Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-06-09
T EACHER'S COLU MN.
CLAY WOOD, EDITOR.

Tho importance of cultivating Ian
guage cannot be overestimated. I'm
al the schools visit, find the :" art
Of speaking the English language" !"
the great obstacle in the way Of either
inparting or receiving ideas. Hence
attempt to teach something in the
shape Of language lesson. The true
function Of the teacher 10 to ascertain
the need Of the pupil, and then teach
with An idea to supply them.
In many of the rural districte, 90
destitute aro the children Of . knowl-
edge Of words, that it is next to i'm
possible to frame the simplest propo-
sttion 80 that it may be understood.
Boys In their teens can, only with the
greatest difficulty, describe, in an in
telligible manner, the road to the next
school house, or the difference of shape
existing between lead pencil and q
nickle. II called upon to testify in
court, they could not tell what they
knew OF matter, and would be the
object Of the greatest commiserAtion.
And yet teachers spend three fourths
OF their time in trying to teach such
boys the intricacies Of fractions! That
10 Of the most importance which is
used most. and on which everything
else depends.
OF course parents and teachers are
to blame, and not the children. The
children drink in what is poured out
to them. I suppose that If it were
possible to separate child from hu-
man society at early infancy, and let
It grow mp among dogs and hogs and
sheep, tho only language that it would
use would be barking and grunting
and bleating. II, then, the child only
uses such language as is taught to 1t,
how important that It be taught the
purest, the most chaste, and the most
accurate.
SWriting, . cognate branch, is equal
ly neglected. Every child in Wapel-
10 county, above the age of eight years,
should be learning to write and when
some degree Of legibility 10 attained, ,
many Of the Lessons should bc pre-
pared in writing, generally on the
slate, sometimes on the black board
rarely In manuscript. It does seem to
me that II Ill the pupils have slates,
and can write, that It is not an object
Of such terrible magnitude to manage
Q school. Only when children are
idle does mischief originate.
Lot mo see II / can indicate how
this matter can be taught. In the frs
place, I will say how not to do il.
Then, In the name of reason, have
nothing to do with those nuisances
called primary grammars. Declention
OF nouns and cenjugation Of verbs are
Ill right after while, but out Of place
here.
The exercises may be oral or writ.
ten. and perhaps It 10 best to vary
them. Let all who have states and
pencils be ready. The teacher may
say to them: 81 want You TO write or
your states the names of all the birds
and the flowers, Ill the different trees,
and the names of any animals you
may have noticed as You came to
school this morning. Be careful in the
spelling, use Of capitals, and In the
writing, % I shall examine each slate" )"
Hsving examined the slstes and cor
| rected the errors, the teacher may take
any object, - bird's nest, for exam
ple. and have oil write what they can
| In description Of it; and be sure tc
commend, - far - you can safely, buI
do not condemn any. Your scorn MAY
do damage to the sensitive child
that can never be repaired.
Another plan which gives compas
to language: Lot each take Q certail
letter, % "m," for example, and, al
the books being removed, let each pre-
pare % large . list % he can, in tn
time allotted, each word commencin,
with this initial letter. Or, again, le
each prepare class OF words, which
in their meaning, shall have rcfercnc
to given subject, as IL the air, TO
example. We must see, that from th
! very nature of the exercises, the schoo
( 10 getting . wider graop Of the subjec'
But my space b full.