Fort Wayne Normal School - Annual Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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SdflOHD .X.L IOOV:I I 1 111

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S OUR YESTERDAYS COURSE OF STUDY The original normal course was one year in length. The students taught as practice teachers half of each day and received instruction the other half. The report of Miss Swan in 1868 regarding the course of study is an interesting bit of history as it reveals the educational ideals of that time: Methods have been given in Number, Language, Form, Color, Objects, Geography, Animals, Size, Weight, Sound and Moral Instruction. Natural History and Geography have been studied preparatory to the discussion of the methods. The addition of Vocal Music and Drawing was recommended. Pestalozzi's doctrine of basing instruction upon objects was just beginning to get a foot- hold in this country. Although Miss Swan advocated it, she was very careful to guard against a misunderstanding of Object Teaching. She says, It is by no means necessary that an object be the theme of every lesson, but pupils are taught Reading, Arithmetic and Writing, as in other schools. VVe do not require children to commit to memory sentences they do not understand, but rather endeavor to lead them by questioning, explanation, and illustration, to a perfect understanding of the subject. Then, and not till then, are they to memorize. In 1902 the course was lengthened to one and one-half years and in 1910 to two years. The school is now on the list of accredited schools which train teachers for provisional and life certilicates to teach in the elementary schools of Indiana. Its credits are recognized by the schools of education in the leading universities of the country. Graduates may secure the Bachelor's degree without loss of time. PRESENT STATUS OF GRADUATES The school has never been large. The recommendation of the first principal and the expressed intention of the school board at that time that the school furnish teachers not only for the city, but for the neighboring counties of the state has never been carried out excepting in the summer session of IQZI, A total of four hundred thirty-one have grad- uated from the school since 1867, one hundred seventy-four from the first organization and two hundred seventy-six from the second. Of those graduating since 1397, thirty-eight completed a one year course, one hundred two a one and one-half year course, and one hundred thirty-six a two year course. The school has given an opportunity for those who have graduated from short courses to re-graduate from the two year course and thus be entitled to the state provisional and life licenses granted by the State Teachers' Training Board to graduates of approved schools. Nineteen have already taken advantage of this opportunity, eight others will re-graduate this june, and by September, IQ22, when the school oilicially closes, eight more will have received diplomas from the longer course. Thus prac- tically every graduate who has not finished the two year course and who is still teaching in the city schools will have done so before the school is discontinued. Since the passage of the law of 1919, graduates of two year courses approved by the State Teachers' Training Board are granted provisional licenses by that board. These licenses are exchangeable for life licenses after two years of successful teaching. Accord- ingly, provisional licenses have been granted to all graduating since 1916, ninety-three up to the present time. Those teaching who graduated from approved two year courses prior to 1916 were granted life licenses. These number thirty-three. VVith one or two exceptions, every graduate has taught in the city school. One hundred twenty-nine are still teaching, eight from the first organization and the remainder from the second organization, Fifteen have been or are now principals: Margaret S. Cochrane ................... Washington School ,Iennie Snively. ......... .... H anna School Frank Hamilton ........ .... I Ioagland School Clara Phelps. ............. .... H armar School Margaret M. McPhail... .... Bloomingdale School Susan S, Sinclair ...... ..... F ranklin School Mary A. Abel ...... . ..... South Wayne School Sarah E, McKean .... ..... N ebraska School Emma L. Armstrong.. .. ..... Washington School Mary E. Freeman ...... ..... L akeside School Martha E. Wohlfort .... ..... F ranklin School Alice M. Habeckeiz... ..... Hanna School Margaret Saylor. .... ...Franklin School Mary B. Seaton ................ ........ H amilton School Gladys H. Williams ...................... Franklin School Some have left us to go to other places, sometimes into other work. One is a mis- sionary teacher in far away Persia, one is in Hawaii, others may be found scattered throughout the various states. Two were Red Cross workers in France during the war, two taught in government schools, one was Wisconsin State Chairman of the Women's Liberty Loan Committee. During the war, when Fort Wayne experienced a dearth of

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IO OUR Yesri-:RoAvs teachers, our married aluninae responded to the call so that we suffered less than most places during that trying period. THE TRAINING SCHOOL The supervised teaching of the students was originally done in rooms selected in dif- ferent buildings. Miss Swan found that by this arrangement the schools could not be under the strict supcrintendence so essential to their welfare. For this reason, since the refounding of the school in ISQ7, the Training School and Normal have occupied the same building. At present there are eleven rooms with a kindergarten and six grades in charge of training or critic teachers. A fully equipped playground kept open the year round pro- vides recreation for the children, and opportunity for learning how to conduct playgrounds for the students. Many interesting projects have been undertaken in the school. A garden has been cared for by the children, Sometimes the products have been sold and the money thus obtained used for school purposes. At one time a hive of bees provided opportunity for study. Such enterprises have not only motivated the Nature Study, but have given oppor- tunities for social experience through group activities which will be long remembered by both pupils and students. THE LIBRARY Bliss Swan states in her report of 1868: The school is without a Library or Cabinet. Books are very much needed, especially books of reference and those relating to the arts and sciences. At the present time the school has accumulated a valuable and up-to-date library of nearly five thousand bound volumes. This is quite a complete specialized library for a small school in which not a great number of duplicate copies is required. All the current educational magazines are on the shelves. ASSEMBLIES It has been the custom of the school for several years to hold an Assembly of the stu- dents and teachers one afternoon each week. One week the juniors plan the program, the next week the Seniors. and the next. the teachers. Each group has an assembly committee. Each committee selects one from its members to be a member of the General Assembly Committee to which all programs are submitted for approval. The Committees strive to give programs which are both educational and entertaining. They are usually given by members of the faculty or students, but occasionally by outsiders. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES At the beginning of each year it has been customary for the Seniors to give one party in honor of the Juniors and another in honor of the Seniors of the past year. Later the Juniors return this compliment given them by entertaining the Seniors. The faculty is in- vited to these parties. Often another is given by the faculty for the girls. Games are played, various stunts are given, and class songs are sung. Much wholesome rivalry has existed between classes over the composing of class songs. These are not the only parties enjoyed during the year, for often informal wiener bakes and marshmallow roasts are given in Lakeside Park. Then, too, for the past few years, the Normal students have been given a Christmas luncheon in honor of the faculty whom they have had as class teachers during the year. ' CARTOON CONTEST In IQI2 Miss VVilber introduced a cartoon contest to stimulate the interest of the Normal students in public affairs. The presidential election furnished a good subject. Cartoons were first studied in class to find what stories they told, what attitude the cartoonist had taken, and what aid or hindrance the cartoons were to the cause of the election. Then the students were asked to make a collection of cartoons from magazines or papers telling the election story. The prize was to go to the student who by November 17, 1912, had made the collection best telling the story. If told equally well by several, the prize was to go to the student whose collection was thc most pointed and humorous. The judges were B. J. Griswold of the Sentinel and H. E. Larimer of the News. The collections varied in length from two hundred to four hundred cartoons, and single collections represented as many as fifty cartoonists. One interesting result of the contest was the marked growth of political thought. Girls who had previously been loyal to their fathers' preferences developed independent opinions, and girls who had formerly had no political preference became strong adherents of a definite party policy. However, very few collections showed political bias. The per- sonal testimony of the students eight months later showed that the interest stimulated by the contest carried over not only into politics but also into other public questions.