The Opelousas courier., 1895-03-23
A Summer Normal for Opelousas.
lDStlfnte Conauotnr r,ldr,n ,.,:.:,

no'ixr'U SonuuClOr CALDWELL, WrltlDs
10 Dr; v. Il. Irlon, of our town, speak
as 1OliOWs OF the summer institutes n
normal schools to be held in varion,
portions OF the State this wear. Stem,
should be taken at once to secure one
Tor Opelousas. There is no time to be-
lost. We must add that it looks a little
strange that nothing has yet been done
looking to that end, when we rehecl
mat such a comparatively insignificant
parish as Pointe- Coupee has already
through its Police Jury, appropriated
$500 for the purpose of securing one
Mr. Galdwelps letter is full of interest:
c1E is the purpose of the Institute
boyd to hold during the coming snm.
mdf. four Peabody summer normal
SCHOOLS. On the plan of the one main.
ta!led 10 Shreveport last year by the
rat and the Peabody fund conformity,
These schools will open ON the first
Monday in June, and continue four
weeks each.
The course of study will include a
thorough review of all the studies
taught III our city and country schools,
in the business of teaching. Each sum-
mer school will be in charge of a facui-
ty OF four instructors selected for their
special fitness for institute work.
In addition to the daily class work,
there Will be "A practice school of forty
children from the town where the in
stltute is located, in which the children
will be taught for one month according
to the most approved methods and by
an accomplished primary teacher. In
this practice school the unframed teach
ers OF the country schools will have the
opportunity to see the actual work of a
model school where children are taught
I'D the best way, and with the best ma
terial. In this school all the teachers
III attendance will be required to give
one or tive lessons Il week, under the
guidance u criticism of an accom-
plished training teacher. The whole
work Will be under the direction and
personal supervision of the State Insti-
tute conductor, who will spend one
week at each summer school, giving to
the teachers II course of instruction in
the various parts of pedagogy, and Civ
ing at the night sessions a series of pOD-
ular lectures on the educational inter
ests of the community and the State.
Last summer we held such u summer
school in Shreveport. The Police Jury
and the city council contributed $500
toward the expenses of the school. The
results of the months work were of such
value to the city and country schools
that the authorities made early applica-
ton this year to duplicate their last
years contribution, it the board would
locate one of the schools there this sum-
mer. Ruston has also applied and
pledged $500 towards the expenses.
New Rhodes and Pointe Coupee parish
have just appropriated the same sum to
have n of the schools located there.
There are also applications from seven
other points. The resources of the
board for the coming summer are con
siderably short of the sum requisite for
the character of the work that it is un-
%dertaking to do. So it will be neces-
sary for the board in determining the
locations to consider the willingness Of
the several communities to share the
burden OF expense.
But the matter of foremost impor-
lance in selecting the places for the
schools is the number of teach
ers that may be expected to attend.
Such a schOOl as these cannOt fail to
make an immediate and permanent I'M
prOvement in the schools OF the town
where it is held, and it is the universal
verdict in Shreveport that the money |
contributed by the school authorities
was richly repaid in the results attained.
Now it seems to ME that your town
would be an excellent location for the
southern one of the schools. We have
from Lake Charles and Alb
b~eville, and will probably have others
from Crowley, Cameron and perhaps
from Lafayette. Will you kindly pre-
sent the matter to the members Of the
board as you meet them, or at the ear
lest meeting Of the board II Opelou-
sas is to be counted in the consideration
of locations, it will be necessary for the
matter to be c%anvassed quite soon, 80
some action may be taken at the
next regular meeting.