The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-12-20
THE CHICAGO PARENT.

The following taken from the Cicagoh
Teacher will probably be found to be as
applicable to the Parents of Cecil county
as those of the great metropolis of the
West.
The Chicago Parent is not like the
American Union, zone and indivisible,"
and cannot, therefore, be treated as one,
What would be eminently true of Mr.. A.
would subject one to libel suit if said Of
Mr.. b; and as there is no provision in the
school law for defraying the expenses of
such suit, the writer thinks it well to
avoid any such "unpleasantness" by de-
scribing the Chicago Parent alphabetically,
thus:
Mr.. A is able to imagine teacher who
is actnated by a sincere desire for the well
fare of his pupils. He can readily under
stand that an educated man who has devet-
ed his life to the training of youth, to the
study of mind and methods of developing
il. may be better qualified to conduct
school than the majority of men engaged
in other pursuits. The doctor who fancies
himself a lawyer, and the clergyman who
boasts of his skill in pedagogy are to him
fit subjects for ridicule. While he guards
his children with a jealous eye, he yet
recognizes the difficult and delicate posi-
tion of the teacher. "May his tribe in
crease" ~
Mr. can manage school as well as tho
next man. Why, he used to teach school
himself when he was young. He took
school one winter in neighboring village,
school that had driven out five teachers
in succession, and the very first day, before
half-past nine o'clock, he had knocked
down seven. yes sir, seUen, of the biggest
! boys in it. Didn't the girls scream though?
Ha ha And after that he had no trouble;
and he might have had that school every
winter since. He does not believe in these
new tangled notions. If boy don't
behave, a1ack him; if he don't learn his
! lessons, whack him. That's the way he
used to do when he taught school, and
that's the way he brings up his family.
There's nothing like making boy know
his place.
Mr.. Ito principal, who has suspended
C, .jr.), l pay my taxes, sir, and have a
right to send my boy to this school, and
you can't keep him out. shall appeal to
| higher authority, sir. My boy has right
here, sir, and he shall come, sir, and l will
appeal, sir, to higher authority, sir, and
pay my taxes, sir, and-and-you'll see,
sir, you will, sir
! Mrs Dis special instruction to the teacher
upon bringing her son Charles, Bird read
er scholar, aged 12 years. In Cecil coun-
ty he would be in the 9th Reader.
| do not wish him to be hampered by any
rules of school, He has never been used
to them. and such things always fetter
ones genius. 4 boys spirit should never
! lie broken by any restraint. l wish him to
he allowed to leave the room whenever he
l.. -I,,, lin,
ed. He is frequently afflicted with head
ache, and | think the air of the school
room so unpleasant. Charles never told a
lie, did you, my darling?) so | wish you
never to doubt his word under any circum-
stances. He is very peaceable boy, and
if he ever gets into any trouble, you may
| be sure the other boys are to blame. l am
told YOU have very bad boys in this school,
and | am almost afraid to have my dear
little boy stay here, but you must watch
over him as though he were your own son.
You know that is what you're paid for.
His father often wants him to help him in
the morning, so you will excuse him when
ever he is ,ardy. And as We seldom have
dinner before one o'clock, you see that he
cannot be here before two o'clock. Sever
al times in the course Of the year we send
him into the country for few weeks at a
wish to interfere with his progress; and we
expect him always to be promoted with his
class. You know that is what you are
paid for. Charlie never could sing. Ho
has no voice for singing. His father can't
sing. He can't draw, either. l don't sec
any use in teaching boy to sing and
draw. Of course you will not expect
Charlie to sing or draw. We mean to send
him to college next year. But we thought
we could put up with this school till then.
We did not like to take him from the Their
school. His teacher cried when he left.
All the boys and girls in the room cried,
too And the principal of the other school
tried to have him stay, and went to see the
superintendent about it, and the members
of the Board, and the Mayor, and the
, Common Council, but they said they could
, not let him stay because we had moved
out of the district.
, Mr.. Z. TO an admiring(?) auditory.
/ Very poor teaching in arithmetic now a.
, DAYS in these district schools, owing partly
to lack of originality in the principals, and
partly to poor text books. | have every
text book in arithmetic published in Amer
lea during the last twenty five years, ard
. would not give them all, Walton includ-
, ed. for old Daboll. I studied old Daboll
, that's where l got my training in arithme-
/ tic; and when l was just out OF Tawny
, University, and taught for twenty dollars
5 a month, and paid my board out of that
> (and that's bigger yarn than any of you
, fellows can telr l used to make better
scholars with old Daboll than have ever
. seen SINCE And in less time, too Very
f poor teaching in arithmetic nowadays.
Q No originality in teachers of district schools
nova days.