Description: “The Training School building at San Jose State Normal School.”
Description: "Photograph shows the teacher training school of San Jose State Normal School. 'Normal school students were required to undertake five months of supervised classroom instruction before graduation. Space to accomplish this was limited until 1892 when this Moorish Renaissance Revival-style training school building was constructed on the Normal School campus at the corner of Seventh and San Carlos street.'"
Description: "Photograph shows the teacher training school of San Jose State Normal School. 'Normal school students were required to undertake five months of supervised classroom instruction before graduation. Space to accomplish this was limited until 1892 when this Moorish Renaissance Revival-style training school building was constructed on the Normal School campus at the corner of Seventh and San Carlos street.'"
“This structure is the old San Jose State Normal Training School, a two-story wooden building erected in 1891 and surviving the 1906 earthquake with nothing worse than a loosened plaster. In 1911, a new training school, a two-story concrete structure, was built and this old building above was used for other purposes until 1933, when it was destroyed. At that time the olf [sic] training school was declared a fire hazard and the language and commerce departments which had been housed in the building for the previous two years were moved out of it. On October 20, the San Jose Mercury reported that the building was to be wrecked, stating: ‘Phantom-like and austere with its gaping windows innocent of glass, the stately relic of 18th century (sic) architecture, has stood unused for the last six months awaiting demolition.’
"This building, erected at a cost of $37,000 was of Moorish Renaissance architectural style, with a slate roof and two towers. The larger tower–120 feet-high– faced San Carlos Street, and the smaller one–11 feet high– faced Seventh Street. The building included 15 classrooms, a gymnasium, main hall, and a basement. Called the “Annex,” the school had its main entrance facing Seventh Street, and the west entrance led across the “Bridge of Sighs” to the main building. The Annex was used for approximately 40 years.”
From 1937 La Torre
From the 1946 La Torre
From the 1950 La Torre
From the 1957 La Torre
Description: "The Training School is depicted behind a large pine tree."
Training School building., undated
Description: "Written on verso: 'Training School.' 'As part of their teacher training, Normal School students were required to undertake five months of supervised classroom instruction before graduation. Space to accomplish this was limited until 1892, when this Moorish Renaissance Revival-style training school building was constructed on the Normal School campus at the corner of Seventh and San Carlo streets.'"
Description: "Photograph shows a training school classroom."
Description: "Photograph shows a training school classroom."
Description: "Written on verso: 'Assembly Hall of Training School; 1892; for 1893 World's Fair Exhibit.'"
Description: "Written on verso: 'Assembly Hall, 1892; Taken for the World's Fair Exhibit, 1893 by J.E. Addicott.'"
Description: "Written on verso: 'Main hall to Training School, went over bridge of sighs; Taken by J.E. Addicott 1892.'"
From the 1893-1894 Course Catalog1
From the 1893-1894 Course Catalog1
From the 1895-1896 Course Catalog1
Training School children., undated
Description: "The training school was part of the San Jose city school system and provided an opportunity for student teachers to get real classroom experience. Photograph shows a Normal School student teaching a kindergarten class outside of the classroom."
From the 1901-1902 Course Catalog1
From the 1901-1902 Course Catalog1
From the 1901-1902 Course Catalog1
From the 1901-1902 Course Catalog1
From the 1901-1902 Course Catalog1
From the 1901-1902 Course Catalog1
From the 1901-1902 Course Catalog1
From the 1901-1902 Course Catalog1
From the 1901-1902 Course Catalog1
From the 1904-1905 Course Catalog1
Image of Mrs. Alice W. McIntosh’s State of California Department of Public Instruction Grammar School Life Diploma, 19042
Training school assembly., 1909
Description: "Written on verso: "'1909; Assembly hall-upper floor of old training school; Miss Rubaoq in front-right; 7th & 8th grades; (sp) standing while banace.'"
May day pole., undated
Description: "Children from the San Jose State Training school walking around the May Pole and wrapping it in streamers."
