The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-04
EDUCATIONAL.
CONDUCTED By PROF. S. 5. nARcocK
SCHOOL MISTRRSSES.

bCou IA tAlS udDsb Oi ultcI10H IL
most daily in the recitation room
during the half year just passed
have gone ont into the distric'
schools of the State as teachers
Some Of these have gone fortf
with moro or less experience, an6
and are we'll aware Of the Difficult
| ties they must encounter; Others
are going forth for the first time
full of hope, and in the firm belize
that teaching is not hard work
for no one who has not taughf
will believe that school teaching
can be SO hard as teachers persist
in declaring it to be. And it is
for the novices We have the most
to fear. They sail sea with
whose chart they are more or less
familiar, bnt they are totally ig.
norant of the winds and currents
They are, at least many of them
are, pretty we'll versed in the
theory OF navigation, but as YET
they have had no practice. What
storms they may expect they
know not; where to look for
friendly currents, or how to shun
adverse ones they must yet learn.
And it is in behalf of these we
pen these lines. We have seen so
many sensitive natures, whose
real worth, could it have had o
fair, chance to develop itself, would
have been great, crushed by want
Of proper aid, that we never see a
young girl enter a school for the
first time without fear for the re-
suit. 1t is then to the fathers and
mothers in the school districts We
write.
Do you find it difficult to con-
troll and manage, without attempt
ing to teach, four or five little
ones? Well, here is girl, say of
eighteen, who has had no practice,
and consequently can have no
skill in the art of governing. She
is anxious to teach; she believes
that she has the ability to make
your children learn. She does not
think SO much of the governing
portion of her task; her whole
idea is teach. You and We, how
ever, know that she will find her
greatest task in management, at
least until after her authority is
established in her little kingdom.
And herein lies her danger, and
this You ought to remove or very
much lessen, for frequently the
very best material for teachers is
thrown away because the first
school is failure, but good teach
ers are too few TO be wasted in
this manner. Now, If, during this
spring and summer, you will feel
that you are responsible for the
conduct OF your children while in
school, and make them feel that
your authority follows them into
the school-room, the labor of the
teacher will be expended in the
right channel. She will have n
fair chance to prove whether she
is capable of teaching, and not
being required to waste all her
strength upon the discipline of
her school, you will be surprised
at the rapid advance your children
will make in their studies. Fur
ther than this, take the teachers
of your schools into your hearts
as we'll as your homes, and you
will be surprised at the faithful
devotion the most of them possess.
Do You ever think, that as rule,
teachers lie awake moro hours in
the hush of night on account Of
Your children than yon do indi-
vidually? All, yes; and they often
shed tears of sorrow that they can
not bring your John, or your
Mary to do the right, or to make
that progress which only lack of
disposition to do keeps him or her
from doing. Advice is better
than fault finding in nine cases
ont of every ten. Be careful then
not to reverse the rule. We wish
we could make you teel as forcibly
as we do the real good that comes
from loving and timely sympathy
and advice. Some of you do this,
doubtless, but il has been our ex-
perience that people are usually
surprised if they are told that
teachers need or desire anything
more than praise or criticism; the
praise to please the teachers, the
criticism to please their patrons.