Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-08-22
The County Teachers Institute.
LARGE ATTENDANCE--PRACT AND
INTERESTING DISCUSSIONS,

LARGE ATTENDANCE--PRACT AND
INTERESTING DISCUSSIONS.
&C., &C., &C.
The Augusta county Teachers Institute
met in the City Hall, Tuesday morning,
presided over by County Superintendent
Charles Grattan. Its discussions were
practical, and creditable to the teachers
engaged in them, and the proceedings
struck the observer as being Of that practi-
cal character which is the true intent and
meaning of Teachers Institute. The
following teachers were present:
w. H. Baker. 2. T. Waid. J. D. Davis,
George A. Phillips, John M. Steffey, r.
J. Dyche, VIM. M. Atkinson, VIM. q.
Early, j. F. Landes. G. T. Jordan. Lewis
A. Keller, E. L. Curtis. A. Obaugh, Nv.
II. Humbert. S. G. Driver, R. L. Farrar,
A. A. Arnold, James Wilson. N. w.
Quarles, J. w. Calhoun, A. H. Towber-
man, J. G. S. Myers, J. P. Cleveland. A.
E. Pierce, Jacob Bear. J. w. Beard, ]. S.
Beard. J. G. Rhinehart, j. T. Cribb1ns,
S. A. Hammer, Jas. G. Welton, E. Poague,
Rowan. M. L. Mickelborough. W. R.
Marshall, Jno. G. Fultz, Jas. E. Irvine,
J. T. Coffman. Jno. G. Goochenour. Robt.
colt, W. II. Thomas. Jno. D. Bailey, Jno.
W. Andes, J. J. Humbert.
Female Teachers.-Mrs. M. E. Calhoun;
Alma Jordan. Annie E Rowan,
Annie A. Noon, Mollie E. Swope, Mary
A. King, S. Kate Fish, Mamie NJ. Dud-
ley, Mamie S. Beard, Corinda Fl. Tyler,
Lucy Waddell. Isabella Waddrl, M. L.
M
Hill, Mollie Eakle.
Colored Teachers. B. Jackson,
Wales R. Tyrril, Jas. H Becker, W. Fl.
Evans, Jas. r. Anderson, VIM. B. Frank
lin, and Mary L. Smith.
The session was opened with prayer by
Superintendent Grattan, and the business
commenced with an admirable address by
| the same gentleman. The subject of
bleaching spelling' was the first conferred
upon.
In the afternoon the subject of Reading.
which had been touched on IL. the morn
ing was up, and they discussed the best
way Of getting imperfect readers, who had
gone over too much ground, back to be-
gin again.
Superintendent would it do to
put such readers back to reading with a
class not SO far advanced and let the mis-
takes If the latter call their attention to
their own?
Mr.. TOwberman-I have tried that, and
in many instances failed. A good idea is
to get the child interested i'll the ideas
about which he Is reading; and induce him
to think.
Mr.. Myers had tried the plaIi of putting
boy from the 4th to the End reader, and
his mistakes were 80 evident to himself that
the boy went willingly back to the lower
class.
Mr.. Jordan thought no one remedy
would meet all cases; he thought the best
now to be done was to use preventive.
THE WORD METHOD.
Mr.. Wilson spoke on the "word method
of teaching to read, and said he didn't be-
lieve word of the success prophecied fol
1t.
Mr.. Quarles thought the word method
was greatly superior to the old method, and
particularly because it instructed and
amused at the same time. He had found
that a child six or seven years old could
be taught as we'll as older persons. He
went on to show how easily and success
fully the word method can be taught. 1t
also aids the children to write.
MIR. Wilson said he had never taught il
because he never believed in it.
MIR. Jordan thought the system made
the making OF good readers more easy. A
| boy in his school in two months got to the
second reader, beginning by this system.
1t also economical time.
Mr.. Dyche spoke highly of the method
and thought it was the only true method.
MI. Towberman said his experience was
not satisfactory with the word method
The scholars did not recognize the letters
when met with in the readers.
Messrs Quarles and Jordan gave Con-
vincing examples Of the ease with which
scholars do recognize the letters after
wards.
| THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF
| TEACHING.
| The Superintendent said that when the
teacher had succeeded in bringing the
child to think he had accomplished the
great object of teaching.
Mr.. Steffey in considering that point,
gave some strong arguments for the sup
port of the public school system and sensi-
BILE comments on its efficiency and inefi-
| cheney.
Mr.. Wilson spoke of the difficulty of
| suppressing communication i'll school. In
his school when he heard whispers he put
little sticks in the scholars mouths, and
when stick dropped from a boys lips he
knew that that boy was the whisperer.
Then he spared not the rod.
Mr.. Pierce said his idea of good teach
er was man who could govern himself,
Industrious, single minded to his business,
punctual, constantly present He must
not try to please everybody in the neigh
borhood, not try to furnish brains to
scholars, not attend to stupid children at
the expense of bright ones. nor vice versa,
nor have rules that cannot be enforced all
the session. He must have the faculty of
lmparting knowledge, something that ed
ucation at all the colleges in the world will
not be substitute for, He must have
patience.
Mr.. Bear thought good plan about
rules was to tell children what you wanted
them to do, and not what you III dn't want
them to do.
Mr.. Steffey had been most successful
where he had the fewest rules, throwing
children upon their honor.
Mr.. Towberman practiced marking out
rules against ANYTHING that bacame-