The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-11
PROVIDING FOR MORE PUPILS.
The Normal Work Among Public
School Teachers.

The reports for the second week Of the
city schools have been submitted to Su-
perintendent Ashmore. The results are
very satisfactory. AS soon as some few
children, that stopped going to school as
soon as they were transferred from the
crowded Henry street school, and others
that have been granted admission to the
schools just so soon as the proper prepar-
ations for their reception can be made, are
enrolled, the number of white children in
the schools win be ga greater than that at
the close of the second week Of last year S
term. There are 154 in excess Of the num-
Der at this time last year These 2l4 pupils
will constitute five large classes and Will
thus require five more teachers than were
last year necessary
The board of education will meet to-mor-
row night, and it is probable that 1t Will
provide for the establishing of two more
grades at the Henry street school in order
to admit of the re-entering of those chill
dren that have been transferred, and the
admission of others that are DESTROYS of
entering. These new grades will be the
first and second, as it is in the lowest
that the greatest number Of children are
found.
The normal class met day before yester-
day and was in session an hour. Regular
weekly meetings will be held from now on,
the white teachers meeting on Fridays,
and the colored teachers on Wednesday 3.
The meetings are for the purpose of az
fording the teachers an opportunity to
gain a practical knowledge Of the methods
of teaching and to acquire the aid given
by the discussion of question pertaining
to the branches taught in the schools and
the Interchange of ideas that these discus
sions cause. Every fourth meeting will be
Co. ., 81 of nra1
Importance to all the grades, touching
such things as morals, department, disci-
pline, methods of dealing with hardness
and other matters of vital interest to the
teachers.
Every fourth week all the teachers will
receive instruction from those that may
have been especially appointed by the
superintendent to speak or read papers
on the Questions that are to occupy their
attention. After that, it will be expected
that the teachers win join in a general dis
cussion of the subject. A short talk by
Superintendent Ashmore followed.
The regular meetings of the normal class
that cover three of every four weeks will
be devoted to the study of the best meth
DDS of teaching those branches that are
taught in the grades, and for these meet
ings the teachers will be divided into
classes The first class will be comprised
of all the teachers of the first and second
grades, the second, those of the third and
fourth grades, and the third, those Of the
fifth, sixth and seventh grades. The
high school teachers will compose a class
by themselves.
All Of these classes will meet and, after
the roll has been called, will adjourn to
their class rooms to consider those
branches which they are to teach. The
first class, that comprised of the first and
second grade teachers, will study the
methods of teaching reading and spelling
the second, of arithmetic and the third
of English grammar. Particular atten-
ton will be devoted to max
ing the study Of these meth
DDS practical. Every teacher Will
be pr divided with a notebook and it is the
purpose Of the superintendent to give to
these teachers al every meeting something
of a practical nature that they can put into
active operation in the school room.
Outlines for methods for Georgia teach
ers have been distributed, these outlines
being in phamphlet form, compiled two
or three years ago by several of the most
eminent educators of the state. 1t is
| expected that the outlines will prove very
valuable.
The rules governing the normal class
provide that those persons desiring to be
teachers, may become members of the
class free of charge, and, in case of the
appointment of new teachers, preference
will be given to those who have attended
the classes. Responding to this privilege
fifteen have already enrolled themselves
as members of the class.
The teachers are greatly interested in
the normal work. The superintendent
thinks 1t will prove of irest.mable bene-
fit to them, and he intends to devote a
good deal of his time to perfecting the
teachers for this work.