The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-06-30
GREAT VALUE Al
OF NORMALS
Their Important Relation to-
Solving the Problem Of the
Education Of Children.
TEACHERS MUST BE TRAINED
Special Studies for the Express
Purpose Of Developing High
Ideals in the Teacher.

By 1 Member Of the Faculty Of
the State Female Normal School.
,rbe problem of the education of chill
drer Ia an old one. 1t Is as old as TIL,
family itself. When In the Development
or society the family became a separate
Institution, and Its organization was rec
oRnIzed In the clan or tribe, tho respon-
sibllty OF training tho children OF the
Individual family In tho social customs
and practices OF tho community life de-
volvad necessarily upon the parents. In
primitive life, OF course, this reaction was
carried out somewhat insttnctively and
automatically, and included instruction
suited TO enable the child to survive in
the environment in which he was plac ed.
There were no teachers, save the parents,
ana their instruction was deemed com
plete IL their children grew to manhood
+ or womanhood having the ability TO Obtain
food and shelter. But as society became
more thoroughly organized and greater
responsibilities fell upon the parents IN
the home, they had not time TO give their
children sufficient training In lies du-
ties, and q certain portion of the teaching
ana training was delegated to others.
thus, teaching gradually became diff
fercntiated from the parental duties. and
lust SO soon as this responsibility was
shifted from the parent to person
whose sole business 1t was to teach then
the problem OF the qualification OF this
teacher became paramount
It thus gradually came about that GER
tain schools undertook the work OF pre-
pairing teachers for their manifold du-
ties. 1t was discovered that mere echol-
arship was no guarantee OF an indiyid-
ual.s ability TO teach, but that the sue
cesstul teacher Is the ono who Is tech
n.caliy trained for his work, as in all
other walks OF life. The Normal School
= as a technical institution for the train
Ing of teachers thus gradually evolved
untilFat the present time practically all
civilized nations OF the world maintain.
5E them at great expense. for the sole pur-
pose OF feeling assured that tho youth
# OF the land are taught in the best pos
sible manner.
What IS Normal Training.
statement OF the value OF normal
training implies an answer to the ques-
lion What is normal training? How does
it differ from the training OF High
School or college? These are vital cues
tons and must be answered IN the llght
of the Normal School curricula compared
with those of other institutions Of learn
Ing. S55s &,
In the first place, think we can truths
fully say that In every normal school,
worthy OF the name, teaching ms
science, as an art and as a profession IS
strongly emphasized. Just as IN law
school the detail OF the legal profession
IS studied with reference to the indivl-
dual spending his life in the law. or as
in the trade school. the whole aim is to
prepare the individual for specialized
form of activity, so In the Normal School
professional spirit is aroused by con-
{ tinued contact with the Ideals and aspira-
tions of teacher. There Is continually
held before the mind OF the Normal
school student the loftiest ideals of what
constitutes real teacher and good
school. Before the course Is completed
every student Is compelled to measure
himself by the highest standards of real
teaching power known. He Is Informed
by every department. OF the school that
there Is something more for a teacher TO
get than mere subject matter, and that
is the power to teach that subject matter
in fascinating and interesting manner,
to be an inspiration to those seeking IN
strncton. 1t can be readily seen that
when a Normal School student lives ana
works In such a teaching atmosphere for
two or three or four years he6is almost
sure to catch tho real professional spirit.
and have sincere desire to be real
teacher true teacher, one that inspires
and upfts. Not only So but practically
every student OF n Normal School comes
TO the institution with desire to become
teacher, and thus his whole effort IS
bent In this direction. He gets probably
4 y,i,,,f Ton,
dents as elsewhere, and the very gossip
of the Normal School pertains 70 the
teaching art, as the gossip of the medical
student pertains to the clinic and the
disscctlng room.
The Method Of Teaching,
Tn q real Normal School no academic
subject is eyer taught simply as an ac-
ademc subject. but all subjects arc
taught with reference to preparing tne
student to teach that particular branch.
Every Instructor In a Normal School
should be an IDEAL teacher. and the mat
ter Is presented In such way that each
lesson lis a model lesson 1t Is perfectly
manifest that the student WORKING unoer
such conditions will understand what IS
tho field of work for q teacher far better
than one who merely gets Information as
student
But there arc special studies taken IN
Normal School IoI tiie cApsese l"' tSSes.
of developing high ideals In the teacher
that are not usually taken to any great
extent in other institutions Thorough
courses in the history of education, deal
Ing with tho problems that have con-
fronted the people In every age, what
Z education has been In the past, and now
various systems have controlled na-
tion's life, and what has been the con-
trbution TO education of the various re-
former from Socrates to Horace Mann.
Such course gives the student cross
section of the general scheme OF educa,
ton at the present time, after tracing It
through all history. Courses In psychol-
ogy dealing particularly with the sub
tertl genetically. tracing mental develop
ment IN the race and in the Individual,
If the teacher IS to foster and nourlsh
mental development In the child II Is GER
tatnly necessary that he understand the
laws OF that Development Then too,
Normal Schools offer courses In the phil-