Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-07-25
ANNUAL REPORT.
To the Honorable, the Board OF the
Marathon County Training School TOR

| have the honor to present the
twelfth annual report of the Mara
thon County Training School Tor
| Teachers.
The total number Of pupils enrolled
is 73, of whom II were male and 56
females. The average age of all was
1871 years. Among the enrolled were
four Is years of age, six Is years, two
10 years, one 20 years. OF those 10
years old probably only one would
have been recognized by one chosen
to pick out all of that age. A class
of 30 was graduated, of whom were
male and 26 female. The average age
of all was little more than II years.
The total number of graduates of
the training school is 32S, Of whom "a
are male and 294 are femf les, an aver
age of q annually, with = remainder
of f.
1t gives me pleasure to report valu-
able decorations in the hall and the
main room.
The Alumni association has for
number of years given US the surplus
after their annual commencement
gatherings. | have kept it on deposit
in the bank until it amounted last
year to about $34. With this we pur
chased an excellent reproduction of
the famous work of art, aurora"
and a bust of HoudOn'S portrait
statue Of Washington. In accordance
with the wishes of the alumni these
were placed in the hall. We are glad
to make this public announcement Of
their thoughtfulness and generosity.
Under the, direction Of Miss Ha-
macker the pupils, in various ways,
have been led to earn money to the
amount Of about S27 for the purchase
of mural decorations. Near the close
of the term beautiful picture cost
ing, with carriage, $26, was placed in
the assembly room.
Several years ago the Ladies' Liter
ary club of Wausau gave fine pic
ture of "Stratford on Avon"
A few years ago Miss Bohrer pur-
chased a beautiful picture of lake
Como for the school. She has also
given the school the use of several
other pictures. Thus has our school
the advantage Of some works of art,
without public aid. The cultivation
of the artistic is everywhere recog-
nized as proper function of the pub
lie schools. Especially is it import
ant in schools that train the teachers
of youth. If it is ever to be done
adequately the public should at least
have share in the expense.
By direction of the board last sum-
-mer had the walls of the recitation
room, the office, and the hall deco
rated, adding greatly to their appear
ance. The walls of the assembly
room were renovated where necessary.
In accordance with your directions
at the last annual meeting we added
another row of desks, making the
seating capacity of the assembly room
seyenty-tWO. We also obeyed the in
junction to admit all corners up to
the full capacity of the assembly
room. The average scholarship of
those enrolled seemed to us, on the
whole, below that Of former years,
probably due in part at least to the
licensing as teachers more than the
usual number of graduates from the
common schools. The recent law re-
quiring six weeks of professional
training Of all applicants for certiti-
Gates without previous expert nee in
teaching, presented county ouperin-
tendents with a dilemma not easily
met, but which the state superin-
tendent resolved by pointing out the
way to evade it for that year. Fol
lowing his suggestion was easy for
superintendents, unfortunate for
training schools, and destructive of
the purpose to secure trained teach
ers for country schools.
Obedience to the direction to admit
all applicants brought us an unusual
number of undesirables who inter-
rupted our program, thwarted our
plans, interfered with the work, and
sapped our energies to an extent not
hitherto known in the school. A few
dropped ouG of their own accord, sew
eral were dismissed, and others were
unmindful of our right to dismiss
them forthwith, but deemed it best
to try out once for all an effort to re-
strain and reclaim the wayward and
Indifferent through the intellectual
weight and work of the school, but
innate tendencies and outside in
fiuences with the impossibility of con-
troll out of school hours made it i'm
possible to control some of them.
One fact of great significance and
vital Importance stands out clearly,
namely, the boys of Marathon county
are not receiving as good an education
as the girls are. OF the seventeen
boys registered, fourteen entered this
year. Not one from the country and
village schools was properly prepared
to begin the two years course, and
most of them must repeat it wholly
or in part before entering the second
year. One from Wausau, who had
had one year in the high school, and
one from Athens, who had had two
years in the high school there, were
graduated, the latter under condi-
tionS. One graduate of the country
school, who had had a year in the
Edgar high school, came far short of
graduation. They do not, proper