The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1844-07-08
Miscellaneous,
FducatiOn,mSc Schools,
ny HORACE MANN, ESQ.


y, ,ouover. irnot answered, they arc rarely stated
pain IN words If the first pupil cannot answer, the
'y',hor seldom stops to say, "Next," but-every
,,Dv having his eye on tho teacher walking up and
1,vO before the class, and gesticuating vehemently,
.,ib his arm extended, and accompanying each
n,ioo with his eye, he points to the next and the
,,, until perhaps, il the question is diilicult,he may
,,o Indicated each one in the section, but obtained
=, ,rsrer from none: then he throws his arm and
,. ,,ound towards one side OF the room, inviting u
,.DIv from any one, and, il still unsuccessful, he
son, them across the other side,-and all this will
,,ta bu, half minute. Words being too slow and
luminous, the language of signs prevails; and the par
flo. bDr ali eve and ear the interchange of ideas has
an electric rapdity. While the teacher turns his
face Sponts his finger towards dozen pupils consec
o,iyey inviting reply, perhaps dozen arms will
bse,erded towards linn from other sections or div-
sOns Of the class, giving notice that they ready
10 respond; and in this way question will be put
10 class Of6ily, sixty or eighty pupils, in half
minute Of time.
Nor this all. The teacher does not stand i'm
mOyeaby fixed to one spot, q never saw teacher
sitting in a schOo-room,) nor are the bodies Of tho
pupils mere blocks, resting motionless in their seats,
or lONing from side to side as though life de-
sting them. The custom is for each pupil to rise
when giving an answer. This is ordinarily done so
quick that the body of the pupil, darling from the sit
ting INTO the standing posture, and then falling back
INTO the first position, seems more like some instru
men, sent suddenly forwards by mechanical force
4 wa &en rapidly Withdrawn than like the rising and
4 sitting Of, person in the ordinary way. HIT 1t Is
4 cb7aqs Ht the scene becomes full Of animation,
en,-\cave heng given 10 n whole division of
tass TO nnswer,--a dozen or twenty spring 10 their
feet and eiacuate at the top of their voices. The
moment it Is seen that the question has been rightly
answered, and this is spontaneously shown by the
manner of the TEACHER all f back and another ques
lion is put Ifthis is not answered, almost before
any attentive spectator understand it, the teacher
extends bis arm and Pushes his eye to the next and
soon, T'when a rapid signal is given to another
side OfheTuUn, dozen pupils leap 10 the floor and
rOcisraIe a reply
Nor can the funniest picture Of these exciting
scenes be given, without introducing something of the
technical phraseOlgy used in The school.
lranypupi is not prompt at the moment, and if
The teacher means to insist upon an answer from him,
QO1 wlInot do 10 pass by scholar always how
ever dnl,) he exclaims in no very moderate gen
tie voice, "Come away or ''Come away now;''-
and the first does not answer and the next does, he
Directs the latter to pass above the former by the
'en'onaI phrase, "Take him DOWN" If n whole
section stands at fault, FOR n moment, and then
leaps up and shouts ont the reply, the teacher
ca'mS' "Dux boy" which means that the one who
answered shall take the head of the class
suppose the teacher to be hearing his class in
reading lesson, and that the VOID "impedimenr' oc-
ours something very like the following scene may
take place.
Isacher' "Lmpediment," from what Latin word?
Pupil In and pes.
I, What does il mean,
keep them back.
J. How is the word "pes'' used in statuary?
r. In pedestal, the block on which u statute is
T. In architecture?
?. Pedment.
j. In music,
y, =; rFeda, part of an organ moved by the feet
n r, pedicle, or foot stock of flower
n Tive me verb
Il Impede
I. noun.
J.. impeachment
D p An adjective, meaning desirable or conductive.
CAM Con-, lhe'ta'es.) Il. Come away. (To the next)
SUuie away Gle now points to half dozen in sue
tme) "' "o' "iore '''a" '"i"N''"s vi
1v'n@ Pupil Expedient. .....
si,h, lake 'em down. (Ths pupil then goes above
b'' LUIS us does not occupy half the time in the class
n " "hes 10 read the account oft.
-" sehoo where recitation in Latin was going
~ Witnessed scene orthis kind the room, I'M
' 'ne rooms where the children of the common
t rs0p'0 are taught, was large Seventy or eighty
'' sa' on deskless, backess benches, arranged on
,o,r sues oil square or parallelogram. A boy is
i,. '''eu upon to recite,-to pass Latin noun for
.,,M But he does not respond quite so quickly
~, report ola gun follows the FASH The teacher
O.,t Ou' Come away" The boy errs, giving
Gom wrong gender, saving that it is derived
c,a. ureek verb, whenin fact, il is derived from
forum, noun Ofthe same family Twenty boys leap
are 'a'0 the area,-as though the house were on
'n'ne' or an ambush had been sprung upon