The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1902-07-03

ALI these are absolutely necessary 10
the highest efficiency of every school,
Without this hearty cooperation on the
part of all concerned we can not hope
to realize the best ideals of school life.
There should be between teachers and
parents the kindliest, the most frank
and open relations How many mis-
understandings would be prevented,
how many mistakes avoided, how many
disasters averted if there were only q
more intimate acquaintance on the part
of parents with the personal life, char
acter, aims and ambitions of those who
are giving their time, strength and best
efforts to the education of the children.
Attention is also called to the names
of graduates of our County Training
School The names have not been
arranged according to the standings for
the reason that the students must not
fall below 20 per cent in any branch and
must have a minimum average in all
branches of rs per cent.
The average age of the graduates is
nineteen years. No one has been grant
ed diploma who is not over seventeen
years of age.
These stu dents have had one year of
enthusiastic Ind devoted training along
academic and professional lines at the
hands of two expert teacher who are the
equal of any State Normal School in
structors. 1t is not expected that these
graduates shot Id take the place of good
experienced teachers but each year be-
tween twenty and thirty drop out
of the profession and hence that
number of new teachers must be
supplied. Heretofore the vacancies
were filled by unframed, inexperi-
enced persons, which is some
thing to be deplored. An unframed
teacher is like an unskilled laborer who
attempts to make a watch. run and
engine, or build bridge. Most un-
skilled laborers know better than to at
tempt such things, and yet there is a
prevalent idea that almost anybody
possessed of average intelligence and a
little knowledge of arithmetic, geogra-
ply and grammar can successfully
teach school. Weeks, yes even months
have been wasted by unframed teach
ers In there efforts to discover hOac to
teach. The average period of school
life is 80 short that the moments possess
value inestimable, and unless the
teacher realizes and understands the
proper line of action to be pursued, in
fact knows the hO,c as we'll as the uDhdt
in training the mental faculties of the
child, he can not give to the child value
received in return for the time spent in
school, AS to the value of the trained
teacher over the unframed, | desire to
quote Supt j. F. Lamont, of Marathon
County. He says, In my inspection of
of schools l have observed two very
striking things to which | wish to call
your attention. The work of the grad
yates of the Marathon County Train
ing Scoolh for Teachers is far better
than the work of those who have no
special training for the profession of
teaching. During the year | have had
the assistance in the visitation of schools
of two different normal school institute
conductors for short periods of time
and the difference in the school-room
work found in the schools of the training
school people and the unframed teach
ers excited much comment from them
favorable to our County Training
School. 1t is refreshing to note the
clean cut progressive work of the train
ing school teachers. With one or two
notable exceptions they are doing and
have been doing remarkably good work
and are repaying several times over the
money we have invested in them"
Our own Training School has been
visited during the year by the State
Superintendent and other expert, in
spectors, and from the favorable COM
ments made in regard to it, we may
Justly feel proud, and we haye reason
to hope that our graduates will make as
good a showing the coming year as
those in Marathon County did last year.
The original purpose of establishing
the State Normal schools was to train
teachers for all public schools. But
statistics prove that the graduates of
these schools find positions in cities and
villages and thus the district school can
not procure the services of these trained
teachers The remedy is found in the
County Training School, it is nearer to
the rural school than any other like
ins titution.