Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-01-09
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.,
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT.
Indianapolis, October 81, 1879.
To School Examiners,

pOAt w q Opui oC vi StuA1 uh-
graded schools was received and approved,
and copies directed to be issued TO you
for the benefit OF The teachers in your
county. 1on are requested to have the
report published in your county papers
is hoped ihat no edi,nr will refuse 10 pub
lish il TOR want of c clmpenoati IN.
Report Of the Committee Of the Isliana
St,tte Botrd IF Elac'ttaOa, uppotntsd to
prepare Coarse Of Study for tie Un-
gr,tded Schools Of tue Sttte.
Your committee respectfully report
that they are unable to prescribe definite
ly any course OF study for Ungraded
schools. Their inability arises from the
diversity of the conditions necessary to
secure uniformity. These are
l.. The inequali y in the length OF
school terms.
2. The shortness of the terms gener
ally.
3. The inexperience and ineffciency of
the teachers, and
4 The want of thorough. systematic,
intelligent supervision of tie schools:
tisst. 1t is evident that unless there
is uniformity i'll the length of the school
terms, there can not be much uniformity
i'll the studies or the rale of progress.
The remedy for tlii, is with the people
Second. The shortness of the school
terms generally preclldes the idea Sc
curing Il sufficient n;lpiDer of maj ured men
and wemen as teachers. Teaching is \ lem
porary employment rather than protes-
sion, consequently comparatively few
except young, undeveloped and inexperi
enccd persons are engaged in il, and many
ni these leave the schools As soon as they
secure more permanent and reinunerative
en- ployment. Constant employment is
necessary to induce young people to make
| teaching profession. The remedy 10.
| his lies with the people
Third The want of constant employ
ment prevents. to a considerable extent, u
professional prepa alton and as ii conse
quence many persons are selected To teacl,
who are unable to organize, discipline
gov ern, or Instruct i school. Under sucn
c!rcum stances i Is not surpli ing that the
studies and rate of progress are determined
J by the children or their parents, and Not
| by the teacher The remedy for th, is in
IA more rigid scrutiny of the qualification
4 OF the teachers.
Fourth. AS long as teachers are elect
ed 6y the people they Will conform to the
wishes OF their constituents in all ha
| ertalns To the management of theii
| schools. 1t Will, therefore, be impOssiJl,
to secure any uniformity in organization
cla>si cation and method of instruction
until the di eciion of the schools is tran,
terred from the parents to the hands ot al
Intelligent and efficient County Superin
tende t. The remedy for tbs evil e,
with the Legislature.
All that your Committee feel js>iiiet
Ill doing under present cream stances j.
to make a few sngge tons, which !;
adop ed, will ecnnomiZe the time of th,
teachers and increase the efficiency O.
their schools:
! First. There should be but one serie.
OF books of any Kind i'll The same school
The diversity in readers arilhnetics, geo
@raphies, etc, j. detrimental to prugres.
BECAUSE il CONSUMES The lime of the teach
Ell unnecessarily, and prevents til ,rnugl
Classification AM instruction The RENE
dy for the diversity of school b ,uks lie.
"iih the trustee.
| Second. Every pupil should he expect
ed 10 read, write and spell every day
These studle, are the basis of IA good edu
/ - I'm di4Ni ACNILNS = GSfttHt ttttu
tion. No one can be too proficient il
these essential branches
Tnird A The Fifth and Sixth Read
ers OF every series in Use, con ain til,
choicest and at the same lime the IN d,
difficult seiec ions of Engli,h literature
the time tina, i, usually Speni by imm itut,
pupils in attempting to read Them, i
worse than wasted The true test o
every reading exercise is not the liuenc,
with " Mhich the wo:ds are repeated, Oh
is the intelligent apprecia!i IN of III,
Thoughts III the author Ii child EN- rea,
the Fourth Reader tiuently, undcrsran,
the sentiments il Contains, spell and de
line its words, they are d ing all that cal
be well done ordinarily in an uns iadet
school.
Fourth. Little children of ordinary in
telligence, six years OF age, III ~ be laugh
to read with considerable 1llency, ant
spell the first thirty pages of any OF Ih,
irst headers in Use, during the iirst tou
months of school. Every child Shpult
be furnished with slate. aid should b
taught To count, make figures, and prin
tie words of til, book. The best teach
ing is done by the aid of the blackboard
The spelling book should not De used b.
little children, as the primer or irs
reader furnishes all that i, necessary.
Fifth. Spelling should be made an in
strumentality for The intelligent study q
language. Preference should he given |,
the words in Common Use, such as ar
found in the readers Advanced pupil
should have their knowledge of the re..dln;
lesson tested by requiring them to writ
an ANALYSIS OF it. The spelling lessor
should be written from dictation. in ora
spelling, every word spelled should nav
lis Correct use illustrated by being put in
to a sentence.
!. Slrth. In Arithmetic pupils shoul
. be drilled thoroughly to wite numbers
to add. suostr"ci, multiply and diyid
with ease and accuracy. before they ar
pelHliSfed to proceed to the more com
plex operations. 1t is not unusual to i'm
/ pupils working IN per centage and the es
| traction rf roots VI no can not wiitc sin
pie numbers or recite the multiplicatlo
liable with accuracy
SEQ nth. Pupils who have nststered tn
Second and Third Readers should con
mence the systematic study of efimar
Geography and Elementary Arithmetic
Eighth A text book in granma
should not be introduced until the uupi
are able to read fiuently and inteiliteatl
lin the Fourth Reader