The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1903-04-02
AN EXCELLENT ADDRESS.
Prof. G. A. Stanton Speaks
- to the Northern Mime
sofa Educational ~
Association.

|
MINES ota Educational associ alton
held on Friday last at St. Cloud,
Prof. Stanton of this city delivered
an address OF which the journal
Press says: SIT was the last formal
| p tper of the session aud one of the
best, his subject being The Normal
COm Sc in High Schools" 1t follows:
In MINES Ota the demand for eff
ctent trained teachers exceeds the
| supply. Our five Normal schools eau
do no more than supply the vacancies
in the city and village schools caused
by the hundreds who annually leave
the ranks of the profession. The rural
schools, which need the best trained
teachers, are obliged to take pers One
with absolutely NO professional train
ing and with only such academic
training as is furnished by the rural
schools OR by state high schools.
County superintendent in the north
ern part of the state are unable to
secure teachers for all their schools
except by granting permits TO those
who are unable to meet the legal re-
qulrements of certified teachers AS
long rs the demand exceeds the supply
and inefficit Mt and unframed teachers
can easily secure schools at wages
that are remuneratiYe to them, we
cannot expect persees of natural abil-
ity to spend years in preparation for
such work.
Provision was made for so-called
normal instruction in state hign
sch ools in order to give some special
training, first to the hundreds of
high school graduates who yearly 60
into the rural schools and who with
out this training carry with them on
" such academic training in the COM
mon school subjects as is furnished
by the grammar grades of the city
schools and secured to those rural
school teachers who desire better
preparation for their work. but who
for some reason cannot take reeu-
lar o:mal school course.
AS college preparatory school the
average high school may meet the re
quirements fairly well. The majority
Of high school graduates, however, do
not take normal course and those
who teach in rural schools find that
their Virgil, solid geometry and
physics have given them but little
direct training for teaching, reading
language and numbers to boys and
| girls.
Advanced stuGy of the common
branches during the last year of the
high school course is coming to have
a permanent place in our high schools.
If we incorporate with this instruc-
ton something Of the theory ard prac-
tice of education together with OBJ
servation and practice in the grades
of the school we have normal insmuc-
ton in the high school as contemplat.
ed by law.
That the results accomplished have
not been satisfactory in all cases is
admitted. The appropriation of 500
is not sufficient to secure a competent
Instructor for this work. On the other
hand, young ladies who can secure
any kind of certificate or permit to
teach, are prone to continue in the
ranks OF teachers, rather than syend
year in special preparation for more
efficient work, consequently one class
of those for who this instruction was
| especially designed is not being,
reached. However, those high school
seniors who take the course in the
common branches in lieu of two other
fourth year subjects are securing a
good foundation for teaching-not a
normal course, not substitute for
normal course, but better preparation
than 80 per cent of the rural school
teachers have received.
1t may be urged that when this in
struction is offered some will content
themselves with this preparation who
otherwise would haye taken regular
normal school course. Such is not
the case. 1do, not know of one per-
son whose normal instruction in the
high school was substitute for a
more extended course. / can mention
sexeral who had no thought of teach.
ing until after they had taken the
years work in the high school. This
year OF study aroused an interest
which led TO . year or more of suc-I
#cessful teaching, followed BY course
in q normal school. The one who
has never seen the temple OF knowl-
-~nszDA