The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-04-02
NORMAL SCHOOL FAILURES
OYER Il HUNDRED REPORTED OUT
OF CLASS OF 1fY.
Disaffection Caused Among Members of
Junior Glass Over Announcement of
Unfair Treatment.

Principal Morriil-They Complain of
Unfair Treatment.
In an interview last night with Prin
cipal Morrill, of the State Normal school
in this city, he refused absolutely to
discuss the present reported disaffection
among the members of the junior class
in that institution. The trouble arose
from the annual division of the class
made last Friday. Out of a class Of lat
| report says that the principal announc-
ed that only forty-seven had been up to
the required standard in their work,
and that the remaining 100 will prob
ably be compelled to do their junior
year work over again. In other words,
this remarkably large number of young
| ladies will spend three years in COM
pleting the course at the normal school,
instead of two years.
| The announcement came as a shock
| to many OF the young ladies and one
New Haven member of the class, 1t is
said, swooned twice before reaching
home. She fully believed she had been
| doing good work and was not>prepared
| for the news that she had been placed
| in the third division of the class. Others
were terribly upset by the news, and a
number have expressed an intention of
| leaving the school before the first year
| is up. Among the latter are several
| New Haven girls as well as pupils from
Ansonia; Meriden and other places in
the state.
The division of the junior class was
made much later this year than in
previous years. 1t has been the prictice
of Principal Morrill, to divide the class
about Christmas time. When the pu-
pills enter the school the Junior class Is
divided alphabetically, all members be-
ing on the same footing at the begin
ming. About Christmas time it has
been the custom of the principal to
make a third division. The pupils whose
work had been poor up to that time
were placed in this division and they
were Informed that they would prob
ably have to do their junior year work
over again.
The members with a low stand were
thus given about five months in which
to improve in their work and regain
their stand in the class.
This year the division of the class was
delayed until the present time. The
number placed in the third division is
unprecedented and unless many of the
young ladies succeed in materially i'm
proving their stand during the next
two months the class that will be grad
uated next June. will be very small. The |
members of the class canflot account |
for the poor showing made by so many !
members. Most Of the girls have high |
school preparation before entering the |
normal school and were believed to be |
up to the usual standard of intelligence |
when they entered. The faculty of the |
normal school is practically the same |
as last year and the year before, and |
it has not been announced that high
err standard has been adopted.
While friends of the school claim that |
the dropping of so many girls into the
so-called third division indicated de-
sire on the part of the faculty to grad
uate an excellent class of teachers the
pupils maintain that they should have
been informed as to their standing ear
llef in the year. At the normal sohoo!
a pupil does not have to pass an exam
nation until the end Of the second year.
Neither is she given mark during her
course, indicating her standing. The
first intimation the pupils in the Junior
class have that their work has not
been satisfactory is when the division of
the class is announced This. the GIRLS
say, is unfair and does not afford them
an opportunity of improving their
one who knows the situation we'll
said last night 1.-THE young women had
fair warning. They had been told that
poor work, If continued and persisted in.
would cause them to be dropped. Mr.
Morrill, had said that If the young wo
men did not appreciate their oppor
tunities 1t was not worth while to spend
the money appropriated by the state to
give them normal school training. A
big proportion of the class showed but
little responsiveness. 1t was a curious
fact that the city high school girls who
should have been better trained and
better able to do the work seemed to |
suffer in comparison with the work of |
the county girls