Volume 107, Page 1674 View pdf image (33K) |
6 The Convention resolved itself into an association known as "The Association of the Commissioners of Public Schools of Maryland," and will meet again in Annapolis, Wednesday, January 17th. The purpose of the Lieut. Governor in convening the Convention at Annapolis, is to bring the School authorities of the Counties and Balti- more City into direct communication with the General Assembly, that after full conference and interchange of opinion, and a thorough exhibit of the wants of the State, such legislation may be secured as will place our School system upon a secure and self-sustaining basis. Legislation is needed to provide for the per diem of the Lieut Gov- ernor and Speaker of the House of Delegates, when acting as members of the Board of Education. As 1 understood the law, the amount allowed for incidental expenses (Title I. Chap. II. Sec. 4,) was designed to include this per diem The Attorney General thinks otherwise, and therefore the accounts of these gentlemen have not been paid. I pro- pose to add after the words "official duties," in the third line, the words "and per diem of. Lieut. Governor and Speaker of the House of Dele- gates, when attending meetings of the Board," anas amendment, which will remove all doubt as to the meaning of the section. II—STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. Early in September the organization of this important institution re- ceived the attention of the State Board of Education. I was directed to address a communication to the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Baltimore, in accordance with the section of the law which locates the Normal School in Baltimore, in such buildings as the City Council may provide. This duty was performed. The communication was laid upon the table, where it remains. This has caused some delay in opening the School. I thought it. prudent to wait the next meeting of the Board before taking any further action. In the meantime. Profes- sor Newell, who had been elected Principal, entered upon his duties. His time was usefully employed in devising, under my direction, a systematic plan of operations, including a complete curriculum for the Normal School proper, and the "Model and Experimental Schools," which are to be connected with it. He has visited the most prominent institutions for the education of teachers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. His report of this tour of observation is here presented. I ask attention to it, as it not only gives a succinct statement of the operation of the Normal Schools visited and examined, bur conveys to our own minds a clear idea of what a Normal School is designed to accomplish, and the important relation it bears to a thorough system of Public Instruction. The importance cannot be exaggerated. Without such an institution, liberally sus- tained and efficiently conducted, no State can establish and maintain- Public Schools which will be of any real advantage to the community. The subject no longer needs argument. It is a maxim universally received that "as is the teacher, so is the school," and we may add, the teacher is what his training makes him. What the Military Acad- emy at West Point and the Naval School at Annapolis do for the army |
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Volume 107, Page 1674 View pdf image (33K) |
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