Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-03-20

advancement In meciiantcs ahu euS
. fine arts, for the upbnilding of cities
: and towns, for the increased facilities
in travel by land and sea, for the inn
proved means of communication fur-
nishcd by the electric telegraph thai
conveys a message with slightning
! speed the world ID indebted TO the
! progress in education, winch we owe
! to iabors of such men as Socrates,
Plato, Aristotle, P~estalozzi, Froepei
and hundreds of other earnest, self
sacr,ficine workers. Every branch
! of science pursued in our schools at
the present day has been developed
by degrees through successive gener-
Il atoms. The same is true of all well
established theories of teaching and
the history of the past proves conclu,
sively that it is not within the power
of one man to evolve from principles
of nature a theory of education which
will produce satisfactory results.
How often n the past have educators
founded schools upon principles that
contained within themselves the very
elements of destruction? 1t is almost
self-evident that to teach successfully
the teacher must first acquaint him
self both with those things which
form an education. and the methods
which have proven successful in teach-
ing them. But every teacher finds
it necessary to modify theories to
suit the condition of his own school,
and for this reason it is necessary for
him to have some knowledge of those
methods that have proven to be fail
ures, that he may thereby be ena-
bled to avoid some errors.
Any person who possesses these
qualifications, combined with a purely
moral character and q zeal for the
work. which has always characterized
the true teacher, may enter the pro-
fession of teacher with some assur-
ance of success. Such teachers are
the only ones that ever have succeed
ed. The general caste of the works
of such teachers, l have endeayored
in some degree to show you. This is
the class of teachers who devote their
lives to the profession. They enter
the profession from q love of the
work. They teach because they love
the associations of the school-room !;
because they love to give instruction +;
because they love to work for the adj
vancement of learning and the educa-
ton of the human race. But my
subject, from its statement, demands
that I should notice another class
who, If not teachers, are usually
ciassed with them. This class of So
called teachers enter the profession to
make il a stepping-stOne to some
thing else, to profitably spend a few
months spare time, because they have
failed in their chosen vocations, or
hl,ecause they lack energy to engage
in other pursuits. Year after year,
before the opening of school terms,
numbers of would-be teachers, seek
ing employment, besiege almost every
district board in the land. Very few
of these possess the least quallica'
ton that should gain for them a stu.
alton. With teachers of this class il
often happens that, while pleading fol-
the chance to ruin the children of q
district, morally ami intellectually
visions of the honOrs of the lcga
} profession, the title of IN. d." Of
some other object, fills their ipagina
tons and forms the foundation TO
all the interest they take in the peda
gogic profession. While | conside
the sexes capable of being equally
! successful in the school-room, / deem
{ it but justice to say that the protes
2 sion is almost equally abused by them
Many ladies teach term after term
/. from force of circumstances or other
: wise than choice, aud, instead of Low
= ing the work as the teacher should
they enter the school-room with
; constant dread of its very associa
c lions, and an earnest longing for tn
e time when their means will permi
: them to quit the profession, or when
by the unanimous vote of a singl
returning board" they may bccom
the happy recipients of matri'noni;
honors. So numerous are the teact
ers who apend but a short time in til
:, profession, and so numerous are tn
schools filed by them, that the ave
d age life of the active teacher has bee
IS estimated at not more than tire
n years. 1t is scarcely necessary
comment on the work of such teacl
a ers. More than eighteen hundre
'r years ago, it was realized by Seneci
E. that to be Successful ''we must teat
D not for the school, but Tor life.
l. And the history of the past clear
shows that only those who hay
taught for life nave ever added to Il
y educational wealth of the world
# achieved any great results in the pr
n fession.
10 AS soon as those who teach on
v for a time possess the scholastic gus
lie ifications necessary TO obtain q cert
icate with ease, they have attained 6
of tney desire III this direction. The
ne next object, il they desire to tea
ly two or three terms, is to please Il
gn children, in order to build up reput
e, ton enough TO III q second teri
C. AS children are generally pleased
in allowed a little more privilege tn,
We good discipline will permit, and Q
o. lowed to pass through their studi
y, imperfectiy, this method is usual
til adopted as the most expedient by I'll
m class of playhouse teachers. Let
tie teacher aim TO reach q standard
cir higher than this, or let him aim
IN only reach any certain standcd
he may desire, and as soon as that
'e- reached he will not only fail 10 pr
W. gress but will retrogradc. The wo
las should be laid out for life, the stan
to ard aimed at beyond the grasp. Il
ar, history Of the past, with my w o
Tor seryation, proves clearly to my mil
In that no one who does not make teac
eft ing the object or his life, will u
to that energy necessary in fitting hin
m self for the work. Where the daft
la ent dispositions and capacities
he children, the various methods of i
efructinU of uPalino n,