Framingham State University - Dial Yearbook (Framingham, MA)

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11 Framingham Normal School THE FIRST STATE NORMAL SCHOOL IN AMERICA. ROM 1820 to 1830 was the gloomiest period in the history of our public school education. Some great men at the end of this period saw that, although there were other evils, the greatest evil in the public school system Was the inexperience and lack of knowledge of the teachers. They decided to establish schools for the training of men and Women Who were to be teachers, and the papers, journals, and legislatorial reports of this period were full of their speeches and Writings. The result of this agita- tion was an appropriation December 28, 1838 to establish three Normal Schools in the state. One of these Was for female teachers, and Was established at Lexington. This was the beginning of' our Normal School. y A good school building and boarding house was procured at Lexington and in June, 1839, Reverend Cyrus Pierce was engaged to teach the school. He was just the man for the posi- tion, as subsequent events proved, for as a result of his training the early Normal school pupils were invariably distinguished by their conscientiousness and exactness. School commenced on Wednesday, July 3, in the midst of a rain storm. Before the board of visitors and the new principal, there came but three timid girls who were examined and enrolled, the first pupils of the first State Normal School in America. In spite of the fewness in numbers, school began and continued through the year in such a Way as to be a great encouragement to the men Who Watched its progress so anxiously. During the year a model or practice school was established which contained thirty-three pupils at the end of the vear and at this time there were twenty-five Normal pupils. In 1842, at the end of three years of unselfish devotion in every part of the school, Mr. Pierce was obliged to resign because of the too great mental and physical strain upon him. He was succeeded by Reverend Samuel J. May, whose success in the school Was complete. In July, 18441, Mr. May resigned to give place to Mr. Pierce who was able to take up his duties again. The first graduates of the Normal School were very successful as teachers, not only because of their ability, but because of their

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10 SOME people are of the opinion that education is merely going to school and learning lessons. This is the limited sense of the Word. It has a more enlarged meaning. It means the develop- ment of all our faculties, the broadening of our minds, the forma- tion of character. VVe should learn not for school but for life. Education is something We must acquire by ourselves and it can only be gained by Work. These are some of the truths we may carry away with us from the Framingham Normal School. Chronology of the Framingham Normal School Dec. 28, 1838. Voted by Board of Education to establish a Normal School at Lexington. Sept., 1839. First Normal School in America opened by Mr. Peirce. Three pupils. Oct., 1839. Model school opened. 1842. Resignation of Mr. Peirce. Succeeded by Rev. Samuel J. May. Legislature appropriates to Normal Schools 86,000 a year for three years. 1844. Mr. Peirce returns. School removed to Fuller Academy, West Newton. 1849 adopted. 1852 1855 1866 enlarged. 1875 1886 1887 1888 1889 1898. Rev. Eben S. Stearns succeeds Mr. Peirce. Three years' course School removed to Framingham Center. Practice school discontinued. Mr. Geo. M. Bigelow succeeds Mr. Stearns. Mr. Stearns succeeded by Miss Annie E. Johnson. School building Normal Hall dormitory built. Practice school re-established. Miss Johnson succeeded by Miss Ellen Hyde. Crocker Hall built. Crocker Hall partially destroyed by fire. May Hall built. Semi-centennial of school celebrated. Mr. Henry Whittemore succeeds Miss Hyde. Household Arts course established.

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12 earnestness and zeal in the work which had marked their labors in the Normal School. By this time, the school had outgrown the buildings in Lex- ington and the Fuller Academy in 'West Newton was bought for its better accommodation. It was fitted up by contributions from the citizens of West Newton, Mr. Mann, the Secretary of the Board of Education, Mr. Pierce, and some of their friends. Here, the school was set upon a strong basis, not however without some attacks being made upon it, one of which, the most violent, in 1847, called forth a reply' from both Mr. Pierce and some of his pupils. Mr. Pierce again resigned April, 18419, and at this time a reception was given in his honor at West Newton, testifying the love which the people had for him. He was succeeded by Reverend Eben S. Stearns in September, 1849. He was a fit successor to ,the men who preceded him and soon won the love and cordial cooperation of his teachers and pupils. He was very earnest and under him the school increased so much in popularity that to keep the numbers within bounds the entrance examinations were made more rigid and for the first time a three-years' course was adopted. The first written diplomas were given in 1850. Again, the school outgrew its accommodations and new ones were decided upon in Framingham May 13, 1852. Appropria- tions were made by the legislature, by the town, and by the presi- dent of the Boston and Albany Railroad. The inhabitants of Framingham gave five and three-quarters acres of land for the site. There is no need to speak of the beauty of the place chosen, it still speaks for itself. Mr. Stearns resigned in September, 1855 and Mr. George Bigelow was his successor. He was a very capable man whose ideas were 'fadvanced and progressivef' Nothing unusual hap- pened while he was principal, but at this time the demand for teachers began to be larger than the supply. Miss Annie F.. Johnson, the first woman principal of the Normal School succeeded Mr. Bigelow in 1866. During her suc- cessful administration the school building was enlarged, a boarding house was established, and the practice school, which had been discontinued since the removal of the Normal School to Fram- ingham, was reestablished. Miss Hyde took charge of the school in 1875. She made the practice school a requisite of the Normal training and its numbers increased until it occupied a large part of the first floor of the building. Crocker Hall, named for a former teacher, was built in 1866, but was partly destroyed by fire in 1887 and was rebuilt. May