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.

HoooSlc1llolis
At the meeting Of the Northern
MINES DtA Educational association
held on Friday last at St. Cloud,
Prof. Stan;on of this city delivered
an address Of which the journal
Press says: ''IJ was the last formal
p tper Of the session aud one of tue
best, his subject being The Normal
COu Sc in High Schools" it follows:
in Minnesota the demand for eff
Gent trained teachers eXcee DIS 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 Uue
with absolutely no professional ira in
ing tnd with only such academic
training as is furnished by the rural
schools or by state high schools
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
quIrements of certified teachers. AS
long us the demand exceeds the supply
and inefticit Mt and unframed teachers
can easily secure echools at wages
that are remuneratiye to them, we
cannot expect pers oes of natural abil-
ity to spend years in preparation for
such work.
Provision was made for sO-calleI
n rrtnai instruction in state hiwu
sch ools in order to give some specia:
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
y su.h academic training in the COM
mon school subjects as is furnished
by the grammar grades of the city
schools and secured to those rurar
school teachers who desire better
preparation for their work. but who
for some reason cannot take re9u-
lar / o NAL school course.
AS a college preparatory school The
average high school may meet the r.
qnirements fairly well. The majority
Of higt school graduates, however, 10
not take a 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 aud
Iris.
Advanced stuGy of the common
| branches during the last year of the
hig h 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 in struc-
ton in the high school as contemplate
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 forthis work. On the other
hand, young ladies who can secure
any kind of a certificate or a permit to
ranks Of teachers, rather than syend
year in special preparation for more
efficient work, consequently one class
of those for whom 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
good foundation for tea ching-not a
normal course, not a substitute for
normal course, but better preparation
than 80 per cent of the rural school
teachers have received.
1t may be urged that when :his in
struction is offered some will content
themselves with this preparation who
otherwise would have taken a regular
normal school course. Such is not
the case. do, 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 4 year or more of sue
cessful teaching, followed by a course
i'll a normal school. The one who !
has never seen the temple of knowl- !