Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1911-08-26
Vermont Normal Schools.


Vermont State Normal schools and
the condition of education in this
state the following summary may be
of general interest:
The General Assembly, at its last
session, voted to discontinue the
Randolph Normal School, one of the
smaller schools, situated off the rail
road in rural region, and to estab-
lish there an agricultural school.
Castleton and johnson state normal
schools were continued and more
firmly established than ever.
A common impression that these
normal schools have been merely
high schools or academies is dis
tinct mistake. In the evolution of
the old-time academies, just as in
Massachusetts and other states, some
have been discontinued, some
changed into high schools, some
continued as private academies,
while these three became state nor
NAL schools-supported by the state
but, in these cases, continued in
buildings which were maintained by
the old academy organizations with
out rental to the state. This anoma-
lous condition has caused some criti-
cism and discussion and has been a
real hindrance, even though it has
saved the state money for the state
has been unwilling to invest money
in plants to which it did not hold
title.
Vermont feels more intensely the
difficulty all states share in securing
enough competent teachers. Teach
ing seems relatively less attractive
than formerly. Vermont feels the
difficulty more because she pays
smaller salaries and her best teach
ers are being drawn away partly to
supply the deficit in other wealthier
states. Since her own schools must
be manned Tor womanedD somehow
her certificates for teaching must be
cheapened. 1t follows that there is
here less inducement than elsewhere
to train adequately for teaching,
since one can easily get position
without good training, and since the
salary is not correspondingly greater
il one does prepare.
Hence the normal school courses
have, until two years ago, been
shorter than they should have been.
1t seemed wiser to encourage q
larger number of students to make
moderate preparation for teaching
than to furnish the completer train
ing for very few.
In 1909 the time required for
normal training was doubled--two
years for high school graduates and
four years for others +; these Others"
had practically two years of high
school work and the normal work,
but it was all, for them, professional
and in the professional atmosphere.
1t is believed they become fully as
well prepared in the shorter time to
teach in elementary schools as high.
school graduates. They wholly lack
foreign languages, not required by
elementary teachers but have good
drill in science. The normal schools
have not been 30 filed that these
students in any. way hindered or
lowered the standard Of work set by
the two-years course for high school
graduates--the requirement common
to many states
In working in this way Vermont
has been doing as Rhode Island and
many other states have done--mak-
ing up for deficiencies in the high
schools by extra time in the normal
course For political reasons, posi-
bly,. or perhaps through conserve
tism. this whole matter has been
seriously misrepresented in the press
of the state and outside aleo. How
ever, the quality of work done in
Vermont's normal schools, the class
of students attending, and the pro-
fessional preparation gained now
compare favorably with those in
other states.
Within few weeks the State
Board of Education determined to
change the policy of all normals,
even if it reduced the attendance.