REPORT
OF THE
SUPERINTENDENT
OF
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
(Henry C. Morrison)
BEING THE
FIFTY-EIGHTH REPORT UPON THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
___________________
CONCORD.
1914.
(P. 165)
CHAPTER X.
CONDITION OF NORMAL SCHOOLS.
(Note: Where comments relate only to Plymouth, they have been omitted.)
It would be easy to repeat the whitewashing old report and simply say , “We think our schools have made marked progress during the year.” I hope that the growth of both schools has been healthy and promising during the biennium. It is difficult to obey the law and paint a true word picture of the real condition of the two state normal schools. I think we know more about the schools than ever before, but it is still difficult to bring out in a written report the defects of the schools without unduly condemning or their excellencies without unduly praising.
(P. 170)
KEENE
Buildings and Materials
The legislature of 1913 appropriated the sum of $100,000 for the erection of a dormitory, a school building and a heating plant in connection with Keene Normal School
(P. 171)
The Governor appointed a committee of the board of Trustees consisting of Messrs. (Henry C.) Morrison, Foster and Vaughan to supervise the construction of the buildings. Inasmuch as the writer has been chairman of this committee, any criticism of the results, favorable or otherwise, is plainly out of order.
The dormitory is a three-story brick and concrete building of semi-fireproof construction, designed to accommodate fifty-nine students and teachers. It also has rooms for the matron and for attendants. In the building is a large living room and a beautiful dining room. Kitchen space has been provided to take care of 250. The plans call for a central portion and two wings. The central part and one of these wings has been completed. Appropriations should at once be made for the remaining wing, for, although the building, as it stands at present, is not crowded, there will certainly be lacking quarters for the whole student body by the fall of 1915. (This is Fiske Hall, minus the western wing.)
The school building is a semi-fireproof structure of brick and concrete with a normal capacity of 200. It seems to serve its purpose well, and should be entirely sufficient for this side of the school until the fall of 1918 at the earliest, judging from the present rate of growth in the school. (This is Parker Hall.)
The heating plant consists of a brick structure with brick chimney, housing two large boilers; and a system of tunnels reaching the schoolhouse, the dormitory, the Hale House, the greenhouse and the stable building which has been used for school purposes. These tunnels contain all steam mains and other pipes and are large enough for all pipes and wires connecting the several buildings.
The other buildings on the campus are six, to wit: the Hale House, the greenhouse the Penelope House, the principal’s residence, the greenhouse and two well-built stables.
The Hale House is a substantial mansion house of brick which was used as the main school building until the new school building was finished.
(P. 172)
It will now be used as an administration building and library. For the latter purpose, some remodeling will be necessary.
The Penelope House is a small frame cottage left to the normal school by the former owners and now used as a laboratory by the household arts department. It contains some rooms for students.
The Principal’s residence is a substantial mansion house of brick in good repair.
The greenhouse is a large structure left on the grounds by the former owner and now devoted to the uses of nature study and elementary agriculture. It is larger than is needed for this purpose and has cost as much in repairs and moving as a new building better adapted to the purpose would have cost.
The two stables are also of the heritage left by former owners. Both are substantial wooden buildings too good to throw away and can possibly be put to good use for many years to come. The larger could probably be remodeled into a serviceable gymnasium at a small outlay.
Altogether, the state has done well by this new school and good work for the state ought to follow, as it doubtless will.
Financial.
The finances of the school have not been as well managed as they should have been during the past two years, although I believe the school to be at present, 1913-1914, on a sound economic basis. As pointed out in my last report, the teachers were in some cases paid much more for their services than their training, ability, or attainments would warrant. In some instances, more teachers were employed than is warranted in this type of school. Finally, during the last fiscal year, serious miscalculations were made which resulted in the discontinuance of the summer school and a deficit of several hundred dollars at the end of the fiscal year.
(P. 173)
Instruction.
…It is difficult to give a final estimate of the effect and results of the instruction. Six thorough inspections have been made by Mr.(Harry A.) Brown of this office and these have been checked up personally by both Mr. (George H.) Whitcher and myself. The following statements seem to be justified as to the work of the past two years:
(1) The professional instruction in the normal school proper, while in places it has been adequate, has not on the whole during the biennium been characterized by either a high grade of efficiency or by a thoroughly modern conception of pedagogy and methodology. In the last respect, it has followed the views prevalent in an earlier part of the modern period which have to-day been extensively modified. Changes have been made which, I think, promise to correct this defect.
