Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1914-10-30
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 80, 1914.
NORMAL SCHOOLS.

AS stated in my article, last week,
it is our business as citizens of the
State, to deal with the recommendations
of the educational commission accord
ing to the way they will effect our com
mittees. 1t is all very well for the com
mission to refer to the opposition to con-
solidation as the sentimental objec-
tons to closing the little school-house.
1t is not sentiment but the fact the
surrounding farms are vacated when
the little school house" is closed that
makes us object to consolidation.
Neither should we close our schools be-
cause they are poorer than in other
States. The rural school problem is just
as serious in the States where vast
sums have been expended on transpOr
tation. New Jersey with her large State
and CITY normal schools and millions
from corporation fees to support
schools, has been one of the leaders in
consolidation of schools and transpor
tation of pupils, yet recent census
figures show she has %, 522 whites on her
farms that can neither read nor write
and the newspapers are advocating
more schools located near the home.
Figures from other States might be
quoted. On page rs of the last report
of the State Department of Education
we are told, vermont and Kansas tie
for first place in the Union in average
daily attendance The poor schools
were not caused by the children failing
to attend school.
Are our larger cities and villages ready
to give up the control of their schools to
the State Board of Education? The
State board to determine whether such
municipalities as Burlington, Middle
bury, Randolph, etc, shall have a high
school of the first rank or not. If you
believe in home rule in your schools
have your representative vote against
giving such power to the State board as
is urged IN the commissions report.
In May, 1913, Judge Watson, chair
man of the commission, sent over 1000
enquiries to school boards, superintend
ents, principals, teachers and citizens
of Vermont, asking them to name two
or three things, that should first receive
attention to make our schools render
the best service. In every set of replies,
excepting those of High school prnci
pals, the majority said Better Trained
Teachers In the State as a whole
the replies in favor of better trained
teachers outnumbering the others more
than two to one, higher salaries coming
second, and better supervision third
throughout the State from all classes
best qualified to know what is needed,
the educational commission recommends
that we abolish our normal schools
Any one having any experience in ed
vocational work knows the first requisite
for good school is good teacher In
every State in the Union the cry, as in
ours, is most emphatic for better
trained teachers. But to bring this
about the other States are establishing
additional normal schools or strength
ening the ones already existing. The
teacher training classes in the High
schools and academies should be con-
tinued until we have at least High
school graduate in each elementary
school. But these are not as well
trained as our people want and must
have if our schools are to be satisfac-
tory. They cannot have the practice
work in the High schools that our best
normal schools demand, and that embryo
teachers must have to be properly
equipped to begin their work. The
strong sentiment of our State for
better trained teachers" means the
kind of teachers sent out from "a first
class normal school, and not the make
shift training of those from the High
schools, good as that is compared with
what we have been getting, Neither
will the commissions recommendation
in regard to the training of secondary
teachers, strongly as that should be
supported, take the place of normal
school. Our first thought should be
for the elementary schools, the schools
that reach every home. Since the days
of Horace Mann our educational thinkers
have given their best efforts to develop
ing the normal school as an agency to
schools. The great work being done