Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-05-12
EACHER'S COLUMN.
CLAY WOOD, EDITOR.

4
Practice" where I read what the teacher
should do the FIRST day of school; how be
should not trust blindly to circumstances
TO regulate the work Of the day, but thai
be should evolve In his own mind plan
Of operations, mapping out distinctly just
what must be doue by himself and by his
pupils. So he is not astogesher sc creature
Of circumstances" Will-power and intel
ligence make man master Of circumstances.
On, author e.ys nothing about the lest
day Of school and 90 / wilt hare subject.
And what wish to say Is not about the
last day that the scholar 10 to attend school,
the day when be is to bid farewell to
study and educational, effort. This, to my
mind, is almost = solemn e death, for to
. great extent his fate is fixed for oil the
vast future.
But ! wish to speak Of On appropriate
manner Of conducting the last days work
Of the average four or six mosths tsrn.
know that this is a matter Of no little CON-
Germ to the teacher himself, ~ veil q TO
the children who are sxpectant Of some.
thing little uncommon on the last day.
And first, | should not advocsts Whist
are usually termed exhibitions. Frequent
ly three or four weeks of the school are
absolutely squandered in preparing for
these exhibitions. Complaint has been
made to me about the precious time OF the
children having been occupied In commit
ting even worse than ssnseless dialogues,
in preparing tableaux that were Of very
dubious proprlssy, and erecting stages in
the school-house on which boys with masks
or blackened faces and nondescript clothes
performed all sorts Of bnffoonsry. can
hardly express my disapprobatiou Of eli
this in q sufficiently emphatic manner.
The teacher should control the whole
subject. He should assign subjects on
which bis advanced pupils should write
essays; and thus, 10 advance, exonerais
them from the singing charge Of plagiar-
ism. He should encourage those larger
boys who are painting with ambition to |
make something Of themselves in the world,
TO prepare original orasions. Selections |
from Shakespeare, from Milton. from Eng.
lish and American authors Of classical |
merit, should be committed By the bright !
Dnes and acclaimed. Better have the
younger pupils commit column from the
multiplication table and ray It than to PR
NIT them to indulge In 1
sscis; pig pig an. nd s way Il run run |
and such like diddle from Mother Gooso
or the comic almanac. dropped In upon
q school last gu MINER, aud ~ II VA Friday
afternoon, rhetorical exercises" were 10
the programme. About half dozen such
pieces as the above were "got off, tile
teacher being altogether unaware Of the
character OF the selection until after its de.
livery.
4 reiterste that tue teacher 10 to control
the subject and be held responsible Tor the
failure. prefer review and examination
Tor the last day, or last two days, rather
han anything in the shape Of rhetoric. OF
defamation. And-but may be the tn:
,entive 10 little selRsh-1 should cot out |
With the understanding that there should
% grand review At the last Of school, and
prepare for Il from the very drst, but not
or the sole purpose Of display. II there |
'nything wrong in trying to attain the
GOD will snd the praise Of our fellows, by |
oing good work Ifs tsAshsr advauces |
is scholars BY being indsstSioes and fiith.
Vi, the pride hs may lake VIII b. perfectly |
aeitimate and . part Of hin pay.