Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-08-23
Teachers InSaitute.

Notwithstanding the heavy ralu, there Was
lar attendance at Peabody hall ,us mOrulug.
All the city teachers except four three Of
whom are sick, aud One-half of those empiOyed
IN the county, were present, besides Two pub
lie school teachers from Fairfax, one iroui Anne
Arundel county, Nd, and several teachers OF
private schools attended. Mr.. ii. B. Whit
tlngton, OF the School Board, was also present.
A brlef opening address was delivered by
Cly superintendent Carne, 10 which he spoke
OF the dignity OF the teachers office, and the
high qualifications which men and women ought
TO bring to 1t. A man who without study
should set up tor physician would be called
quack and would BIZ employed by none but
the grossly Ignorant, aud uu mau would cntrust
his rights OF property to him who Was not CIR
tilted to be learned IN the law, aud teachers, If
they would be respected aud use,u must em-
brace every opportunity OF Instruction.. lie
mac expected several lecturers, but they had
all Jailed him but Que, who was, however, q
host 10 himself, Hon NJ. a Newell, State Su.
pcrlnteudeDt of Maryland, whom lcinlrcduccd.
MT. Newell began by saying that though he
was not exactly born III a sca0ol rOom, he was
brought up IN one, aud had never in his lite
lived hundred yards from one. He then pro-
ceedcd to speak On the teaching of spelling,
first holding up the old style OF teaching A, &,
Us to rldlcule, and Insisting that as children
loved to work they should BE- allowed slate
and pencil, or still better: some good clay, and
copy the letters from the black board, not 10
alphabetical ORDER but according to their sim
pllclty, FIRST the line and then the curved ones
The commandments OF the old lashioued teacher
had been, Thou shall not 10 this and that, 4"
anu children We're to sit Eve hours and half
dong nothing, but, fortunately natures COM
man iments we're stronger, and they broke the
| teachers. lie used to stick pins in bis neigh
Dor and 1t was decidedly better than doing
nothing at all. He illustrated his remarks fully
on the black board, and replied to questions
from several teachers who Wished further OK.
plantations.
Superintendent Carne followed with an adj
dress on School Management. The first rcoui-
| site, be said, was a love for the work and your
pupils. Ii you loved yvur pupils they would
love you. Ii you taught merely for dollar
aud half or two dollars j day, the sooner the
School B,ard supplied your place the better,
| Tor you would never manage a school.
Superintendent Newell then spoke on the
teaching of reading, explaining The word
mc,hod, why should the child be taught to
say, Il t it, is Is, a-D, an, Ok OK" when it
could be just Us easily DC taught to read, 1T is
an OK, at ouea. lie illustrated this with some
Greek words, which people never learned to
SMELL, as we usually do English, yet which no
Greek scholar or learned person ever misspelI-
ed. He then wrote on the board, "Avez vous
lie pain Oul, mouseurja Iai and d. fed any
body present who did not understand French
to pronounce it properly; yet that, be said
was what teachers were trying to make child.
rem do with English. Our in Frcuch and
I'VE" IN Easlish sounded just alike, yet they
had 20 letter the same; the truth was, the
names of the letters as We called them had
nothing to do with spelling the word and need
not be taught.
Superintendent Carne then resumed the
subject OF school management, giving more in
detail the methods he recommended, aud some
remarks Oh the same sutj2cr were made, at his
request, by Superintendent Newell
As the weather was 50, bad, it was decided
to have 20 afternoon session, and at halt: past
one the Institute adouaned 10 a. N. to-
morrow
Mr.. Newell is very witty and pleasant
speaker, and visit to Peabody Hall to- morrow
will repay any of our citizens who can spare
even half an hour