Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-10-15
l3l0 0ls]9 Z IfQ00A4e
Edited by A. SMITH, County Superintendent
District Institutes.

In the August number of the School
journal is an admirable article, in reply to
the questlon-now very pertinent" How
to conduct District Institutes 2" p ofessor
Bates gives so many excellent suggestions,
that every teacher in the State ought to
read them over and study them carefully,
in order to render the exercises of these
Institutes as interesting and practically
useful as they can be made. Let every
teecher in Miffiin county be sure to read
that article; if you have not the Journal,
borrow it from the Secretary of the School
Board In these Institutes much depends
upon the willingness of each member to do
what is asked of him-whether to conduct
given exercise, or to prepare a report on
some assigned topic, or to write an essay,
or to take part in discussion 1t is easy
for one or two headstrong teachers (if
teachers ever are hcadstrong or unamiable
in any rcspect) to hW an Institute-by in
sisting that such and such branches shall
not be pursued, by refusing to ia what is
assigned to them, by ncglccting to prepare
themselves thoroughly for the exercises
prescribed. | trust that nc teacher in this
county will 50 far forget wha; belongs to
teacher, what deposition a true teacher
should manifest, as to do anything that will
lessen the interest or detract from the ben
ticial results Of these excellent aids to 10th
teachers and schoala. ! am somewhat sus-
picious when | hear a teacher finding fault
with the Institute to which he belongs it
occurs to me as very possible, if not abso.
lutely certain. that the trouble is in the
complainer,-he Trobably docs not try
to make the Institute what it ought to be.
On the other hand, when teacher speaks
cncouragingly of his Institute, my pre-
sumption is that he is doing his best for it,
1" Do not try to crowd too many things
into single lesson, but take up a single
point and make your instruction complete
and exhaustive" is the advice of Professor
Bates to those who conduct exercises or
instruct, in Saturday Institutes and |
wish to emphasize his advice, and to add
this to it, that those who are in the place
of learners or students be determined to
probe every subject that is made the topic
for study,-not wait to be told about it
by the instructor, but search into it for
yourselves and make yourselves masters of
it. Try TO understand fully all the minu-
tin of the subjects discussed, and qualify
yourselves to make a clear, concise, COM
prehensive statement and explanation of
them ALL
But, one caution may be pertinent here
Do not try to explain what is already per-
fectly understood, and when just the re-
quired words of statement or explanation
are uttered or written, stop!
Teachers should be deeply grateful that
the Legislature gave them two days of
every school month for selfimprovement.
To be sure, these days were given for the
purpose Of enabling teachers to qualify
themselves more fully for the proper in
struction and training of their pupils; but
it is impossible for them to make them
selves better teachers without gaining
knowledge and discipline which are in
high degree beneficial to themselves So,
while using these days conscientioqsly ac-
cording to the letter and spirit of the law,
they are really progressing in the direct
line of their own interests. S.