The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1870-02-17
Educational.

s0clatlon, the 26th OF Jan. 1870. 1he
following resolution wall explain the
cause Of sending it to you:
Resolved, That, by permission OF Mr.
Morgan, copy of said essay be furnish
ed the Society, for publication in the
Standard, and further that the Editor
be requested to give it an insertion in
the Standard.
L. B. BINGHAM, President.
THEORY AND PRACTICE OF
TEACHING.
Mr.. President and Fellow Teachers:
Did know what would be beneficial
to say TO this intelligent society, l would
Immediately do so, but, as this subject
is one ofvast importance and embracing
much territory, shall not be able to
survey it all, but only very small por-
ton Of it. Theory and Practice are two
different things. A person may be well
posted in the Theory of teaching, and
altogether deficient in the Practice.
Again, one may have success in Prac-
tice, and to great extent be def
cient in Theory, yet this is not com
mon occurrence. 10 make a success
ful teacher, the two should go hand in
hand, then teaching is success; the
profession ceases to be burden, and it
is success. What then is Theory of
teaching At is All inward knowledge
of the art of teaching, What is Prac-
tice ?-It is the tact of fimparting knowl-
edge to others. The two are combined
in successful teacher. Yea no teach
er is successful without both. No teach
er should be allowed to ill the peda-
gogue's office who is deficient in either
of these. Such a teacher is out of his
sphere, and the result Of his efforts will
be more degrading than beneficial. Yes
| hesitate not to say, that to man def
cient in either Theory or Practice, the
school-room is not the proper place for
him, The interest of the community
is at stake. Bad teaching is worse
than no teaching at all. The impression
made on the tender mind Of the infant
is of long, yes eternal duration. The
duty of the teacher is to train the child
in the way he should go. If he be not
trained in that way he had better not
be trained at all If he be not started
in the right direction, it is better for him
to remain at stand-still than go the
wrong course. As plea against this,
it is pleaded that man devoid of prin-
ciple may prove successful teacher,
and, in some instances man devoid of
the knowledge Of Theory or Practice
should be employed as teacher. There
is too prevalent opinion, that ifa per-
son has hard struggle with poverty
against fortune, if such a person as
pires for the pedagogue's Office, he
should be patronized, and employed in
preference of a teacher ofhigher merit,
whose race through the world runs
smoothly; on whom fortune is pleased
to smile, to whom fortune and nature
are partial, and to equiibriate these oc-
currences, the teachers position Ii
thrown open to the unmerited teacher.
To this | say it should not. This is a
gross mistake Is it policy that some
FIVE hundred of our youth be sacrificed
for the sake of supporting one man and
family? Rather than this let such per-
son be supported by charity, Or if that
be not practicable let him retire from
the schoOl-room, even if starvation
stare him in the face. Better dig aud
beg, yes and starve, and cohsign his
body to the dust from whence it came,
and let the soul fly back to its maker,
than be the cause of reducing 80 many
of our youth to his pitiable level ..
Teachers should then be alive to this
duty in their line, Practice of Teaching.
To give an outline of this branch in the
limits of this essay is outside of my
range, and under the circumstances un.
necessary, for we have an abundance
of treatses on Practical Teaching. The
facilities, also, of qualifying teachers in
this important branch, are multiplying
Our Normal Schools are on the increase,
and teachers should avail themselves of
tho opportunities these afford. These
schools, merely, give the rudiments of
the outline of teaching To lay down
a regular routine of exercises, making
that an inhexible rule, would be CON
structing hobbies for the school-room
and following these plans with an un-
deviatiug rotation, would be riding
these hobbies. A greater calamity to
our Common Schools, could not be con
ceived OF all the arts and sciences,
professions and avocations, Practical
Teaching is the only one that varies,
according to circumstance. 1t is "cir-
Cumstahces alter cases" here all the
time, AS the knowledge of human ma
ture increases, as new ideas are devel
oped in regard to governing and train
ing the human mind, Practical Teach
ing varies so as to adapt exigencies
Again, different methods are applca-
Bile to different scholars. The method
of drawing out the mind of one child
may prove q blasting result on another's,
The object of teaching is not for the
teacher TO do much work in the several
branches taught, but to make his schol-
ars do the work, cause them TO study.
SO that teacher who can get the most
work out of a scholar, with the least
work TO himself, is the teacher. There
tore, fellow teachers, beware ofhobbies,
study experiment, invent and operate,
and your success will not be uniinaoin-