Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1861-04-18
f10NA A.
Edited l'y 4 SMITH, County superintendent.
For he Educational Column.
Another Talk with Teachers.

GA44OGIlCI 4 DIN With 4GdEnGIS.
line upon line, precept upon precept.
/ Those who are duly interested in educa
tIonal matters, especially teachers who arc
suitably qualified for their profession, vii
/ not cen5ur2 me il once more | call the at
. tentlon Of prospective teachers to the in
dispensible necessity of their making al
possible efforts to become fifty prepared fol
the duties Of the station they aspire to fill
And surely parents will not be Indifferent
TO any movement that aims to secure bet
! ter instruction and wiser school discipline
| for their children. This is really the most
| important subject that can engage the
tho Ights Of ofparents solicitous for the earth.
ly welfare and usefulness Of those whom
Heaven has entrusted to their fostering
care.
So, this oft-repcatcd summons to those
who wish to teach, that they properly
equip themselves for thei~ work, cannot be
regarded Impertinent, as it certainly is not
uncaIlcd for
We sometimes hear Of persons who
build wiser than they know and not q
few teachers seem to think they can teach
more than they understand. Though they
have never thoroughly studied through
standard works on arithmetic, grammar and
geography, yet they fatter themselves with
the fancy that they can take class
through the book' as we'll as anybody
Very possibly; but getting a class through
:hc book is nothing-absolQtely nothing,
if not worse, unless pupils understand
what the book contains, the principles
which the book was written to set forth
BY mental sleight-of. hand, CT by dex
ferrous use Of keys, teacher caa make 3
magnificent flourish Of knowledge before
school, but this is all hollow, and utterly
nauseating to any one who has at heart the
real progress Of the pupils 1t is possible
even to deceive the visitors Of school.
and by adroit management give an appear
ance OF fine improvement and nice thor
oughness in teaching, but every true teach
er Is wholly above any such deception; he
seems to appear wiser to his scholars or
more faithful to his patrons than he real
ly is.
Let Us, then, take it as an axiom that
no one can teach what he does not know :;
ers have right to the worth of their
money from teachers Though these ak
imoa statements require no proof, being
wholly solEeYident, still, | wish to say
few words upon them.
First-one can teach no more than one
knows. The simple reading of this prop
osition is sufficient for any one who is fit to
teach; SO, if any person who thinks of
teaching has doubts Of the truth of it, he
would do well to attend the nearest prima-
ry school and defer applying for school or
certificate until he shall have come to
years Of understanding. But there are
many teachers who have a partial knowl-
edge of the rudiments of the branches
taught in common schools, yet are not ac-
quainted, in any respectable degree, with
the recondite or less easily understood prin-
eiples Necessarily they must discourage
any ambitious scholar who would gladly
make all possible progress; besides, no one
can teach beginners so well as he who has
studied farthest and understands the vari-
Gus applications OF which elementary prin-
ciples are capable.
Second-no one can pFoperly claim to
hnoa0 what he cannot and ex-
plain.
The oll fashioneu mode of working to
obtain the answer in arithmetic, without
being able to give solid rea, ~ every
step in the process of the solution, is dis
carded by every active, growing teacher.
The educational theory Of the wisest
teachers of the present day is more gencr-
ous; it is based on the idea that intellectu-
lliy as well as morally 1t is more blessed
to give than receive;' that not the quaint
y of memorized facts and rules, but the
amount of vitalized communicable knowl-
edge which one possesses determines his
y-ol,,o