The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1904-08-13

|
wealth and made adequate provisions
Tor its support and enIaroon.ont
therefore it is highly appropriate that
ene most original and unique normal
sohool Tor the training of primary
eeachers ever held in the Southern
states should have been protected bv
MiSsisslppi's able and energetic State
superintendent, Henry L. Whitfield
anu peculiarly fitting that its first SEES.
eion should have been held at the
Industrial Institute and College at Co.
lumbus. ~ W.
A normal school was held at Oxford.
MISS IN the summer Of 1903. at which
nearly 1000 teachers were enrolled.
While the work done there was of tho
nighest order of excellence vet it was
ielt by Superintendent Whitfield that
.here ought to be great normal for
'he primary teachers alone. Primary
work Is rapidly coming into proper
ana intelligent recognition as the one
department in which our educational
work mas been weakest So backward
are we IN this work that the wonder
iul science and practical skill of the
kindergarten are almost unknown in
our state save as name and theory.
superintendent Whitfield, with far
seeing mind, conceived that il his
great scheme of primary and second
airy education is to reach it's destined
development stress must be laid upon
tne part played by the primary teach
er In our comprehensive system. 1t Is
a waste of time for the primary teach
er to be compelled to attend all or
even part of the lectures given at
the average summer school for teach
ers. On the other hand, sufficient
time cannot be given for thorough and
adequate preparation of primary teach
ers alone. Hence the necessity of the
normal for primary teachers.
lnasmuch as it is something new in
the Southern States, it is deemed
worthy of special note in these col
umns. There are some features at
tached to 1t that ought to be of in
terest in Southern educational circles.
as this is their first introduction in
the South. The course was confined
to primary work, including grades
from the kindergarten to the sixth.
There were two daily sessions, one
in the morning and one in the after
noon. The morning session constitut-
ed a sort of laboratory, there being a
model school of about fifty children,
the classes being conducted by the
instructors, under the observation of
the teachers, who were attending in
the capacity of students. The after
noon session consisted in lectures ON
the various branches of instruction
taught.
The session was held in the Indus
trial Institute and College buildings,
which are large and commodious, well
fitted for the work, and capable of &C.
commodating very large number Of
attendants. Large and wellfurnished
dormitories, surrounded by extensive
and beautiful grounds, added very ma
terially to the pleasure and comfort |
of the teachers. 1t is the testimony of
the visitors and instructors that they
never saw a gathering of its size at
which there was such complete unan-
unity in the expressions of satisfac-
ton and delight on the part of those
who attended. There was something
better and of more practical and last
ing advantage than this There are
very few schools in Mississippi thor
oughly fitted with necessary apparatus
for primary work in language, geog-
raphy, reading, physiology, manual
training, ETC., and thousands of honest,
earnest and ambitious teachers in the
rural schools never saw such appara-
tus. Knowing that it would be impos-
sible for Mississippi at present to fur
nish such apparatus, since she has no
normal school for the training of her
teachers. Miss Ward, whom Superin-
tendent Whitfield selected to manage
the school. borrowed all kinds Of up
to-date and expensive apparatus from
the Chicago schools, brought 1t to
and set up model school
and our rural teachers received an OBJ
iect lesson which they could have
learned nowhere else save in the
North. This was of untold value and
benefit. The scheme was to have
model classes, taught by model teach
ers in a model schoolroom under the
most favorable conditions, and 1t sue
reeded in a most wonderful way, as
every one of the $50 teachers will
gladly testify. Not only this, but pub
fishers sent beautiful works on nature
study, language work; supply houses
furnished samples and materials for
manual training; music houses sent
school music and song books, While
art supply houses gave costly ana
,omplete collections of pictures, paint /
ngs, models, ETC., and with all OF these
,ctual work was done by real children {
and observed by rural teachers who
could not have seen the same save at
great expense and long travel both en-
,irely beyond reach. All this now
aver would have been as dead mate
,ial had there not been accomplished
md skillful teachers to breathe into
III the spirit of life and power. What
nav be said of the instructors is not
meant to disparage any member OF
,ur own magnificent body OF teachers
1od blass them all; they are doing the G
nightiest work in our commonwealth S
mt thew are awfully handicapped. r
Mississippi has no normal school. Her I
uraI teachers are poorly paid and 4
,annot bear the expense of trip d
vhere such work under like conditions s
q given as was at Columbus. Hural a
,,isarahlv equipped.