Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1868-11-26
ADDR ESs ITO TEE. IEls
Eks' INSTITUTE.
By J. R. STEWART, COUNTY sUPT

TEACHERS 1t is proper, after spend
ing week together for mutual I'M
provement, to be reminded, before sep
arating to engage in our various du-
ties for the, winter term of the schools,
OF few of the obligations resting on
us and the best means of discharginc
them.
Some of you have been engaged in
manual labor during the summer, and
have now come to your work as teach
ers for the winter, without having had
| me TO keep posted on school affairs.
Ii seems that the heavy toll which the
deyelopmcnt.of this fertile West re-
quires, makes this necessity with
somo But remember this fact only
emphasizes tie other, that with US, tie
winter is The harvest time of education,
especially for the children of farmers,
and that it is. therefore. both a privi-
lege ana d4ty to forward their views
upon the subjects taught in the Com
mon Schools, keeping constantly in
yiews sthc.prohability, and light say
the impossbility, of their spending
more than four or five months Of the
year in study. In such eases, williul
neglect on the part Of teachers, falls
no, at all short OF criminality; for the
same causessthat keeps children out OF
schools so many months OF the year,
them TO cease attending school
earlier in lite than in sections of coun
Try where the labor OF. opening up
the farms is past. You must, therefore,
am yourselves BY constant study to
make the road plain, SO that unneces-
>sry stumbling and delays may be
avoided. Do not rest satisfied to pro-
oeed by tie mechanical application OF
he rules laid down in the text books,
but go TO the root of the matter and
principles, as though you
were the first to discover the ground
on hich the rules rest. Then. and not
sooner, can you be snre of giving clear
understanding to your pupils. For ex,
ample, il you have occasion to direct a
pupil, according to rule, in tie division
OF a fraction by fract on, to ''inyert the
divisor. and then multiply the numer
stors together for a new numerator,
and the denominators for new de
do not stop here, but pro
I ced to show that such seemingly ar
hitrary operation is either proper or
aecessary,-that is, in everything, hare
d thorough understanding yoarseV ard fad
net to secure a like understanding on the
ra,t Of gosr papi1s. You can hardly err
in concluding that you can impart moth
ing but misty ideas OF a subject that
is only partially clear to yourself.
Besides study on the branches YOU
teach in your schools, you should have
a regularly planned course of study for
yourselves in branches higher than
these. 1t is shame on the profession
that SO many teachers are exhausted
as soon as You introduce topics above
those called for in the common schools.
But, ii YOU cannot advance into the
deep water of learning, you can fellow
a systematic course OF reading,-not
light reading, for the sake of Yourself
- those You are employed to instruct
but solid, useful reading, su ch as will
afford You stock OF information from
which YOU can draw for the benefit OF
your school. In books there arc vast
stores OF knowledge. and the thoughts
of wise and good men, many OF which
may be communicated to children by
you, long before there is any proba,
hility that they will search them out
for themselves. You will profit by
keeping posted on the current news,
and cultiyating an acquaintance with
the best specimens of modern litcra
ture. To rhis end, you should not only
read some periodical devoted entirely
. ,,tioas' to,;"s - every live