Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-05-28

We give TO our classes a text book to be
finished in certain time but the time is
too short, and at its close their vague, half.
formed conceptions Of the subject are speed
| lily crowded out by new set equally vague
aud Informed these in turn to give place
10 others Of their kind, until at last the
mind has lost It's power to form a clear,
distinct conception, because, alas it has
never formed one.
Now We cannot too often call to mind
the fact that the school is not a examining
machine to which pupils arc sent to be stuff.
ed with facts, or even with knowledge Of
any sort that their main business is, not
to gain knowledge, but to gain the power to
gain it, And thus it becomes Of the ut
most importance, not cbai they learn, bat
60ic they learn IT, Let the power to form
conceptions clearly, TO retain them perma-
neutly and apply them correctly,-let this
p wcr be developed and disciplined, and it
matters little that our pupils make but
[ poor show at examination il matters lii.
tie that they carry away but small sup
lpy Of facts in physical science, in history
OF in literature.
For intellectual power, properly cult.
waited, will make its own acquisitions 10
after life and il viii make them all the
more surely aud rapidly, if it is not too
much forced aud crowded in It's carly de-
velopment
We run to extremes 10 everything Not
long ago cur State awoke to the startling
fact that our pupils were leaving school ia
shameful ignorance Of everything pertain
ing to the geography of Vernon. There
upon a text book was put into our schools,
aud in some Of them the teachers, not con-
tent with making the pupils learn the main
facts compelled them to commit the names
OF all the towns in every county 10 their
proper order, and to bound them al.
\ few years ago the organization Of our
schools was wretehod enough now they
are graded as perfectly os o staircase, where
every step exists only as q means 70 reach
the next higher What matters it that
some cloar.eyed teacher, surveying her
class all ready for promotion, secs three or
four nervous, restless. puny little things,
whose minds are growing faster than their
bodies, and knows that to send them up will
ensure their certain harm2 What avals
it that she pleads for liberty to keep them
back ? Parental vanity will not hear
word the committee are satisfied if the re-
: quired examination is passed and 50 the
children are hurried along, and the little
mind, fearfuly aud wonderfully made by
y, God, is feariuly marred by such wretched
treatment. And the very slow ones are
not less injured by the same process. A
slow child is not, therefore, fool there
y ] T.. ,gr L a..
one Of quicker wits, but it often remains
forever latent, because its growth is check
4 ed by over-pressure at the very outset.
1t is doubtless true that this evil Of ox-
; cessive gradatiou does not at present exist
in most Of our Vermont schools, but it is
an inevitable tendency Of the system,
= againt which we do well to guard, lest there
n come before long too strong reaction in the
opposite direction.
! But not the least evil, because the parent
. OF 80 many others, is our cumbrous system
Of marking, reports and merit cards. For
- the wee little ones we confess we like the
= merit cards just because they like them
" And tho the little rogue who can never sit
- still and never wins card, wins our hearts
just the same iorall that yet itisa pleasant
: thing to see the childish delight with which
they carry home and show to loving friends
\ these trophies Of their first great victories.
But When they have outgrowu their early
childhood aud have entered cur high schools,
= expected to demean themselves like young
men and young women, and to be treated as
: such, the custom seems strangely puerile.
=, Aud as we recall some Of the classmates
~ aud friends Of our own school day, inspired
~ as VIC knew them with lofty purposes and a
noble enthusiasm We sec them smile at
a the improved system that would give them
little card, as reward of merit, at the
end Of every week.
As to marking, suppose all teachers
" will agree that it is at best only a necessary
>, evil-but our system exalts it to such rank
- that it would seem to be the main object of
- the pupils life to get good marks, aad of
y, the teachers TO give them. We say moth
~, ing of the temptation to give too high
= ma.ks, which every teacher feels aud which
= but few can resist. We say nothing of the
- jealouses and hard feeling too often caused
nothing of the foverish excitement often
~ seen in our best aud most sensitive pupils,
y the dread lest they should miss question and
~ lose perfect mark, 50 strong as to take away
ty All thos, things are eyidont onongb Bnt
y thare is ana noint wa wo,ld Ete ~ s,,,,os,
for the eonsijeration Of teachers ths
to scbool ovists far Tho dovelonmert of char-
to aeter mo less than for mental discinline n,ov
ig tbore not he sometbing nositivclv harmful
or IN giying punils their renorts as offen a.
n once a Week or once \ lortniabt or cven
IN once month ?
IS Does il not te,ch th,m to ann at ;,onel;.
OF ate and tangible rcsuI.s and so toke awav
That element Of nncertaintv that en,ers ante ;nto
II all our hest work? II Is trne thew nav
to GROW careless. bnt II ia trua too thai thcy
as nav he tangbt Ia look forward to tho end
ne of Tho term or the end of tbe vcar rs we'll
ne ns IN the end of tho week Surely the area,
ne ..ues of lite ara varv remo,o anJ - In
lh ,,ngible and his ba6it Of looting sarYord
r. m renote ends his sniri,nal Coresiabt hi.
as mower of nnnrebcndipa rnture ,hipgs os h
M Q -