Chapter 35 cont. THE TRAINING SCHOOL In 1863 the school board having experienced difficulty in securing teachers professionally trained to fill positions in the schools, and realizing the importance of securing such teachers, decided to establish a training school for teachers. The services of Mrs. M. A. McGonegal as principal and Miss Mary V. Lee as assistant were secured. This was the first school for training teachers established west of the Mississippi river, and from its founding to the present time has contributed strongly to successful instruction in the Davenport schools. Its graduates have done splendid service in the schools of this and other Iowa cities and in the schools of other states, always reflecting credit on the Davenport Training school. The school was first located in the building of School Number 2, where it remained until 1869. At that time from the lower grades of School No. 2 about 100 children, with the training school for teachers, were moved to the first floor of the High school, corner Sixth and Main streets. Here the training school remained until 1871, when new Number 8 having been opened it was transferred to that building. When the new High school building on Seventh and Eighth, Rock Island and Iowa, was ready for occupancy, the Training school made its fourth move and climbed the hiss to this new structure of greater accommodations. Here it stayed until 1892, when it was transferred to its present location in Tyler school. The requirements for admission to the Training school are graduation from the High school or any other school of equal rank. The course of instruction includes a review of the common branches, and in this connection instruction in the best methods of teaching them, psychology, history of education, theory and practice of teaching, with actual practice in the school room under critic teachers. Graduation closes the course of one year. The principals of the Training school have been: Mrs. M. A. McGonegal, 1863-1870; Miss Kate S. French, 1870-1872; Miss P. W. Sudlow, 1872-1874; Miss Belle S. Thompson, 1874-1892. Miss A. O. Osborne, now Mrs. A. O. Sheriff, a graduate of the Oswego Normal school, left training school work in Saratoga, New York, to take charge of this school in 1892 and is still its principal. Debbie Clough Gerischer Iowa Gen Web, Assistant CC, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ IAGENWEB: Special History Project: http://iagenweb.org/history/index.htm Gerischer Family Web Site: http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/