The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1873-08-28
REPORT OF TEACHERS EXAMINA-
TION, -4-s-b

certificates before the opening OF the
schools, and to afford members of the in
stitute an opportunity to ascertain what
progress they had made during the SEES
sion. The common school branches were
partially reviewed in the four weeks pre-
ceding, and some Of the questions sub
mitted at the examination were intended
to test the efficiency of the instruction
that was given, and to allow members
who had attended regularly and studied
faithfully, to profit by their efforts. In
most cases the papers written at the ex-
animation prove that the time spent at
the institute was well improved, for these
papers are better, on the whole, both in
matter and form, than those of proceed
ing examinations.
Thirty-six applicants were examined
and certificates have been issued to the
following named persons. the papers
being marked on scale of 100:
THIRD GRADE.
AVERAGE BETWEEN 80 AND 90.
Ella V. Sackett.
AVERAGE BETWEEN 70 AND 80.
Emma A. Peck. Annie G. Burnet,
Jennie S. Hodges, Catharine Stitt,
Alice 2. Canright, Mary l.. Shove.
AVERAGE BETWEEN 60 AND 70.
Mary Boettcher, Mary A. Nelson.
Nellie S. Hodges,
LIMITED CERTIFICATES
AVERAGE BETWEEN SO AND 60.
Charlotte Hecker, Annie Maggie,
Aurelia Lawrence, Louise Hoekemeyer,
SarahiShermaD. Gertie Sibree,
AVERAGE BETWEEN 40 AND so.
Thomas Gallogly. Mary Walsh,
Emily Wright, Mary Wright,
Fannie O'Connor, Mary s. Hubbard,
Julia E. Kicker, Mrs. l.. E. Beach.
At any examination, papers can be Sc
lected by the examiner which illustrate
the evils of erroneous teaching and mis-
directed endeavors to acquire knowledge.
Applicants who have been taughtto think
and reason for themselves prefer examina-
| tion-questions which are comprehensive
In character to those which are narrow
in scope and technical in meaning. Other
applicants can not answer questions of
| the former class because their training
has been SO defective that they are una
BILE to generaiize. They can write short
answers to specific questions, but are
powerless to discuss topic. They were
taught in poor schools, Dy teachers who
asked only the questions found in text
books aud permitted the pupils to reply
in monosyllables never requiring them
to make full. connected statements of
their knowledge of given subject. Ques-
tions are often so worded as to contain
the substance of the answers, or to indi-
cate to the pupil the reply he is expect
ed to make, and he is spared the exer-
ton which would educate him. Teaching
of this nature leaves the pupil weak and
dependent; he waits to be questioned"
before he ventures an assertion, and when
he leaves school and is put upon his own
resources he falls helplessly while at
tempting to surmourt the first difficulty
in his way. AT an examination his i'm
potence is pitiable, but the teaching of
which it is the result is criminal. Had
he been led to think as we'll as to recite, to
reason as we'll as to memorize, to reflect
after reading, to digest rather than to
cram, and to understand the import of
words instead Of the art of mouthing
| them, he might some day become a self
reliant man, able to grasp and master
the problems of life he is now but a
poor weakling without sufficient mental
power to solve familiar problem in
arithmetic unless he has the book before
him and his eyes upon the rule. Topical
Rotations, ample drill, questions which
test the pupils knowledge rather than
aid him to answer, and frequent written
examinations will avert the failures re-
ferIed to, and In many of our mixed
schools may be proftably substituted for
the condition of things just described
which is misnamed course of instruc-
ton.
We have some teachers, who, after
years of experience, are to-day unable to
secure full third grade certificates because
Of their dependence on textbooks. They
| do not prepare for Rotations by famili-
arizing themselves with the matter of the
lessons assigned, and then studying ar
rangement and methods of presenting
| subjects to their classes; but rely wholly
on textbooks. use them at every recita-
| ton, and consult them to determine the
correctness of every answer given by their
pupils. The minds of these teachers
grow inactive, thought becomes distaste-
| full and distressing to them, and though
they teach twenty years, pursuing this
course, they gain no intellectual strength,
| and their certificates, unless compliment
| tary, must continue to be limited. Were
it allowable to refer to textbooks at ex-
aminations, these applicants could write
lengthy treatises on the various subjects
but the use Of books being prohibited,
their sketches of Daniel Webster life
are comprised in the statement that " he
was very great man - or, that che
was celebrated statesman and was sandy
complected;' and kindred topics are SIM
ilarly disposed of Contrast with this
imbecility the vigor, earnestness and ac-
curacy which characterize the work of
our competent teachers at examinations,
and you can easily distinguish the scholar
from the uneducated applicant or the
mere bookworm. The one has his wits
about him, his resources are available.
and his eudeavors are directed not alone
| to obtain certi6cate,-he is determined
to secure creditabe standing as we'll;
the other writes few fragmentary
answers and then languidly awaits the
next subject, hoping the questions may
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