Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

sulted in a State Normal School, a Teacher's Association and Institute of Instruction, in every county in our noble State, and the elevation of our profession in the public estimation, to the rank to which it is evidently entitled."

The Convention resolved to establish and maintain a Journal of Education, and subscriptions amounting to 500 copies were pledged by members present. It was also resolved to employ an agent to convass every county, hold teacher's conventions, and employ every available means to awaken an interest in the cause of general education throughout the State. The salary of the agent was fixed $1,500 a year.

The teachers of Missouri, have undertaken a great and noble work; the necessity for it may be learned from the report of the State Superintendent, which represents less than one-half of the entire number of children in the State of suitable age, as not attending any school-public or private. In speaking of school houses, the Superintendent says:

"With regard to our district school houses, they are the old kind, ten by twelve log-cabins, with one door in the middle, and one oblong window extending from the door-casing to the corner of the house. Who has seen one, has seen the counterpart of nine-tenths of the school houses in the State-low, dismal, dreary things, in an open space by themselves, with missiles of every discription scattered around them; even the view is cause enough for the fever and ague of the whole neighborhood. No humane master would cabin his negroes in such noisome dens; and yet with an inexplicable infatuation, affectionate parents send their children there to sit and sweat a whole weary summer's day, to acquire habits of neatness and order, and a love of knowledge! Heaven grant that the children of this age, may not have to pass many more such weary days, and that the inhabitants of the districts in which such houses are found, may determine-and it requires no great liberality-to demolish these dirty remembrancers, and erect in their stead, neat, comfortable, New England school houses."

NEW SCHOOL HOUSE IN MILWAUKEE.-The new school building which will soon be completed, in the seventh ward, of the city of Milwaukee, is an ornament to the city. We have encouragement of being furnished with an engraved view of the building, for the next number of the Journal, when we will endeavor to give a more particular description of the edifice.

JOHN G. McKINDLEY, formerly Principal of the Kenosha High School, will have charge of the High School department, to be established in this school, at a salary of $1,500 per annum. No better selection of a Principal could have been made. Mr. McKINDLEY ranks among the most accomplished and successful teachers in the State. H. B. CoE, formerly a teacher in the city of Racine, will have charge of the intermediate department, at a salary of $1000 a year.

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.-The city authorities of St. Paul, Minnesota, have voted to appropriate $36,000 for building school houses the present year.

WISCONSIN STATE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

THE Fourth Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin State Teachers' Association, met in the Union School House, in the village of Waukesha, on Wednesday, the 12th of August, 1857.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

The Association was called to order at half-past ten o'clock, and opened with prayer by Rev. R. Boyd, of Chicago. After which, the President of the Association, A. C. Spicer, of Milton, delivered the opening address: subject-The responsibility of teachers, and the necessity of their studying well the duties of their calling.

The executive committee, through the chairman, A. L. Pickard, of Plattville, asked further time to report.

By consent of the Association, the Secretary was authorized to appoint one or more assistants.

On motion of A. L. Pickard, a committee on resolutions was appointed by the chair, consisting of Prof. Conover, of Madison; A. Pickett, of Horicon, and Prof. S. A. Bean, of Waukesha.

The Committee on Resolutions was made; also Committee on Honorary Members.

The Convention adjourned to 2 o'clock, P. M.

AFTERNOON SESSION.

The business of the afternoon was reported by the Chairman of the Executive Committee. On motion of A. L. Pickard, a committee was appointed to report suitable officers for the ensuing year. The chair appointed the following persons:

J. G. McKindley, of Kenosha; F. C. Pemeroy, of Milwaukee; D. Y. Kilgrove, of Madison.

On motion of Mr. Pickard, a committee was appointed to recommend a suitable place for the next meeting. The chair appointed

A. D. Hendrickson, of Whitewater; D. J. Holmes, of Sheboygan; G. McWhorter, of Milwaukee.

J. G. McMynn, chairman of the editorial committee, made the following report in regard to the Educational Journal.

Wisconsin Journal of Education, Vol. I., in account with JOHN G. McMYNN, Treasurer. DR.

