The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-02-15
EDUCATIONAL.
SCHOOL GOVERNMENT.

IL eS'1cH SCHOOL requires ability to
govern school. One may be good
disclplinarian without being n good in
structor, but he cannot be a good in
structor without being good disciplin-
arian. The Law of good school is OF
! der, and he who cannot maintain this
law, has no business to engage in the
teachers profession
A teacher must be in the right condi-
ton physically, mentally and morally.
Ii he IS not sound physically, if his
health Is poor, he in consequence lacks
the energy and endurance which he is
constantly called upon to exercise. If
he lacks common sense, he will constant
ly fall into the misbap of doing impru-
dent things which cause disrespect
among the pupils, and often dislike for
their master. If he has not the neces-
sary learning, his pupils will soon begin
to doubt his authority, and the teacher
may soon be convinced that KNOWLEDGE
IS Power If he does not practice what
he breaches, his scholars will of course
be aware of the fact that he talks morals
because he is paid for if, and his admo-
nltlons will have no more effect on them
than on the desks before them.
To succeed in governing a school, the
! teachers first aim should be to make his
children love him. Love is stronger
than fear. Teachers will be loved by
their pupils, when the latter are loved
! by them. The teachers love can be
shown in connection with the regular
school duties; but it is perhaps more eff
| fectlve when shown outside of their reg
ular school hours for when a child
sees that he has the teachers sympathy
also at times when he is not paid for it,
he will receive 1T with much greater graf
itude. The teacher should not only take
an interest i'll the pupils pursuits, but
! should also take pleasure in his COM
pany. 1t cannot be too emphatically
| stated that teacher must not expect his
pupils to be models in respect to pune
! tuality, order, ETC., if lie is deficient in
| these respects himself As the teacher
SO the school. A noisy teacher has
noisy school.
! Idleness Is the mother Of mischief
Activity is a natural propensity of child
hood. It is the duty of parents and
! teachers TO furnish the child with proper
means to satisfy this propensity, and to
lead it into the right channel. II this is
neglected, the child will find tie means
itself wherewith to satisfy It's nature,
and, as result, those activities will be
exercised often on improper objects.
Pupils must be kept busy. Most of the
I mischief in school arises from tile chill
,lren having nothing to do, or nothing
which 10 them is doing. Mere study is
for most pupils no work. A person of
culture can devote several hours in sue
cession to study, student in college
! does more at learning hOeO to study than
at independent study but a pupil, as
long rs he is a real pupil and not stu
dent, is to be trained by exercises to OBJ
serve, to think, and to do things proper
! ly. Young children naturally learn by
doing, by actiUity. No greater mistake
can be made in the practice of teaching
than teacher makes when he assigns
! three-fourths of the time every day to
study ; it is almost as bad as to let the
pupil spend tits time in idleness. If a
/ . h
for study, the average members Of it
will not make good use of one-fifth of it.
In the above we do not refer to study as
it is always neces sarily connected with
intelligent exercise, as in writing, draw
ing, conversation, reading, defamation,
ETC., but study as operating only on the
mind. A good old maxim is, Give
child something to do in connection with
every lesson. This principal carried out
viii secure better learning Of lessons and
also better order in school. The reason
is this: Abstract study is loathsome to
the pupil, while concrete study in the
exercise OF producing something is pleas
ing to him. Some teachers can keep
their pupils out of mishief without busy
ing them ; they have the faculty of in
fusing their pupils with so much dread,
that they willingly sit all day like stat
ueS.
Pupils should gradually learn to gov
ern themselves but they can only learn
this by exercise. If pupils are not free
to act to some extent as they see fit, they
will never learn to control their actions.
It is well known fact that those who
enjoy the fewast liberties at home are
the most unruly when not under their
parents eye.
In the government of a school it is
important that the teacher be just both
in the giving of rewards and in the in
fiicting of pInishlaents. Rewards and
punishments should also be of the prop
er kind. The school should be so gov
erned that natural rewards follow doing
right, and natural punishments doing
wrong. Natural punishments and reward
ire those that come IN consequence of
the good or bad acts.
TEACHERS ASSOCIATION.
Teachers and friends of education
should not fail to attend the convention
to be held on Friday and Saturday of
next week. The session will be opened
Friday evening with lecture.
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DIED.