Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-01-20

= | would earnestly recommer
Is that something be done for Il
~ more profitable employment Of Ii
Sc time of the younger pupils. 1t a
pt ways has been the case, and prof.
7" ably always will be, that the sma
D. scholars, just beginning, neve
le learn much except in class, const
. quently, rs
> "satan finds some mischief sin ..'- @.
Is For idle hands 10 do" h.-rr 90.
:, the successful. teacher must resor
Il TO almost every eXpedient to kce]
y the young tyros within bounds. Ii
schools as large as our primar,
schools are, but very little time car
be afforded by the teacher for thi:
. purpose, for if every moment
should be used in reoitations each
day, the teacher could give scarce
~ five minutes to each
lpupil daring the whole day. And
when we recollect that not only
much, if not most Of the time of
the little ones, is wasted while at
their seats, but the same is true in
class, the wonder is how they ever
learn as much as they do. aaH
D. With very little expense much
has been done, and may be done to
increase the facilities for the profit
able employment of their time.
For this purpose, | do not know of
anything that would be more profit
able, and at the same time cheap,
than kind Of table, say ten or IF
teen feet in length, by about two
and a half in width, and twenty |
inches or two feet in hight, the bed |
of the table to, be divided by par
titions about half an inch high, in
to spaces, perhaps foot and a half
square, each space to be supplied
with cubical blocks of uniform size,
or with any convenient objects
these to be used by the pupils,
first, perhaps for amusement and to
keep them from mischief, and fin
ally for learning how to count by
means Of tangible objects. Also, to
add, subtract. multiply and divide,
which, you know, may be easily
done by means of objects, thus
the dry bones of arith-
netic with little toothsome flesh.
With this and one other piece of
] refer to the A,ithmet-
icals Chart, very much might be
lone to turn to practical account
very many idle hours, and even
worse than idle hours. If children
become habituated to idleness in
the school room, as they most sure
~ will, unless provided with some
thing to do, then there will be a
constant warfare between the teach
er and the pupils, until that habit
Of idleness and inattention is brok-
EN- up and destroyed. And it is
melancholy fact, that in a surpris-
ingly large number Of cases it is
never eradicated. My plan would
be to furnish some pleasant employ
mcnt, profitable if possible, to ev-
cry little hand and eye in the school
room, teaching by all possible
means, that nota moment is to be
spent ~ mischief, or what is ten
times worse, dlowsily sitting like a
post and gazing at vacancy. fh i'0
The Aiithmetical Chart to which |
i have referred, should, / believe,
be in every school in the building.
It's importance and value can hard |
ly be overestimated. Not only is it |
an extraordinary piece of labor
saving apparatus, but il teacher
rapidity and accuracy, scarcely at
tainable by any other means. 1t is
in the school room, what the now
er is in the bayfield,. To be sure
it is expensive, (s25,) but by no
means as expensive as the teachers
time which is used to accomplish
the same purpose. The workman
should be provided with good tools
if We expect good results.
| presume it is unnecessary for
me to urge for your consideration
the necessary steps. for the estab-
lishment OF High School Depart
ment. .. .r
According to our course of study |
for this department, the Natural
Science justly hold a very promin-
ent place. It provides for the
study of Natural Philosophy, Phys
zeal Geography, Geology, Botany,
Physiology, Chemistry and Astron-
omy. In order that any of these
may be taught successfully, n Ger.
tain amount of apparatus or speci-
mems, is necessary. This appara-
tus, besides being necessary in
teaching these, branches, may be
used with very great profit in all
the schools from the Primary I'D.
Pupils need just such an incentive
TO induce them to persist in their
work, until they shall be able to
study the subjects themselves. And
like children of larger growth.
they want to look adead, and know
what they are working for. We
ought also to make provisions for
cabinet of miscellaneous specimens.
which could be collected with sur
prising ease, this being probably as
good point for collecting speci-
mems as there is in the southern
peninsula / 600 no raoeon xyb,, ,,.o