Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-08-03
SPLENDID WORK Of
COUNTY INSTITUTES
Thoseof19O8Doinq
Vast Amount of
Good
ARE LARGELY ATTENDED
Superintendent of Public In
struction J. E. Clark High
in His Praise of Them.

Territorial Superintendent of Public
instruction James T.. Clark has return.
ed from Socorro and Torrance coun-
ties. where he visited the teachers
summer normal institutes now in ses.
sion at Socorro. SocOrrO county and at
Estancia, for Torrance county. In an
interview with New Mexican report
er, Superintendent Clark said:
"It seems that all Of the school peo-
pie in each county in the territory are
working strenuously to make the coun.
ty institutes of 1908 of a higher stand.
ing and more profitable than those of
any previous year. have already visit
ed several county institutes and this
spirit is true in every case. Especially
is this true in Socorro county, where
the educational qualifications OF the
teachers in attendance are fully thirty
per cent in advance of the qualifica.
tions of teachers in attendance upon
previous Institutes held in that county.
This statement can make on Jlt isis
of authentic reports There are thirty
five teachers enrolled In SocorrO cOun.
ty and excellent work is being done.
Unique Plan in Socorro.
"The institute is evenly divided be-
tween the men and women. Superin.
tendent d. A. Ortega of Socorro county
entered upon a plan with his teach.
ers, which in my mind is commend.
able one. He held personal confer.
ence with many of the teachers and in.
fuenced them to enter upon contract
to attend four weeks summer school
with view to improving their qualifi
cations and advancing their grade and
certificate held in the county. About
one-half of the teachers now in attend
ance at the institute enrolled on the
first day of the four weeks normal.
The teachers who did this have mani
tested the true spirit and are doing
better grade of work daily in the in
stitute. It is just such help as this that
will rapidly improve the question OF
betterment of the rural schools, which
we regard as the backbone of our ter.
ritory
eve have no desire to import teach
ers to take charge of the schools In
the Spanish speaking communities.
Our policy Is to encourage the Spanish.
American teacher to advance his or
her scholarship and secure higher
grade certificate and remain at the
head of the schools. We find that the
so-caled imported teacher is less sue.
cessful in the Spanish-American COM
munities than is the Spanish-Amerlcan
teacher, although the Spanish-Ameri-
|can teacher may not be so we'll quail.
fed educationally. OF course there
are some exceptions to this rule.
Encourage Summer Normals.
eve would like to see the majority
of the counties in our territory follow
the plan and establish long summer
normal such as Superintendent Orega
has done in Socorro county. Further
more, we would like the Territorial
Board Of Education to pass a resolu.
|tion authorizing the department OF pub.
lie instruction to give credit for this
attendance at the long summer school,
lit might be well to give each teacher
an additional five per cent on each sub
ject he or she takes an examination
in, thus recognizing the desired spirit
in attending the extra sessions OF the
summer school.
"The city of Socorro seems to be en-.
tering on a new era. The people are
very enthusiastic over the new electric
power plant and new one hundred.
ton smelter, on both Of which work Is
rapidly progressing. The smelter will
handle low grade ore of which It will
make a speciality. These industries
have put new life into the community
which will be reflected in the further
advancement of the public schols OF
Socorro.
Torrance County Institute.
when entered the Torrance coun-
|ty institute felt that was visiting a
high class educational meeting In In
diana or Illinois. The teachers In at.
tendance upon this institute represent
fifteen states in the Union and are Of
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