Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-01-22
Maine Educational Board.
FIFTH DAY-FRIDAY.

eral plan of operations for the coming year.
1t was voted that the State Superintendent is
entitled to the services of Clerk.
afternoon Session. Mr.. w. s. knowlton,
Supervisor of Piscataquis county, spoke upon
the subject of "Object Teaching" As the
ground had all been gone over, he said he would
offer but a few suggestions. Our ideas Of ma
tcrial objects must be gained by the eye and
the car. After this will come the power of
it is by comparison of natural objects it is
always ..as hard as a rock" or ''as cold as
ice" At no time of life does the individual
attain to the comprehension of natural objects
as in childhood. Children are excited by
curiosity. Put this restless curiosity to some
good use. How natural it is for the child to
turn to the objects by which he is surrounded,
for instruction. There must be some amount
of classified knowledge in the school room.
We have not provided for the the wants of
our school children. The object itself may
be presented to the child, or picture of it.
1t is especially desirable to introduce objects
in teaching natural history, with the proper
explanations on the blackboard. The art of
conversation may be cultivated in this way.
He thought there were few places where con-
versation was SO poorly practised as in Maine.
The conversational powers of children are
not brought out in the schools Questions
are answered by simple ''yes" and mo" OBJ
ject teaching can be practised when the
i. .bn;r
agreeable rest. An infinite amount of pract-
cal knowledge can be obtained in the interim.
The President DR.. True, said that the
memory must be associated with ideas. Mem
Dry of itself is weak faculty; it is strong
only in its association with IDEAS When
you can excite a spirit of independent inves-
tigation and inquiry in your children, you gain
mastery over them and become their bene-
factor. The child is acquiring habits of
thought and investigation.
Mr. Stickney gave his experience in trying
to learn ideas in the abstract. He was given
grammar when boy, and told that he must
commit it to memory. In a month he was
able to repeat every rule, but yet he didn't
know anything about practical grammar, and
he could well remember the time when he first
saw the relation which the proposition bore
to the objective case. He thought that chill
dren learned more by seeing than hearing.
C. j. Abbott, Supervisor of Hancock Co.,
read paper on ''School Architecture" He
thought that nothing better than good school
hon SEES showed the progress in educational
matters The old district school houses that
are allowed to stand are destitute in their
shabbiness in all that attracts the children.
Architecture is an idea expressed a mans
house is photograph of the man himself,
and good school house imparts good to both
scholars and pupils. He gave his ideas of the
best plans for constructing school houses, the
kind of furniture, ventilation, and other mat
tiers connected with the school house.
Mr.. Sleeper spoke of Aroostook school
houses. Usually they are not finished inside,
and are consequently well ventilated. Some
fine school houses had recently been built.
fine one had been built in Presque Isle,
with all the modern improvements. In Sher-
man school house had recently been dedi-
Gated erected on land which was cleared only
ten years ago, the first settlement having been
made at this time.
A discussion on various topics was had by
Messrs. Stickney, Abbott Glidden, and Mr..
Burbank, member of the House from Acton,
which lasted until the adjournment.
Erening Session. The exercises COM
menced with an essay on classification in
Schools" by w. J Corthell, Supervisor of
Washington. He had been accused of being
radical, innovator, destroyer of old and time
honored systems. He disclaimed any of the
ruthless spirit of destruction. He did not
propose to tear down without building up.
No one had higher regard for the glory the
past has conferred. If our school system has
defects we should strive to remedy them. In
this we should forget the past and look for
ward to those things which are in the future
He then proceeded to speak of classification
which is like the organization of an army
A rigid and judicious classification makes our
graded schools superior to ungraded. He re-
ferred to the superior classification of schools
in Prussia. The Western States are ahead
|
of New England in this matter. In some of
our large towns classification is carried out in
some degree, but when we go out into the
small rural districts where our children
are educated, we find no proper classification.
In his own county the average of the
classes IN the schools is 81, and the number
of recitations %. There is not proper time
for satisfactory and profitable recitations the
child cannot comprehend the lesson. This
difficulty rests like an incubus upon progress.
1t creates confusion and causes difficulty in
discipline. Our ungl AIDED schools should
be divided into but three classes-the
primary, secondary and advanced-with APP
propriate studies for each. Public sentiment,
by earnest labor, can be brought up to this
change. The multiplicity of text books
causes the multiplicity of classes.
He urged the reduction of this large num-
Der, and thought while uniformity could be
brought about partially by the towns, the
most effectuaul course would be for the State