To amount paid Hulett and Harrison, as per contract for printing, &c.,

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small]
[ocr errors]

$2093 42

67 06

189 80

120 00

759 28

$3229 56

CR.

By amount received on State Subscription of 3,400 copies of Journal,

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
[ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

On the above balance reported on hand, there is a demand of $480 which has not yet been audited by the proper authority. When this amount shall have been paid, the amount remaining on hand will be $279 28

The report was adopted. Mr. Pickard moved that an order be drawn on the treasurer for the amount voted to Mr. McMynn, at the last annual meeting, as resident editor-carried.

66

Mr. J. G. McMynn, of Racine, delivered an address on The condition and needs of Public Schools."

REPORT ON NORMAL SCHOOLS.

The report of the committee on Normal Schools was read by A. Pickett, of Horicon. Mr. P. stated that the committee had not fully agreed as to the report, but he would proceed to present a report on those points as to which they were agreed.

The report considered:

1st. The legitimate effect of good schools.

2d. The effect of schools on Society.

The

3d. The necessities of the present system of public education. report urged that the teacher needs the highest of qualifications, and deprecated the fact that the masses are under the instruction of the ill taught and half taught. Very few teachers have any special training for that purpose. The average time spent in teaching is eighteen months. The average time spent in teaching in one place is five months; not more than one in ten likes to teach. The care of the schools is left to town superintendents who are rarely qualified.

The report concluded with the following resolution.

Whereas the present system of Town Superintendency, after thorough trial and proper time for experiment, does not seem adapted to secure the well being of our public schools, and the advancement of general education, and whereas, we believe there is not, at the present time, in our State, sufficient opportunity for obtaining the proper qualifications for the school-room, therefore,

Resolved, that we recommend in place of the present system of superintendency, the appointment of a State Board of Education, to consist of a State Superintendent, who shall be chairman, and local or district superintendents, whose duty it shall be to hold State teachers' institutes, to inspect schools and examine teachers, to establish and act as teachers of normal institutes within their respective districts, and also to act as board of regents of a State Normal School, to be established as soon as provided for.

Mr. Picket sustained the resolution in a speech, in which he spoke of the lack of education on the part of the teachers, and referred to the subject of the establishment of a normal school.

D. Y. Kilgrove, of Madison, (one of the regents of the State Normal School,) explained the action of the Board of Regents in reference to the

normal school. He wished this subject fully discussed, in order to such an arrangement as would conduce to the united action of the Association and Board of Regents, in asking for the necessary legislative action.

After some remarks by Messrs. Stout, Pickard and Kilgrove, on motion of D. Y. Kilgrove, the subject was re-committed to the committee, and a recess of ten minutes taken by the Association.

On the re-assembling of the Association, the committee reported the following resolutions:

Resolved, That the present system of Town Superintendency, after thorough trial, does not seem to be adapted to secure the well being of common schools, and the advancement of general education, and therefore ought to be abolished.

Resolved, That we recommend in place of the present system of superintendency, the appointment of a State Board of Education, to consist of the State Superintendent, County and Local Superintendents, whose duty it shall be to hold State Teachers' Institutes, to visit schools, to examine teachers, and to establish and act as teachers of Normal institutes, within their respective limits.

The resolutions, as now reported, were discussed by Prof. Conover, of Madison; Prof. Bean, of Waukesha; McMynn, of Racine; Strong, of Beloit; Kilgrove, of Madison; Pickard, of Platteville; Clarke, of Waukesha; Pradt, of Sheboygan; Stout, of Waukesha; Parsons, of Port Washington; Johnson, of Waupun; Bacon, of Monotowoc; and Bennet, of Waukesha.

