The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-03-06
Work of kindergarten
Has Been Successful
THESIS SHOWS THAT SPIRIT
HERE jNsrLllEO IS NEEDED
IN ENTIRE SYSTEM or
EDUCATION.

That the klndergarten IS the urSL
step toward conditions that will
make boys and girls grow to be the
best citizens is . conclusion reached
by Miss Emma C. Ahlhorn in thesis
entitled Growth Of the kindergarten
Movement In the Northwest States"
presented for graduation at the Nor
NAL school.
To collect data OF the various
states. letters Of inquiry were sent to
the state superintendent Of public in
struction and the state chairman of
the International Kindergarten union.
Replies received show that South Da-
kota maintains kindergartens at Lead.
Eureka, Sioux Falls and Yankton.
There is also a kindergarten college
at Sioux Falls, which is the only one
west of Chicago.
Montana maintains kindergartens at
Billings, Bozeman, Crow Agency, Hell
ena, Lewiston and Poplar. Idaho
maintains one at Lewiston and one at
Boise and Wyoming has one at Lam
dor, one at Rawlins and one at Clarks.
burg. Washington has kindergarten
department in connection with the
Normal at Ellensburg. Oregon, also
has only few kindergartens and only
one training school.
kindergarten Movement in North
Dakota.
In our own state there is one kim
dergarten at Bismarck, private one
at Fargo and summer kindergarten
at Litchville, besides the one at the
Valley City Normal school. The kin
dergarten at Litchville was founded by
the first graduate from the department
at the Valley City Normal school. The
people are very much pleased with
the work and wish to continue it.
The kindergarten at the Normal
school was organized in the fall of
1908. During the spring and fall we
have an enrolment of about forty
children and during the cold winter
months about twenty-five During the
first two years there were no students
taking the regular kindergarten train
ing Last year there was one grad
uate from this department and this
year there are three in the senior
class and three in the junior class.
"The general attitude toward the
kindergarten in this state is expressed
in the reply received from the state
superintendent of public instruction,
E j. Taylor: We believe that quite
number of our cities are consider
ing the matter of establishing kinder
gartens in connection with their pub
lc schools. Our laws provide for the
establishment Of kindergartens and
cities will soon avail themselves of
the opportunity We are much pleas
ed to note that you are willing to co.
operate with the board of any district
which will undertake to establish
kindergarten. ! anticipate that you
may have several calls during the
coming year to assist in this work."
Causes for Slow Progress In Early
History
Nina c. Vandewalker head of the
kindergarten department of the State
Normal school, Milwaukee, Wise,
says that the kindergarten has been
held in the background for two rea-
sons: First, because of the expense
in maintaining kindergarten. It is
more expensive We know, but when
we consider its influence on higher
education in general, can We afford
to do without the kindergarten?
The kindergarten has taught us
that effective learning must be con-
nected with and grow out of the ex-
perience of the life being lived by
the learner. 1t has taught all who
work with little children to become
child with them in order to succeed
with them. All graded teachers who
made a study of it have been inspired
and helped. Mothers who have stud
led its principles have been inspired
and aided in meeting the many daily
problems Of the home. 1t has brought
the home and the school together.
"The kindergarten is no longer iso-
lated from the remainder of the school,
but is as much and as necessary a
preparation for the first grade, as the
first grade is for the second. Again,
it is quite widely known that fifty per
cent Of the children that enter the
first of the primary grades leave
school before they reach the sixth
grade. This alarming fact ought to
make us do something to hold these
children in school. Money spent in
trying to get these children to want to
~ ~ 81 p IL,