Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1869-02-11
cduraiional Column.
TgAoHBRs AND SCHOLARS,

No one need think To enter the held
AZ teacher unless hc Is willing to
Weld himself up TO his labor for II is
labor. though a pleasant one, when
undertaken in the right spirits hut u
shoull not be a task Not only should
we. as instructors, be prepared to fur
nish tho necessary instructions, but
we should study how 10 impart It to
the best advantage how tu max II
ayailablc, how to sin out the know
lcdgc. as IL were, so us to make diy
studies interesting In fact there
should be no such thing rs dry study.
There is great deal of use'c matter
Jrngged into school books, and the
pupil is forced torcpcat the ideas, ana
onen the exact words of the author,
without giving the least glimmer of
their light; they leave the class, nay
the school. destitute Of the iaintest
idea Of what they have been studying.
When the book is not clear, when
plpcs are devoted TO what may lc
condensed into half the space, the
book should be set aside and the Jcnch-
er give oral instruction. ] have seen
pupils VINO have bcen stud lying arlth-
mctio up to the age of sixteen or sew
entecn years, aud yet they were not
able 10 perform an example III long
division, nor make the simplest arith-
mctical calculation. You may say,
"Oh this is II solitary instance she
must have been very stupid" tell
Won no. 1t is the case with n great
portion of our pupils who attend what
are termed our best city schools. Our
public schools are not an exception.
/ have found many, even there, who
have not been taught the best meth
DDS of reasoning. Now what is the
reason of this? Ifa child be passably
intelligent he should be able to give
up the study of arithmetic at fourteen
years of age. 1t surely should not be
necessary for a child to dwell on writ
ing arithmetic longer than from 10 "a
II years of agc-seven years. Yet II
is almost without exception the case.
Where docs the fault liey | do not
say altogether in the teacher, for, OF
course, ii parents keep their children
' from school day or two every week
progress can not be expected They
should then be Obliged by the rules o
the school TO take lower position II
tlcir asses; and thus they would b'
: likely To learn something thorough
Z and not abtain a useless smatterire
l. without end or aim. If all teachers
+ were conscientious and true to theii
o high calling, the parents conid no
s decide the matter, and the pupil woul,
a be educated in spite of difficulties.
s would have the teacher do less for tn
@ pupil than be now does. Set the chill,
Z to thinking, show him the way; theI
Ia let him move on and learn 60 overcom
D. difficulties. The child should DO en-
= couraged 20 ask questions. know
0 that many will disagree with me, am
Z say it is impossible 10 make any pre-
II gress with a class If one stop TO answc
Is all the quesiio.s which children ma.
u put. Many will tell me they wi
N mako idle and foolish inquiries.
81 answer no! lfproperly trained the,
C. will ask such questions only MS wi
IL awaken interest and show thinkin
u minds. Ihaye alwayscncourdged th
$, habit. The teacher should strive I
N prepare himself on all subjects, and
is he be not careful, he will find his pI
Sc pills will steal march on him an
81 make some demands which will .
a. first seem difficult to answer. woul
. here notice the sad failings / hay
OF observed in my fellow workers, whic
is is this, that they think the pupil mui
be beanswercd at all hazards, rs II wouI
0i never do for the teacher to be foun
e wanting, so they give Il wrong answe
be n mere form OF words or set spcccl
without meaning, and let il pass W
lS ought TO have moro courage and Su
o. frankly, 81 do not know. III try an
'l. find ont" Every child should
al Taught to search the truth for himscI
n. for the rrasons which have givcr ri'
al to certain rule. Especially whe
el- authors d fier, the subject should
~ presented inanow light by the tcache
We then let the pupil take that meth'
nd which seems most reasonable.
be teacher should take the snhjcct
'sc hand and spend even weeks in gathc
"i ing all the information he can upon
OF by inquiry, by observation aud
'm study. This close application and =
&C. search upon one subject will make
.or new ono much easier The Englii
&c grammar should in my opinion
:, well understood; then the scholar W
OF be fitted TO study the grammar
ed other languages with facility. Eve
'r- teacher should possess magnetic
err ducnro over his pupils; he shou
pa. imbuo the class with life and spir
'ed and should bear them along with tn
zee subtle influence which can be Sc,
lor and felt, rather than described.
err should aim to create an enthusiast
no so that his class may feel lifted Il
ny and tho time spent together seem 1
lcc too short. School days certain
tar should be happy. A teacher who
lu. ono in true sense, will not fail
ed make them so What course Of stut
cir should be pursued which will be ND
M conducive to their future welfare a
Wn best interests; that they may be ab
as men aud women, to make thu
tic knowledge available in the cause
md humanity that they may be usei
ioi wherever they may be placed. S
OF reliance shonld be cultivated. The
by is Il great deficiency in this respc,
and there is no better place than I
'nt school.room for The cultivation of Il
-hc important quality. Now if my
'hc marks prove useful TO those just co
zen mencing the education of tho yonr
OF | shall he glad. The great secret is
ISL ho,C to cuch.--PhreROiogicai Journ
n,S Fellow teachers, owing TO ma
:" cares aud much duty | have not be
~ able to keep up our educational C
''u' umn. ! have looked in vain for co
o' munications from you. sec, how,