Rural School Instructors of Brown County Get Valuable Pointers at Meeting.

——–

ONLY FIVE ABSENTEES-

ILLNESS MAIN CAUSE

——–

But One Teacher in Brown County, That Does Not Have First Grade Certificate.–

Excellent Record.

——–

But five of the rural teachers in Brown county were absent from the annual teachers’ institute, held in the court room of the court house Friday and Saturday. Several of these were ill and this precluded their attendance.

High Grade Personnel.

Superintendent R. B. Kennedy extolled the excellent personnel of his teaching force in the rural districts. They can be compared to any rural teaching aggregation in Minnesota, and presented a colorful array, when convened in session, Friday morning. Chic and tastefully dressed and the most of them the product of the normal training departments of the New Ulm and Sleepy Eye schools, they are a coterie of teachers that Superintendent Kennedy and Brown county can well be proud of.

High Educational Attainments.

Miss Anna Swenson, an inspector in the state department of education, and assistant executive of the institute work in the state, was in New Ulm and had charge of the institute. In her address at the meeting Friday morning she remarked upon the universal short skirt and bobbed hair; she complimented Mr. Kennedy and the teachers upon their snappy appearance.

Superintendent

Opened Meeting.

Superintendent Kennedy opened the institute Friday morning and remarked that he was greatly pleased that the rural teaching force in Brown county had attained so high a standard. He informed the teachers that there was but one teacher in the rural school districts of the county that did not have a first-grade certificate. He remarked that he desired this percentage be raised to 100. This is a record that few counties in the state have attained and shows that Brown county is forging ahead, when it comes to the quality of the rural teaching force.

Miss Swenson Talks

Miss Swenson in her opening remarks informed the teachers that prior to this year it had been the custom to have institutes in the fall all over the state, but that the method had been changed and that a staff in the state educational department was busy during the whole of the school year now in holding institutes. It was thought that in this way better results could be obtained.

Miss Swenson remarked that there were two methods, whereby teachers secured training for their work as teachers. The first was in the normal training departments of the various high schools of the state and in the state teachers’ colleges. Incidentally she requested those, who had training in either a state teachers’ college or a normal training department of a high school to so signify. The greater majority of teachers present had completed either one or the other courses. This is a remarkable showing for Brown county and Miss Swenson remarked upon this fact. The other method was the county institute.

Newest, Best Methods.

The purpose of these institutes is primarily to afford expert instructors of the state department of education an opportunity to bring to the assembled rural teachers the program which the state wishes to introduce into rural schools. This is the only means which the department of education has of giving valuable supervision to the work of the rural instructors. The annual institutes provide a favorable opportunity for the state representatives to talk over the school program with the rural teachers, explaining details that may not be quite clear and making themselves thoroughly understood by actual demonstrations.

Best Instructors Here.

This year Brown county was again very fortunate in having the best of expert assistance at the rural teachers’ institute. Through the efforts of Superintendent Kennedy the state department sent Miss Anna Swenson, assistant executive of institute work to New Ulm, as well as Miss Harriet A. Wood, assistant director of libraries, in the state educational department. These executives were assisted by Miss Ida Koch, normal training instructor of the New Ulm high school, and Miss Virginia Wales, normal training instructor in the Sleepy Eye schools.

Under the guidance of these experts the teachers present were given the best opportunity to acquire an intimate knowledge of the state rural school program.

Only Five Absentees.

That the rural school boards in Brown county, as a whole, appreciate the high value of the county institute, is demonstrated by the large attendance every year. All but five of the rural school teachers of the county were present at the institute here, Friday and Saturday, illness being responsible for most of the absentees.

One of the commendable features of the institute each year is the fact that normal training cadets of the New Ulm and Sleepy Eye high schools are given an opportunity to attend. By gaining the advance knowledge imparted by the institute instructors, these young people get an advantage that cannot help but prove valuable to them upon taking up their duties as instructors, after completing their normal training courses. This method builds a solid foundation for the future of our rural schools.

Physical Culture.

Physical Director Thos. Pfaender, of the classes at Turner hall, brought forcibly to the attention of the assembled teachers the value of physical training. He informed them that he would arrange a class in physical training for the rural teachers, some time during the coming summer, should a sufficient number desire.

Brown County Journal

March 26, 1926