(2) The practice teaching has suffered, necessarily, from the defects of normal instruction. The methodology has not been fully abreast of the times, nor has the academic side of the work been as efficient as could be desired.
On the other hand, it must be understood that the students have received an amount of practice which is approximately adequate, and no person of native ability can practice at any calling long without showing growth in the same.
I, therefore, report that, in spite of some rather conspicuous defects both in normal instruction and in practice teaching, the students under training have undoubtedly acquired the capacity to teach a school.
As in the case of the normal instruction, the practice teaching has been thoroughly and advantageously reorganized during the present year.
(P. 174)
The school is a new and growing school, the work of the past biennium has been an improvement on what has gone on before.
(3) A portion of the practice teaching has been in what has been called model rural schools. Now, so far as the introduction of this new feature of training is concerned, it is clear that it fills a long felt need. No doubt, too, the young ladies in training have distinctly profited from their experience in these one-room schools. It cannot, however, be truly said that the rural schools are in any true sense the model rural schools which they purport to be. They have some admirable features and they foreshadow a very useful future, but in this biennium they have not been the equal of many rural schools to be found scattered about the state. I have found them very insufficiently supervised, in some cases with work illy adapted to the end in view, and in one case in a state of demoralization which was far from any model for any country town.
In common with the rest of the system, a distinct improvement appears to have been made with the current year.
Discipline and Student Welfare.
In this respect, the condition of the school leaves little to be desired. To the best of my knowledge, the discipline of the student body is excellent. The students are characterized by a fine spirit of loyalty to their school and to their work, and I believe are acquiring the attitude toward their profession which is meant to be desired.
On the side of physical welfare, the conditions surrounding the student body are now excellent. They are housed in a safe, comfortable and agreeable home. Their home life is overseen by a woman of education and refinement who is a graduate physician.
(P. 175)
They have an abundance of well-cooked food at low cost. They have an opportunity for abundant physical exercise in the open, except during the cold season. Apparently about all that remains to be done for this side of the school life is to provide facilities for gymnastic exercise in the winter months when opportunities for physical exercise in the open are cut off.
(There follows a report on the schools of the Keene area.)
(P. 181)
BOARDING HALLS
The trustees now have under their charge two boarding halls, one at each school. Each hall is in full charge of a steward, who reports directly to the boards and who is responsible for the conduct of business. These officers are Mr. Ernest B. Hardy at Plymouth and Dr. Sue L. Koons at Keene.
The hall at Keene was not in operation during the biennium for which this report is made.
A charge of $4.50 per week is made at each school for board, room, heat, light, service and a limited amount of laundry….
(P. 182)
Government.
The government of the state normal schools is vested in a Board of Trustees consisting of the Governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, ex-officio, and five members appointed by the Governor and Council for terms of five years each. During the biennium the board has consisted of:
His Excellency Robert P. Bass, July 15, 1912 to January, 1913.
His Excellency Samuel D. Felker, January, 1913 to July 15, 1914.
Henry C. Morrison, July 16, 1912, to July 15, 1914.
Charles R. Corning, July 16, 1912, to February 4, 1914.
Benjamin F. Dame, July 16, 1912, to February 4, 1914.
James H. Fassett, July 16, 1912, to July 15, 1914.
Frank H. Foster, July 16, 1912, to July 15, 1914.
George H. Whitcher, July 16, 1912, to July 15, 1914.
True L. Norris, January 16, 1914 to July 15, 1914.
Charles W. Vaughan, February 6, 1914 to July 15, 1914.
(P. 183)
Terms of Admission and Graduation.
Students are admitted to the regular two-year course who are graduates of first-class secondary schools approved as such by this office, or of equivalent institutions.
Experienced teachers are admitted to a special course of one year. Beginning with the school year 1913-1914, all such persons must have had an experience of at least three years; this will be raised to four years for the year 1914-1915; to five years for the year 1915-1916; and thereafter the teachers’ course will be abolished.
Students are admitted in September only.
Students who have fulfilled the requirements of the several courses are granted the diploma of the school.