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9 in the text book. In this way they acquire a wonderful facility in the use of the crayon; it is no unusual thing for a student to draw a correct outline of the map of the United States in three minutes, and to fill in the State boundaries and the rivers in seven minutes more. The difficulties encountered by the Normal Schools may be very briefly stated. 1st. Students enter without adequate preparation. This difficulty will be severely felt in Maryland because our District Schools are not of the highest order, and public High Schools (outside of the City of Baltimore) are almost unknown. The only remedy is the formation of a prepara- tory class in the Normal School This compels the Normal School to do double duty; not only to give professional training, but also that elementary instruction on which the professional training is based, But the evil is, in our case, unavoidable; a person must know something before he can learn the methods of teaching it. 2nd. Students do not remain long enough at the Normal Schools to obtain the full benefit of the training. Not more than ten per cent. on an average, of those who enter, remain to graduate. This is caused partly by the facility with which students can obtain schools after attend- ing the Normal School for one or two terms; and partly by the students being unable to afford the expense of a prolonged residence. 3rd. The high price of boarding, in connexion with the comparatively low salaries paid to teachers, prevents many from attending, who would otherwise gladly avail themselves of the advantages of a Normal School. This is a matter which deserves the serious attention of the State Board of Education. It is indeed the crying evil of the times, as regards Normal Schools; and will be felt in Maryland even more severely than elsewhere, because our people are hardly awake as yet to their vast im- portance. "There are" says Dr. Hart in his last report, "in the State of New Jersey, more persons anxious to attend our Normal School than would fill our ample buildings twice over, were it not for the ex- pense of residence away from home." 1 would respectfully suggest that the Legislature might authorize the State Board or the County Boards to lend to a limited number of student-teachers a small sum of money to assist them in defraying the expense of their maintenance at the Normal School; such money to be repaid in two or three annual instalments, out of the earnings of the teachers after graduation. Notwithstanding many drawbacks, Normal Schools have proved a decided success. They are no longer doubtful experiments; they are established institutions. Occupying, at first, hired rooms, they have now their permanent homes in handsome and spacious edifices. The most attractive and, in some respects, the most convenient Normal School buildings that I have seen are at Trenton, New Jersey. They were originally erected by private liberality, but have lately been purchased by the State. There are two buildings, situated in an inclosure of twenty acres in the most fashionable quarter of the city; one is used exclusively by the Normal School proper, and the other, principally by the Model School. The cost of the two, including the, ground, was about $72,000. The houses alone could not be built, at the present time, for less than $100,000. The buildings are three stories high, and combine beauty and simplicity 2 |
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Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly, 1866
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