The Placer herald., 1872-06-01
THOROUGHNESS IN TEACHING
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Thoroughnes' in discipline, it scarcely need be
sald' Is as necessary, if not more SO, than any
other kind of thoroughness. Nothing. tends to
demoralze the efficiency of a school so much as
the want of proper discipline. There is an ex
treme existing in the slavish fear exacted bv
violence of punishment for wrong doing. 1t
tends to dissimulation, whereas the kind but firm
and judicous restraint will afford perfect order
and decorum, and does not tend to destroy that
independence which every American boy, at least
should exercise to reasonable degree-that he
may be better prepared to take the responsibilities
OF manhood upon arriving at maturity.
Perhaps few practical hints that have been
learned by experience will not be out of place
here.
| Teachers should not give the most care and
attention to the best scholars, to the exclusion of
the dull ones, or those who test the teachers in
genuity in explaining difficulties arising in stud
ies Inattentive pupils particularly should te
well piled with questions during a recitation
Each pupil should depend entirely on his own
knowledge when required to recite. Partial
prompting by the teacher is o species of deceit
as the pupil soon learns to depend on such alto.
gether, instead of learning to have this self reli
ance which is Of SO much importance in after
life.
Pupils should be well classified and so kept,
irregardless of the particular desires of partial
relatives. In approaching new subject, very
good method is to ask questions tending to di-
rect their thoughts towards the subject under
consideration. 1t causes them to exert their
own reasoning powers, by which they in many
cases arrive at the conclusion intended to be
taught by their instructor The questions should
be such that their answers would form a chain of
reasoning from a simple thought to the required
point. The teacher should, however, be ready to
give the necessary information at points not
clearly understood so that the whole may blend
together and lead to the desired result
Simultaneous answers concert exercises,
except in the lowest grade, should be avoided as
much as possible. The few smart pupils always
answer promptly while the ndoent and inatten-
tive ones chime in and simply make noise
without particle of benefit to themselves.
There is too much of disposition among many
pupils to avoid thinking studying, and know
of no method that encourages this Incidence
times they might be, and undoubtedly are, useful
as variety in study or vocal calisthenics; to
arouse class when dull.
Another point should be we'll attended to, and
that is to cause pupils to give such answers to
questions propounded as will include the ques
ton as well as the answer, and in all cases of
partial failure the answer should be repeated
The teacher should be patient with incorrect
answers as we'll as timid ones Guessing of any
kind should not be tolerated in any study, and
especially not in spelling.
A method that has been successfully tried in
reviewing subject, is the following Divide the
class into two divisions of about equal numbers.
Select subject, let each number OF division No.
l ask corresponding number of division No.
some question concerning the subject under con-
sideratlon, the teacher noting all incorrect an
wers. Next let No Is ask No Is questions on
the same subject teacher noting incorrect answers
as before. At the conclusion the teacher Is to
announce the number of 1stakes on both Sides
and also the division when succeeded in answer
ing as well asking the better set of questions
The pupils who can ask proper questions with
out referring to books, can, III nearly every case,
answer them, and are well acquainted with the
subject. The exercise arouses that healthy an
laudable emulation which causes pupils to put
they would to simply acquire the knowledge for
their own benefit.
Reviews | consider the most important part
of thorough teaching. 1t is like clinching the
nail that is driven by first recitations. We all
know how liable are to forget what we have
read, unless we either speak or write about II
afterwards, by which we review it and retain 1t
in our memories. The first reviews should oc-
cur in few days after the subject has been
studied.
Teachers should not be confined wholly to
text books; all teaching in our schools would
gain both in vividness and value if a more fire.
quent appeal were made from the facts as stated
in the text books to the facts as they are eXhb
tied in the world without
1t is necessary to employ only first class, ex-
perenced teachers in the lower grades of our
schools. The sooner that class of teachers who
a'ake the profession OF teaching stepping stone
to some other calling pursuit are discarded
the better it will for the youth Of our land
and for the profession of teaching They have
no love for the calling, that they foollshly
imagine that it is an easy way of earning llvel-
hood. IT'S true that they may make IT SO by
simply devising methods to pass away the actual
school hours, with scarcely passing thought
for the poor unfortunate pupils over which they
are placed, instead of devising the best methods
to thoroughly educate them. The conscientious
teachers who put forth all their energies to suit
ably prepare train and properly mould the I'M
pressible minds they have to deal with are not
fully appreciated, and sometimes are classed
with the careless, unprofessional teachers who
have no heart in the work. We cannot agree
with many of our noted educators, who MAINTAIN
that the genuine teacher will engage IN teaching
even without sufficient remuneration, just for
the love of teaching. The thorough teacher ex-
poets, and will demand sufficient reward for his
work, and, as general thing, he does not fail to
receive it. when he has proved himself to be
competent teacher. l..
We are requested by the County Superintend-
ent to notify interested parties, through the COL
umn of this department, that the Quarterly
meetiag of the County Board of Examination
will take place on Wednesday, the 9th day Of
June next.
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