The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-11-21
COMMUNICATED
HINTS TO TEACHERS

I'D E1DiT0R FIREMAN. noticed in your last issue
qpiie list OF questions" proposed for discussion
az the forthcoming Teachers Institute to be held
IN JOhnstown. The questions and subjects therein
made public, for general discussion will afford
properly primed, and will enable them to Ciiiate
understandlngly upon one or all ofthe propositions
contained IN the list But lest some of our instruc-
tors OF youth should not have time to enter into The
meat OF the egg, as it were, we will throw out a
lew useful hints which may be of value to them in
IIGgieIlnE up the propositions to be submitted. In
doing his we will be as concise a possible Now
III the first place, let impress uDon the mind OF
tile Ieacher that when he or she tackles of
these questions it should be his or her firm deter
nllnitoh 10 astonish the listeners. The first pro-
as follows: ~ = io''U'
THE BEST METHOD OF TEACHING PRIMARY
One instructor has one way of fnfusing knowl-
edge oil TINS subject into the mind of docic pupil
Whlle another Will be found TO pursue an entirely
different method. Our plan would be-and it is
merely as a suggestion-that the Uranium of the
pupil might be punctured by three-quarter inch
auSer hole and suitable quantity of nitro-glvcer-
inc could then be exploded in the cavity. In all
probability this would form a vacuum. and me-
dunn would thus be afforded wherein could be To-
Gated four five reading books
As the series of text books for the rapid acquire
ment of knowledge of the art of reading. in our
public schools is changed every year so, the ad-
vantages of our plan will be obvious The old
''best method can he withdrawn when occasion re.
qures, and the new Improved method can be in
serted at a moments notice If the reading book
must be crdmmcd into the pupils head in this way,
the only difference between our plan and that in
general use is in the fact that the work is done a
earlier DAYS we hare observed children commences
and finally. as they progressed by degrees accom-
plish the task of learning to read.
The Cambria Scientific Institute located at
JohnstOwn, propounds the following:
How DO YOU TEACH THE ALPHABET? 90
Personally, we don't teach it at all, but we have
would be exceedingly simple and we believe a
statement of it will open up field of thought that
teacher. First we would provide a large card
board. containing all the letters of the English al
- ffy npt TaFNr
les thrown in by way of dessert. We should then
carefully make known to the pupil the names Of
those letters In a casual kind of a way would
exhibit bottle of castor oil to the tender little
no necessity for reading the lakeland we would
also call its early attention to rawhide, with ele
gantly painted stripes thereon, in imitation Of the
varied hues of the rainbow. A teaspoonful of the
greasy liquid would be administered for the first
oftense of missing a letter, and a duplicate dose
with gentle application of the rawhide, would
II this course was judicously followed up would
have fears for the rCsult-that is, would have
completely. The cleaning out of the school-room
would be an after consideration.
We have only time to answer more question
that offered by the Ebensburg Educational In
stitute. That learned body comes at the teachers
with the following:
''How MAY THE MoNoToSY OF ROLL-CALL BE RE
This is a subject on which we are perfectly at
homo. A pack of Chinese fire crackers, ignited
Immediately after the first name has been called,
would lend an agreeable diversity to the occasion.
Or, II the teacher would provide each boy with a
brass barreed pistol and require him to fire it off
as his name is called, the mOnOtonOus sing
ing out of the would not be specially noticed
This little pleasantly might be varied by the scalp
ing of the boy who should fail to fire promptly
time, or the fracturing of his arms or legs with
the poker. The delinquent would not likely be
foTgetful second time and the business of doctors
and newspaper reporters would he ma terially en-
hanced. Compelling each boy to stand on his head
in line his name called would also vary the
monOtony of roII-cal, and the interest in this per
fOrmancc would be heigh ened by the boy who had
just answered remarkng. ''CO it. old buster.'
while the next boy was getting ready to invert
himself These are few of the ways we would
suggest and the good of the teacher will en-
able him to think of others equally effective
HEAD OF FIVE