The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-07-11
3B56lDg, aIt) o1lDC.
THE ENDS OF TEACHING.

o THE ENDS OF TEACHING.
y y Work has its real reward in the ends
/ it seeks. 1t behooves us, then, in the
8 outset, to clearly comprehend the OBJ
5 ject we would seek in our teaching. A
5 person can successfully teach only
q what he knows. This truth is so man
5 lfest that we are In danger of thinking
. that teaching is merely the commune
5 cation Of SO much knowledge. There
are many things which tend to foster
this idea. The present system of ex-
animation and grading good in them
IselVeS) cOnduceS directly to this belief.
, The person who holds a certificate con-
siderS himself, and is considered by
others, as possessing the requisite
amount OF knowledge, and therefore
competent to instruct. Nothing can
be more fallacious. The possession Of
information sufficient to secure a GER
tiflcate is not the only requirement for
instructing others. knowledge of
grammar, geography, history and arith-
metlc does not constitute any one q
professional educator. 1t is not always
the person who knows most that is the
best instructor. Book-knoWledge is
needful, but natural ability to teach
and careful observation are still more
needful. BY his failures, as we'll as his
successes, must the young teacher learn
experience. DR.. Arnold has we'll said,
81 prefer activity Of mind and an in
terest in the work to high scholarship,
for the one may be acquired far more
easily than the other"
But the imparting of information is
not the sole end Of teaching. It the
E school is noisy, rude, and disorderly
the teacher is called upon to answer at
the bar OF public opinion, and the YER
dict OF lne1ficlencY is at once pTonounc-
ed. People rightly expect something
more than knowledge as the result OF
school attendance The teachers
0 most responsible duty is to exercise q
strict supervision over the conduct and
= department OF his pupils. It is true
) that home training is often very uefi-
; Gent or even vicious, but this fact by
D no means lessons the teachers duty, it
only renders it more imperative. The
{ combination Of such supervision with
instruction is the greatest service
Il which the teacher can render to the
state OF Individual
i Socrates and Plato sought the good
of the state in the goodness Of her Cit
liens. In this we can see the root idea,
grandly developed in christian civil
, Zation, that uprightness of character is
the great end Of life. The teacher per-
forms q truly noble work when he
!, lays in the minds of the pupils the
I foundation Of q sound moral character
by teaching them to love virtue and
- hate vice; to fight braVely against
temptation and exercise self-control :;
! to overcome all obstacles and manfully
r to follow the path Of recitude in the
midst Of difficulties. Truthfulness,
honesty, ana self-denial are as necessa-
ry in the school room as in the affairs
! of every day life. Nor are these to be
secured by mere force Of authority,
I but by their recognized goodness, if
they are to act as controlling princi-
pies The aim should be to so habitu-
ate pupils to self-control that they may
s be prepared wisely to direct their own
conduct when all the restraints and
councils Of home and school are with
drawn.
u The complaint is made by those OPP
posed to- our common school system,
e that the schools are fast becoming i'm
: moral. If this is true, then have they
. good excuse for their opposition, and
g for establishing private schools. Many
= of these people are thoroughly cousci-
:: entious in their belief, and can only be
It dissuaded by actual proof. Wholesale
= = condemnation of those who do not
think as we do in regard to this mat
n ter does no good, but much injury. We
y must endeayOr, by more care in the
b matter of sound moral instruction of a
v non-sectarian character, to convince
|, chem there is no foundation for their
70 belief. And one of the sureSt means
20 Of securing this result is the exercise
Il Of more care in the selection Of teach
ers. The teacher can exercise inf1u-
ence over his scholars only according
to what is in himself. He cannot lift
them to any higher eminence then
, that which he has himself attained
The stream cannot rise higher than its
! source. This is an unquestioned fact
4 and yet it is often overlooked. We are
- often satisfied with good intellectual
! instruction, and forget that moral
:, fruit is best. The after-life of the
II scholar should reflect honor upon the
teacher by displaying, though at a
=, great distance, the results of school
training. In such case, the teacher
6 sees his own better traits reproduced
- - in many who caught from him the in
spiration to nobler life. d. I'll. T.
E1khO791.