Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-04-22
[CoMMUSIcArED
SUCCESSFUL TEACHING.

'To teach successfully, we must be
respected by parents; to be respected
by parents, We must teach successfully" J"
This is a question, which, to an un-
thinking mind, conveys but little or no
idea-to some, probably, seemingly con-
flicting.
l can cCnstrue this to mean nothing
less than that the teacher should, by
his or her labors, honesty, integrity
and attention to scholastic duties, win
that confidence and respect due from
parents to teachers. 1t will doubtlcssly
be asked, how can we enter into the full
discharge Of our trusts without the ne
cessary textbooks, which parents will
not furnish! !! How then can we obtain
their confidence ! The only rctort that
] can make is that We have not meritedit.
Each of us. as member of a literary body,
should hold oct, by our calm, sober, cour-
teous and respectful department and de-
meanor-by our incstimatlc services rcn-
dered and proposcdto be rendered in our
school rooms, special inducements to
obtain and retain the highest esteem of
our patrons, for we can ratherwork upon
the feelings Of the illiterate masses than
the brain--even so of the unthinking
educated. The converse of this is, that
you frequently hear teachers say, am
teaching an old primary school, and if
! can teach my pupils how to subtract,
multiply and divide by z, 8 and Q, Ito
gether with many other similar asser-
tions, / have accomplished all that can
be desired of me. Our salaries are not
sufficiently remunerativc for our ardu-
GUS services, and / can't work without
pay. Yet We, many of us, sit back i'll
our easy chairs five hours in the day,
and this is remuneration. Remember,
this is taken directly tothe parents. who
are earnestly toiling under the Sum-
mer's sum, amid, not unfreIuently, nu-
merous stumps, roots and hardened
clods, without the assistance of their
children. At night, although perfectly
ignorant themselves, they ask th.irchil-
dren how much three dozen eggs would
could come to attwelve and half cents
Johnnie or Sam replies seventy-tive cents.
"Not right" saws the parent. "Wcll.
pa, il is tLcn certainly eightv-scven and
a half ccnts,' &c Mind, this child has
attended school five years.
The parent some days after meets an
old negro, and says to him, "Well, I'm
Gle Charles, how many eiehts in ninety
ty-six:" "Why-why. massa, twelve -
"How many twclyes z" Eight" 1t
is, therefore, q forcCone conclusion with
that man and with parents, (for what
is true of one is SO of many.) that we
are oppressed by yourGovernment, cheat
ed hy cur representatives, imposedupon
by our school officers: and. lastly, the
mental capacity of our children ruined
or lost through the negligence of those
We work to support. will take them
home and teach them how to Law off
straight corn rows, to plant tobacco,
make OK yokos, &c, is the natural de-
termination of such PARENTS.
Can the State Board of Education.
the County School Boards or the Coun-
~ Examiners remedy this evil?
answer. no. This can only be eff
fected by the cxertions Of the teachers
themselves, but the cooperation of the
school offices are, in degree, essential
To success. We must form Associations
throughout the State, TO meet annually
ut the State Capital and monthly in the
several counties, whose basis and prin.
ciples should involve the deepes. inter.
est of the teachers. Cordial concord is
necessary, and a pledge Of mutual sup.
port to each other in every cfficial
act shcald be given. BY means OF
these Associations, we can mutually in.
terchange ideas, adopt certain rules and
regulations il the school room which
will raise US. not only in our own esti
nation, but in that of the public. ant
ty this means alone can We ever hope {,
elevate the standard ofpuhGc education
The question Is then reduced to this
that when we elevate ourselves. we alst
elevate the standard Of education. anu
thereby imrar; more learning to th,
rising generation, and rs the old adaC,
goes, that when much is given, much
will. sooner or later. he received.
1t viii be said by nv dissenting broth.
ers, that 1t is impossible 10 gain the co.
operation of al the school Offices or GU,
teachers, and that, therefore, what
have said is q sophism. Then it Is :
sophism TO say that when any brsncl
of the spinal nerves becomes irritatet
or accidentally injured, which produce.
paralysis in that portion Of the human
body to which it is distributed, that tha
body, because of one or two dcfcctiv,
parts, should cot fall down and decay