The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-04


Supt Curtis, which was in substance
as follows:
Coming suddenly into the system, as did.
in the middle of the year, my nrst duty was
acquainted with the teachers and fam1liarize
myself with the routine of the schools. me
work had started in upon the basis wisely
chosen by my predecessor, ana ,io tounq aro NO
occasion to make any radical deviation from
the course indicated by these plans.
The city of St. Paul has long borne a VIDE
reputation for the excellence of its schools.
/ was in no wise surprised to find the educa-
cational standard set high. An intelligent
and enthusiastic corps of teachers, consclen-
tiously devoted to their duty and earnestly
DESTROYS of working together for the hlghest
good supervisors and principals impueo Wltn
the spirit of progress and determined to Keep
the schools in the forefront. | found KIN.
dergartens established as an integral parI
of the system, and the kindergarten spirit Anu
methods permeating the Work OIL all gTaue5;
and the high schools well equipped with an
the appliances which go hand IN hahu WIN
the most advanced methods or instruction,
and with patronage from tne Dest cl ,.l1ea.
of st. Paul, which bears emphatic testimony
as to their popularity and efficiency. was
pleased to find that the value OF mahuai
training as an educational FACTOR hau peen
recognized by the board, in the incorporation
of hand work in the grades and the establish
ment of the Mechanic Arts high school, winch
Is doing excellent work under It's limitations
The teachers training school, with lts aalai a
tiop of Young teachers for their work, anu
with its stimulating and uplifting erect on tne
whole teaching force, hailed as Va a'ahi1
adjunct to the system and one Whicn uouDlS
renays the city for the small cost OF It's malh-
tenance. ,.1 -
Supt. Curtis refers at some length 70
the high importance throughout scnooi
work of an insistence on the hlShesl
possible care in the selection or teach
ers. supplementing the suggestion WIN
a reference to the teachers training
school as follows:
TEACHERS TRAINING SCHOOL.
The supply of teachers for the scnoois VI
St paul comes Largely from the city Talnl1S
school whose proficiency and value is PLAINLY
discernibe in the work of It's graduates: Two
hundred and twenty Of our corps OF ozo teaol
ers are graduates of this school -o;,
It is now universally conceded tnat spec,o q,
preparation as well special applique 10 az
absolute necessity for those VINO presunIie; ~
enter upon the responsible WORK OF l "a af
the youthful mind. The true tedcner 10 u ~ ~
horn then trained. Owing to rapidly IN
creasing population, the demand Tor teachers
has been so great that the few state hoIn
schools have not been able to meet IT, tneIe,
fore, many of the leading cities OF the Unls leu
States support their own training schoois lol
teachers, where the best methods are recog
nzed and applied and where inc nf aare-
enced candidates receive the benent Oh cal
full instruction in the theory ana pracuce VI
teaching and of intelligent criticism on thelr
first efforts in mind training.
A we'll conducted training school enapies
the school authorities to insist upon certain
preparation for the work OF teaching, a1a
though the preparation may not De en'iIe =i;1
adequate, and while individual results WI,
naturally vary in excellence, yet the average
outcome of the training given is satisfactory,
and the plan is great Improvement On 'ne
plan of appointing by examinations only;
Since it is the object Of the training scnooi
to fit teachers for the work of organizing,
governing and instructing in the pubic
schools, 1t must not only offer the advantages
of instruction in the history of education, the
laws of mental development and the methods
of presenting subjects required to be taught;
but there must be. also. after certain period
of observation, such period of practice as
will enable the pupil teachers to intelligently
apply the principles and adapt the methods
they have learned. Actual practice under the
eye of a competent and experienced critic,
who Is keen enough to detect faults and faith
full enough to expose them, is the only way
to fully accomplish this important part Of
the training work
course of five months training under
competent critics, will benefit the pupil teach
ers and will be of great advantage to the
city in ascertaining the fitness of candidates,
and in maintaining a high standard for the
teaching force.
KINDERGARTENs.
The kindergartens are referred to thus:
The ablest school men in this country to-.
day heartily indorse the kindergarten as
the foundation Of an educational system.
The writer can remember the time when
many, then prominent educators. looked upon
able scepticism and could not recognize the
educative value of play, nor see in the
games and songs the first natural manifesto
lions of human activity. But all prejudice
see behind the gifts and games and devices
principles that are life principles a phil.
osophy of education that is profound and
far-reaching; and today they all recognize
the kindergarten, not only the most admira-
BILE means Of beginning the education of the
child, but one of the most important auxiliar-
We need the public kindergarten educa-
tionally as the ''vestibule to our school
work, 1t prepares the child for all he
spheres of life; it provides the - groundwork
for the full cultivation of all his faculties
and powers We need it as moral and phil
anthropic agent restricting selfish propensi-
ties, cultiyating generosity and leading the
child gently into right habits of thought.
speech and deed from the beginning. We
need it to help the absorption and amalgama-
to develop and foster that true national
moral sense. which is the only thing that
will insure the permanency Of our republic
can institutions. We need 1t to secure that
people, sadly lack. We need the spirit
Of the kindergarten through all our public
school system
The value of kindergarten training to that
large class Of neglected children found in
every large city, whose parents are obliged
to leave them in squalid homes, or let them
run In the streets, cannot be .overestimated.
AS the population in cities becomes more
dense and work more exacting, public care
for young children becomes more imperative.
When the people once thoroughly under
stand the purpose of the kindergarten, when
they know something of the marked effect
this natural and spontaneous development of
the chflds early activity has on his entire
school life when they appreciate the won
he Ein6n rte In,
guarding against that constant menace to
our free institutions, an ignorant populace
swarming in our large cities, then all other
example set by Boston, New Haven, st.
Louis, Indianapolis, st. Paul and many others
and will incorporate the kindergarten into
their public school systems.
The st. Paul kindergartens are we'll estab-
lished and have already done good work.
Under the able supervision of Miss Brooks
the correlation between the kindergarten and
the primary schools is maintained and thus
the kindergarten is really part Of the pub
lie school system.
PRIMARY GRADES.
1t is now a generally recognized fact that
in the primary school Is laid the foundations
of the childs education. Unless the first
training Of the children is placed in the most
skillful hands public interests are sacrificed
at most vital point. The primary teacher
must possess rare gifts and varied accom-
plishments She must bring to her work an
intelligent Interpretation or the best thoughts
in pedagogy, and an earnestness, a patience,
a sympathy and devotion which will enable
her to care for each little life and harmonic
its activities with the business of the school
and the movements Of forty or fifty others
about it.
Comparing the progress of our primary chill
dren with that made by the poung pupil in
the schools of twenty-five years ago, there is
no manner of doubt that under the present
conditions, children make much more rapid
progress than was formerly thought possible
under any conditions. Children make more
progress in learning to read in the first year
of school now than they did under the old
methods in two years, and that with less tax