River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-02-13
River Falls Normal School.
MADISON. Wis. Jan. 81. 1896.

NiADlSONs w 10. Odl. Ols lCJO.
Prof. l.. III. Clark, River Falls, Wis.
Dear Sir: / am in receipt of yours of
Jan. 2Sth, and take the earliest OPP
portunity to answer. | have no hest
tation in giving you the result of my
observation upon the work of normal
school graduates who are principals of
high schools in comparison with col
lege graduates acting in the same
capacity. | do not think there is any
occasion for any concealment about
judgments formed by this observation.
L am often asked by college graduates
how their work compares with normal
school graduates. / have always been
frank and tried to be just in my state
ments in relation to this matter, and
have found it fruitful source of
occasion for good suggestions in rela-
ton to THEN work.
You ask in what lines of work do
the normal school people excel, and in
what are they deficient? The lines in
which they excel are more apparent
than those in which they are deficient.
They are given to such discrimination
that where they are consciously def
Gent in preparation for certain lines
OF work, those lines are assigned to
others whom they deem more or bet
IcT uIltu Uiidn UHCui ctIftS. Il Hllu
them specially strong in their organi-
cation, and their management and
in their supervision of the work of
subordinate teachers. They almost
universally familiariZe themselves
with the work of every teacher and i
believe are helpful in their sugges-
tions in relation to the work of these
teachers. / think they are very
strong in their efforts to unity the
teaching force where they preside, and
are also helpful in shaping the work
Of the preparatory schools in such
way as TO bring the best results in
preparation for high school work. /
find them almost universally apt in
the line of mathematics, also in his
tory, geography. composition and civil
government. My observation has led
me to conclude that they are con-
sciously less prepared upon the lines
of German and Latin languages and
perhaps in literature and physics. L
am not so confident about the matter
of literature as / find that my ideal
about the method Of dealing with that
subject is very rarely realized in either
class of teachers. Perhaps my ideal is
too high, but | do not think that is
the trouble. agree with you in your
premonition that the college student,
or principal, is given TO telling more
than testing in the early part of his
experience as teacher. The idea OF
drill is not uppermost in his mind,
while in the mind of the normal
graduate this is a prominent and con-
slant purpose in all his efforts. /
| think the broader education of the
| college student will tell ultimately
upon his power as teacher, and as he
studies more and more the art and
| science of teaching he comes more
and more into touch and sympathy
with the methods inculcated in nor
NAL schools, and ne is able TO grasp
| these when he carefully considers
| their bearing upon his work. have
no general adverse criticism to make
upon the college graduate as princi-
| pal of a high school. / think they do
as rule better thin we would rea-
| sonably expect them TO do with the
inexperienCe and lack of professional
! training which most of them have in
| the beginning of their work. But L
| very rarely find a normal school gradu-
| ate who does not Immediately organ
ize and direct the force of his school
in such a manner as to utilize to the
| fullest extent the facilities and oppor-
Juillblto dU ilduu
| am conscious of the fact that no
little criticism on the part of uniyer-
sity inspectors has been given in the
relation to the conduct of the science
departments in those high schools
where those departments have been
| under the direction of normal school
graduates. But careful consideration
! and inquiry have led me to tire con-
clusion that these criticisms were
f! directed and inspired more by the lack
of apparatus and laboratory facilities
| than by the character of the instruc-
| tion given or the ability of the princi-
| pal to give instruction. l think it is
quite possible that the normal school
graduates have been timid and con-
sentative in making demands for these
| things as we'll as for modern and re-
cent reference books upon matters of
science. / think they are less aggres-
sive in securing these facilities and
helps than college men. They have
been accustomed to get along with
moderate provision in these lines
while college men usually have had
them in abundance and so consider
them Indispensable.
Respectfully yours,
W. III CHANDLER,