Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/336

 276 HISTOEY OF GOODHUE- COUNTY requirements of the state department for obtaining special state aid, and the list of such schools is growing rapidly. The educational qualifications of the teachers in the county are unusually good, there being but two or three counties in the state in which there is a larger percentage of the total number of teachers who have a high school or normal school education, and they are counties with exceptional facilities in the matter of high schools. The teachers' training schools, which are conducted in the county every other summer, do much to increase the efficiency of trie teachers. These schools are paid for by the state and con- ducted under the direction of the county superintendent and the conductor appointed by the state department of public instruc- tion. Instruction is given in all branches required for a teacher's certificate. In addition, there are classes in pedagogics, school management, and so forth. These schools arc free and a large number of teachers make use of them. A Teachers' Library Association was organized in 1902. It now owns a circulating library of about three hundred books on school management and methods of teaching, and has proven of great benefit to the teachers generally. There are five state high schools in the country, all in a very prosperous condition. Un Wing has five buildings, employs forty-six teachers and has an enrollment of 1,41(1 pupils. Its high school yives in addition to the customary courses a com- mercial course ami a normal course. A manual training depart- ment is maintained and during the presenl year the city voted $50,000 for a new building to be used largely for this purpose and for domestic economy. Through a special grant from the state a course in elementary agriculture has been added, with experimental work on a plot of land secured for the purpose. Cannon Falls has one building and employs twelve teachers. The total number of pupils is 347. It has lately introduced a department in manual training. During the past year regular courses of lectures on farming and domestic economy were given every week during the winter by instructors from the state agri- cultural school. These lectures were largely attended by the neighboring farmers, as well as by the citizens of the town. Zumbrota has one building, probably the most modern in construction of any in the county, employs thirteen teachers and has 367 pupils enrolled. Pine Island has two buildings and employs nine teachers. The enrollment is 236. Kenyon has one building and employs thirteen teachers, with an enrollment of 420. Here. too. a manual training course has been introduced.