The May Fete of the Past and the Future
“About ten years ago there originated in our Kindergarten, under the capable leadership of Miss MacKenzie, what has since become a large and spectacular affair, the annual May Fete.
“The deplorable condition of our grounds for the last two years necessarily suspended the Festival, but in that time plans for a greater Fete have been worked out and when the Alumni return to participate in the celebration of the Jubilee next year, they will truly appreciate how excellent is their Alma Mater.
“That the Fete should have originated in the Kindergarten, which stands for all that is beautiful, happy and bright, seems particularly appropriate. One has only to step into the corner rooms of the south wing to see that ‘our babies’ are indeed surrounded by all that is beautiful, happy and bright.
“But when one stops to consider the marvelous growth and the enormous size of the undertaking one is forced to realize how very rapidly our school is advancing and how influential it is coming to be.
“It is of interest to know that Miss MacKenzie received her inspiration from reading some reminiscences of Froebel. If the noted educator of the distant century successfully used the games and dances in his theory of education, it is not surprising that the revival of the custom is one of the greatest educational questions before the people of to-day. And to know that our own school has worked it out so successfully should make us very, very proud.
“As I have said, the Fete originated with the tinty tots, but it has now become a large affair including not only all the children of our Training School but also their student teachers. The Queen is chosen from among the pupils of the upper grammar grades, elected by her classmates, and an attempt is made to impress it upon their minds that their choice should not be governed by beauty alone, but by such qualities as kindness, gentleness and dignity, which becomes any gracious ruler.
“The April number of the Ladies’ Home Journal for 1910 has said of the Festival:
‘To describe faithfully this greeting of the May, with its perfect setting, its radiance of color, its grace and poetry of motion, is well-nigh impossible, but picture a natural amphitheatre carpeted with grass and environed by trees, beneath whose shade tiers of seats have been erected; overhead the bluest of blue skies and in the air the fragrance of early spring; and when the chorus of six hundred young women students files into the enclosure, arrayed in dazzling white and garlanded with green, and bursts into a paean of welcome, every heart thrills to the spirit of the occasion.
‘There are quaint little folk games and dances, butterfly dances, Grecian floral games, and chariot races. Last of all comes the charming May-pole dance, and there are poles a-plenty, so that each child may help weave the ribbons in and out. The Queen descends from the throne and in person leads the dance around the May-pole.
‘The sunlight filters through the leaves upon an enchanting scene— a living bit of Arcady— the sweet sound of violins comes on the flower-laden air like the pipes of Pan, and the children are nymphs and dryads dancing in some woodland dell.
‘And it is indeed a charming scene. All practice and preparation are woven into the year's program so that the usual unwholesome excitement of such affairs is greatly lessened and freedom, naturalness, and simplicity are the prominent features of the festival.
‘It is one of the greatest regrets of the present Senior class that it was not theirs to participate in the celebration which has become a distinguishing feature of our institution and we hope to be able to return next year when the grounds have been restored to their former beauty making the Fete again possible.
From the 1912 Senior Year Book.
From the 1913 Senior Year Book.
Training school drawing., 1915
Description: "Photograph shows a drawing for the Training School section of the 1915 San Jose State Normal School La Torre yearbook. The image shows a group of young children holding hands and forming a circle around their female teacher."
From the 1918-1919 Course Catalog1
According to the 1920 La Torre, there is mention of a Senior Kindergarten and a Junior Kindergarten, so the Kindergarten existed during this time.
Painting in the classroom, circa 1920
Description: "In a classroom, children paint a scenery on a makeshift structure. One child sits on the floor and tries on shoes. Another child sweeps from inside the structure."
Education wing., 1929
Description: "Written on verso: 'Building-Education wing connecting main building and kindergarten-primary building 1929; K-P building converted to Art then Journalism.'"
1San Jose State Normal School and San Jose State Teachers College Course Catalogs Collection, MSS-2010-05-05, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
2San Jose State Normal School Diploma and Certificate Collection, MSS-2019-10-04, San Jose State University Library, Special Collections & Archives