The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1909-03-12
WHAT LEADING
EDUCATORS SAY

CDR. Sheldon's Bulletin, 1905, Uni
versity of Oregon,)
The principal of the Whitewater
normal school, Wisconsin: ga large
central school is too much of ma
chine. Pupils have too little contact
with the administration and stronger
members of the faculty Too much
of the instruction in such cases is
done by subordinate and compara-
lively cheap instructors The school
cannot accomplish any such work in
the way of character building and
personal moulding of students as is
done in smaller schools"
AS put by the state superintendent
of Missouri: Several schools, located
in different parts of our state will
come more directly in contact with
teachers and influence them more.
The faculty of normal school hav-
ing about twenty counties in its dis
trict will in some measure supervise
the schools of that district, while one
large central school will not reach
the teachers of the outlying counties
and will not exert the same influence
on these counties as upon those near
er it's location"
The idea Is we'll expressed by the
president of the Madison, South Da-
kota normal: "The great school has
a mass of students and educates,
trains and graduates in mass The
school of from 200 to 500, gradual
ing from 40 to 80 each year knows,
educates and trains every individual
and is sure of it's work; it developes
character and power"
When q central school fails to at
tract large attendance, it then is usu-
ally more expensive proportionally
than a system of local schools Colo
RADIO is a case in point where the cost
of training a student for year reach
es the high figure of $24S per year,
a rate higher than that of some of
the most efficient universities which
have a much more extensive plant.
The first requisite Is in all cases.
efficiency. What Is the smallest ap-
preparation which will support first
class school of from $50 to $50 stu
dents? This question was included in
the circular letter sent to the princi-
pals and superintendents above men
toned. The replies varied from $15,-
600 a year at one limit to 100000 at
the other, the great majority, how
ever, placed their estimates between
$4,000 and $4,000. When we COM
pare these figures with the actual ex-
pense IN some of the most successful
normal school states such as Wis
consin $39,000 Massachusetts,, $780,
900; New York and California, $685.
| 600, we can safely conclude that un-
| der ordinary conditions no normal
school can be put on an efficient ba-
sis for less than $4,000 for current
expenses.
The principal of the Milwaukee
normal discusses conditions in Michi-
gan. "My native state is Michigan,
where for years they have had one
large normal school, Investigation
showed that 80 per cent of it's at
tendance was drawn from adjacent
counties. 1t was not big enough to
make itself felt throughout the state.
Within the past eight years, three
new normal schools were established
/ in Michigan. The attendance at the
central school has materially in
creased and the three other schools
are full. Each one of the schools
draws largely from its own locality"
One of the strongest arguments in
favor of system of local schools,
| Is the fact that In most states the
| students Of normal school come
from closely adjacent regions, so that
| in general a system of local schools
| reaches more students and therefore
| trains more teachers than can q sin
| Gle central school. All the more
populous states having a large per-
1 centage of normally trained teachers
| like Wisconsin. Massachusetts, and
California are states which maintain
l d system of local schools.
1 =
! Just a reasonable number well dis
| trbuted will reach a much larger stu
dent body and thus reach the home
| life of many more. Do not central-
ize President Flagstaff, Arizona,
Normal.
"There should be two or more in a
state If state is too large for one
school to get in close touch with all
parts of the state. President Albion,
Idaho, Normal.
| In large states and territories where
distances are so great, a number Of
small ones Is best.-State Superin-
Itendent, Arizona,
| mo. The smaller normal schools
are preferable, because of the great
er ease of thorough acquaintance of
student by teacher, and of providing
proper supply Of model and practice
schools. President Salem, Massa-
chusetts, Normal.