the profession.
In view of the fact that only 32 per
cent. of the pupils took the advanced
course in 1889, and that this small percent
age dwindled TO IL per cent in 1890. 1t is
evident that the action of the Board in
doing away with the elementary course
was taken none too soon.
The President of the Board laments the
fact that the number OF boys in the
Model is so small compared 10 the girls.
lie thinks the cause of this is a proper
sub ject Tor enquiry.
NOT REGULAR DEMOCRATS.