Michigan State Normal School at the Columbian World's Fair

Items

• Training School 3rd Grade First Floor - Room 18.
  This image depicts a math lesson being given to a group of 3rd grade Training School students. The woman standing next to the math equations is likely Harriet Plunkett who taught 3rd grade at the Normal in 1892. Third grade arithmetic consisted of learning numeration to 1,000,000, subtraction, addition, and basic multiplication and division. Students also were also taught about healthy vs. unhealthy foods, and positive eating habits in this grade, as a part of the “General Lessons” curriculum.
• Training School 2nd Grade, 1st Floor - Room 31
  This image depicts a Second grade Training School class which was taught by Maude Ball, who is likely the woman standing near the piano at the front of the room. The director of the Training School, Austin George, can also be seen in this image standing next to the door. Second graders had a similar curriculum to First graders, and was the last grade to have a “Home Knowledge, etc.” section. “Home Knowledge” introduced students to a variety of subjects that would be explored in greater depth in future grades.
• Training School 1st Grade 1st Floor - Room 25.
  This image depicts a 1st Grade Training School class led by Lillian Crawford, who is likely the adult woman seated at the front of the lines of students. In the 1st grade, students were taught to read and write and given basic arithmetic lessons where they learned how to count up to 100. The curriculum also included a section called, “Home Knowledge Preparatory to Geography, Botany, Zoology, etc.”, which explains that first graders were exposed to these subjects through observation lessons relating to natural phenomena, plants, and animals. In addition to standard school subjects, 1st graders were also given lessons in morals and manners to teach them proper school etiquette.
• Table II - MSNS enrollment records 1854-1893
  We have not been able to locate the four statistical charts Included in the exhibit, but fortunately Principal Sill reproduced one of these charts in his 1893 report to the State Board of Education. This chart from Sill’s report, “prepared for the Columbian Exposition with laborious care by Professor Austin George,” shows attendance and number of graduates from 1854 to 1893. This chart demonstrates the tremendous growth in attendance and number of graduates during Sill’s administration (1886-1893).
• Students working in a science laboratory.
  This image depicts students working in one of the Michigan State Normal School physical science laboratories. Due to the presence of vials, beakers, and other jars containing labeled liquids, the students are likely participating in a standard Chemistry class. Within this class, students gained experience with chemical manipulation and experimentation, while being instructed in the properties of carbon compounds. The Advanced Chemistry course also involved the use of the laboratory, but took “the form of individual practice in Chemical Analysis”.
• Professional Lecture in Geography.
  This image depicts a large group of students attending a Geography lecture, as evidenced by the 9 students who are practicing drawing various continents, as well as the state of Michigan on the chalkboard. Professor Austin George can be seen standing in the back of the lecture room watching over the students. Three additions were made to the Old Main Building, front addition in 1874, rear addition in 1881, and third addition in 1883, to expand the schools available facilities, such as the creation of large lecture rooms to accommodate the Normal’s fast-growing student population. The original lecture rooms on campus only had enough space to house about 60 students.
• Prof. Barbour English Class.
  This image depicts an English class being taught by the head of the English Language and Literature Department, Florus Barbour. Instruction in English Language and Literature focused on three sections: Grammar, Rhetoric, and Literature.
• Physiological Lecture Room 3rd Floor - Room 57
  This image depicts a Physiology Lecture being given by the head of the Natural Sciences (Systematic Botany and Physiology) department, Lucy Osband. One of the main things that this academic department hoped to achieve was instilling a love for scientific truth within Normal students through the help of lessons that focused on utilizing logical reasoning and implementation of the scientific method. Physiology was considered to be an advanced course for senior study, with students having been expected to have learned the basics of the subject in high school. The chalkboard contains evidence that students are being taught about nerves, which indicates that this class is occurring early in the semester when the Physiology curriculum focused on rapid review of the subject with an emphasis on nutrition and the nervous system.
• Physics Lab E.A. Strong.
  This image depicts Physics class being led by the head of the Physical Sciences department, Edwin Atson Strong (seated at the back right corner of the table). Strong’s father was an abolitionist, which allowed Edwin to meet important Black historical figures, including Frederick Douglass, and become familiar with the operations of the Underground Railroad. After working as both a Principal and Superintendent in Grand Rapids, MI, Strong joined the Physical Science faculty at the MSNS in 1885. Strong prioritized his humanitarian efforts over his work in the science department, and worked hard to ensure that his students would live their lives with “profound conviction” (Putnam, p.186).
• Physical Training Basement - Room G.
  This image depicts a group of female students participating in the Physiology and Hygiene Course that was developed by Lucy Osband in 1886. Osband taught this course in addition to Natural Science courses, but received no extra pay for doing so. In the basement room in the Old Main, Osband’s program included military marching, pulley weights, and “Swedish Routine Movements,” which involved the use of the dumbbells depicted in the photograph. Physical Culture classes had to be held in the basement due to the fact that the campus gymnasium had burned down in 1873. (Pedersen. Article in photo sheets).