The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-04-19
NORMAL PRACTICE SCHOOL.
Detailed Account of the Work Done
There.

visited the Normal practice school
since the additions in rooms and
equipment which were made last
year, would be greatly interested and
benefited by doing so. Formerly the
practice school was oyercrowded, and
children were obliged to recite in
rooms that were not altogether pleas
ant and cheerful; but this is all a
matter of the past now, for through
out the whole school, with the excep-
tion of two or three rooms in the in
termediate department, the rooms are
all very well lighted, and are cheerful
bright and wholesome, with no over
crowding or inconvenience. Those
who have charge of the practice
school are most careful about the
health of pupils, and precautions are
always taken to make the heat, light,
ventilation and seating such as will
best promote the health and comfort
and the harmonious development of
the bodies of all pupils.
But while great care is taken to
promote the physical welfare of child
rem, still greater emphasis is laid upon
all those conditions that will Guilt
vate pure, upright morals. Every
where throughout the building things
are in clean, wholesome condition,
and there are no marks or suggestions
of any kind that will inspire un-
wholesome and impure thoughts in
the minds of the children. This is
by far the most important problem in
teachers school work, for those evil
things which children see and hear
last them all their lives, and in a
large measure shape their characters
and dispositions. In the Normal prac-
tice school children are never per-
mitted to cOngregate together in
places where evil things can be said
or done, and this is a great safeguard
against the spreading of various kinds
of immoralities.
1t may not be universally known
that this practice school is thor
oughly graded school from the kinder
garten through the eighth grade,
maintained for the purpose of afford
ing those who graduate from the
Normal school an opportunity to study
the practical phases of teaching; to
witness model teaching by expert
critic teachers; and finally, to teach
themselves under constant guidance
by the superintendent and critic
teachers. The critic teachers are in
very close contact with all pupils in
the school, and the work is all under
their immediate direction. Before
any pupil teacher is permitted to take
charge of any class of children, she is
obliged to study the class for long
time under the direction of the CRITIC
teachers before she begins teaching,
and no one is expected to teach any
children when they are not familiar
with them from this long observation
and study. Formerly pupil teachers
began their work with different classes
without any opportunity for observ-
ing and becoming acquainted with
their pupils, so as to understand what
work they had been doing, and to
learn their various Municipalities and
characteristics, so that they might
deal with each one wisely. But now
every pupil teacher observes in the
class she is going to teach for three
months; and she is required to write
out careful reports of the physical,
intellectual and emotional charact ter
istics of those she is going to teach,
as well as to prepare the lessons she
is going to give. These are carefully
considered by those who have charge
of the practice school, and everything
is done that can be to have the pupil
teacher appreciate fully the DISPOSE
tion, character and capabilities of
each child that will be under her
care. The result Of this is that be-
fore a pupil teacher begins her work
at all she understands her children
better than most teachers do after a
year or two's teaching of them. Great
emphasis is now laid in the practice
school upon careful study of children,
so that the teacher may understand
them and know how to adapt her
teaching and means of discipline to
them in the best possible way.
A slight tuition fee is charged in
the different departments of the prac-
tice school to help defray the ex-
penses of free textbooks and manage
ment. There are a number of teach
ers who have charge of the practice
school, 'and the expense of mainte-
nance is great. President Soaring has
general direction of the work; M. V.
O'Shea is superintendent; Miss Rob-
bins is principal of the grammar de-
partment, and Miss Helgesen assist
ant; Miss Richards is principal of the
intermediate department.; Mrs.
O'Shea is principal of the primary
department, and Miss Knights assist
ant; Miss Barr is principal of the
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