Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Educational Associations And Institutes ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.org/wi/wifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com October 26, 2007, 11:00 pm EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND INSTITUTES Teachers' meetings were held as early as 1860, but no formal attempts were made to hold and conduct duly organized sessions until 1872. Efforts were made at that time to set up a county teachers' association. The first officers elected for the association were Pres. C. A. Viebahn, Vice-Pres. W. A. Walker, and Emma Guyles, secretary. Evidently that organization attempt was not followed through with the result that another attempt was made in 1875. At that time Hosea Barnes was elected president, John Nagle secretary, and Alice Canright treasurer. No further attempt was made to organize an aggressive county association of teachers until the present Manitowoc County Teachers' Association was organized in 1893. The present teachers' association, when it was first organized in 1893, provided that the county be divided into six sections. This sectional idea was continued until 1941 when the four rural sections organized a Manitowoc County Rural Education Association, separate and distinct from the city associations. Each of the sections prior to 1941 held a number of sectional meetings during the year to discuss teaching problems pertinent to each group. The Manitowoc County Teachers' Association was organized by a group of county teachers "desirous to attain greater proficiency, and to promote the interests of the common schools", according to the Constitution adopted and distributed in 1899. The principles for which the association was organized seem to be the principles of the association today for the 1947 Constitution states that the purposes- of the organization are to "attain higher professional standards and to promote the interests of education". Today the Manitowoc County Education Association is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, county teachers' associations in the state with a record of outstanding and beneficial meetings and conventions having been held during its long existence. At the present time the annual convention is limited to a one day affair for all classes of teachers. That was not always the pattern, for prior to 1930 the annual conventions were held for two days with general meetings in the forenoons and with separate afternoon sessions arranged for the high school teachers, for the city grade teachers, and for the rural teachers. The teachers in the afternoon meetings listened to leaders in the fields of specialized subjects much as teachers now do in attending a regional or state convention. With the development of city systems, there arose a demand for city teachers' associations that would meet the needs and demands of the urban teachers. Two Rivers was the first to organize its own city teachers' association about 1920. Manitowoc organized its Educational Association in the 1930's, while the rural-teachers set up their organization in 1941. All rural and urban teachers have had 100% membership in the Wisconsin Education Association since about 1930. The teachers of the cities and villages have also 100% membership in the National Education Association and in the Northeastern Education Association. Full attendance of paid up members at the various teachers' conventions is an accepted policy. Way back when the county superintendency was first set up in 1862, one of the duties of the county superintendent of schools was "to organize and conduct at least one institute for the instruction of teachers each year." The school laws of the present, Chapter 39.19, provide that "the county superintendent of schools may each year conduct one or more institutes for teachers". During the 85 years that institutes have been held, the type and quality of these meetings have evolutionized to meet the changing conditions and times. An institute called by Supt. Michael Kirwan for June 12, 1873, at Manitowoc was held for four weeks. Such institutes were the equivalent of the present summer school sessions at state teachers' colleges, for teachers were assigned lessons and expected to recite daily on common school branches. By 1906, according to the 1906 County School Annual, the summer institute was held for two weeks with such well known educators as Fred Christiansen, John Callahan, A. A. Thompson, and Walter Larson conducting classes in library reading and language, primary reading and physiology, nature study, and the theory of teaching. By 1916, these summer Institutes were two and three day affairs but each teacher was required to attend three sectional meetings during the year. By that time teachers were discussing such topics as Pupils' Reading Circle work, How to secure good order, Hot Lunches, Moral education, Calisthenic exercises in the country school, Teaching a short poem, My hardest problem in teaching, Assignments, and other pertinent topics of interest to teachers. Many of the topics pertinent for those times are pertinent problems and topics for teachers today. The association of teachers at conventions, sectional meetings, and institutes is primarily for the purpose of discussing recent trends in the field of education. Matters of welfare to the teachers are studied and plans made to further such plans. The first associations of teachers were interested in reading methods, the use of teaching aids, class procedures to follow in the various classes, study of poetry, primary reading techniques, and the use of "busy" work. Today the association of teachers is not concerned with those matters for their years of professional training have quite thoroughly prepared them for the job of teaching. They are more concerned with such matters as education and its impact on the world, or the impact of the world on the present educational policies. They are also concerned with matters of tenure, salary schedules, hospitalization insurance and retirement provisions. Today the job of teaching is a profession and not a stepping stone to other fields of endeavor. Security, adequate pay for services rendered, and the assurance of a comfortable retirement income, are factors which determine whether the present and future generation of children will have good qualified teachers to prepare them for the world in which they will live. Additional Comments: Extracted from: 1848 - 1948 CENTENNIAL HISTORY of the Manitowoc County School Districts and Public School System EDITED BY JOS. J. RAPPEL, COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS 1948 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.org/wi/manitowoc/history/schools/educatio58gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 7.0 Kb