On motion, the resolutions were referred to a special committee of five, viz: Rev. J. B. Pradt, of Sheboygan; R. C. Parsons, of Port Washington; Prof. Conover, of Madison; Rev. W. F. Clarke and Rev. C. B. Stout, of Waukesha.

Adjourned to 8 o'clock Thursday morning.

"Wisdom

[On Wednesday evening, Prof. J. B. Turner, of Jacksonville, Ill., delivered an address to a large audience in the Baptist Church, subjectand Knowledge, the Function of Books and Teachers."]

SECOND DAY.- THURSDAY MORNING, AUGUST 13th.

Minutes of previous day read. Mr. Pickard, chairman of the executive committee, reported the order of business for the forenoon.

On motion of D. Y. Kilgrove, the number of the committee to nominate officers was increased to five; accordingly the names of J. B. Strong and Milton Welch were added to the committee.

D. Y. Kilgrove moved the appointment of a committee of five, to nominate editors of the Journal of Education. The following gentlemen were appointed said committee, viz: D. Y. Kilgrove, J. L. Pickard, A. A. Griffith, J. M. Sterling, and J. B. Pradt.

On motion, the following persons were elected Honorary members of the Association, viz: Prof. J. B. Turner, of Jacksonville, Illinois; Col. M. Frank, of Kenosha; Rev. H. N. Bishop, of Chicago; Rev. J. B. Pradt, of Sheboygan; Rev'ds. Mr. Stout and Mr. Clark, of Waukesha; and N. L. Stout, Esq., of Monroe.

J. G. McMynn offered the following resolution, prefaced with appropriate remarks:

Resolved, That this Association has learned with sorrow the death of one of its first members and most earnest friends - Walter Van Ness.

Resolved, That it is due to his memory, that we bear testimony to his worth as a citizen, his usefulness as an educator, and his character as a man.

Resolved, That the secretary be requested to transmit a copy of these resolutions to the family of the deceased, assuring them of our sympathy in their deep affiiction.

After remarks bearing testimony to the character and moral worth of the deceased, by J. L. Pickard and D. Y. Kilgrove, the resolutions were unanimously adopted by a rising vote.

On motion of Mr. McMynn, Hon. Coles Bashford was elected an Honorary member of the Association.

On motion, a committee was appointed to audit the Treasurer's account, consisting of J. P. Fisk, A. B. Cornwall, and A. J. Craig.

Reports of members on the condition of education in the several counties being in order, Mr. Welch, of Winebago county, made statements in respect to schools in that county.

By invitation, Mr. Churchman, Principal of Blind Asylum at Janesville, made some statements in respect to the condition and prospects of that institution.

J. B. Pradt, from the special committee to whom was referred the resolutions on Normal Schools, reported the following plan:

1. That District Boards should be retained.

2. That Town Superintendents should be retained.

3. That the Town Superintendents in each county should constitute a County Board of Education.

4. That the County Boards of Education should have power to elect one or more County Superintendents in each county, who shall visit schools, inspect teachers, hold Teachers Institutes, &c.

5. County superintendents should be salaried officers, and devote their whole time to the duties of the office.

6. The general control of the whole system of Public School education in the State, should be committed to a State Board of Education, consisting of ten members.

7. For the election of the State Board of Education, the State should be divided into ten districts; the County Superintendents in each such district meet annually as an electoral body, and elect a member of the State Board.

8. The State Board, to elect the State Superintendent, who should be ex-officio Secretary of the Board..

9. The State Board should prescribe in detail the qualifications to be required of teachers, and arrange a system of graduated certificates.

The foregoing report was discussed by J. H. Blodget, D. Y. Kilgrove, J. B. Pradt, and M. Welch. On motion of Prof. Bean, the report was laid on the table, to take the place of miscellaneous business in the afternoon. J. B. Pradt, of Sheboygan, read a report on "Practical Instruction in Christian Morality in Public Schools."

Mrs. B. F. Walker, of Racine, read a report " On Method in Teaching."

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »