The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1879-02-20
REPORT OF TEACHERS, MEETING.
MANIrowoc, Feb. s, 1879.


teachers present; the country districts
being well represented. The first exercise
was paper on Hygiene of the School
room, by Miss Hattie Bacon. This pa
per and the discussion which followed,
proved very interesting and instructive.
The lady suggested that, as about seven
cubic feet of air is used by each person
! per minute, the air in room containing
a number Of persons, very soon becomes
Sihated and must be replaced by pure
air. That this pure air is absolutely IN
dispensable, no one questioned, and it
was thought by most of the teachers that
this pure air can be secured only by ven.
/ tilating the room through ludicious
opening of the windows. The paper con-
! demned the high STRAIGHTFORWARD benches
found III many OF our schools; advocat-
ing that these may, and do cause spinal
curvature, and other deformities. 1t
was recommended, in the discussion.
that the benches be made lower by an
application of the hand-saw, or that plat.
forms or stools be used as foot-rests, to
remedy this evil. 1t was thought, how
ever, that patent school furniture would
be the best cure for it; as it is not much
higher than the handmade wooden
desks. Other thoughts were mentioned
or discussed, such as:-The proper car
riage of body, arrangement, light, neces-
slty of sunlight, good habits and mode
of dress; and also that as example is bet
/ ter than precept, the teacher should aim
to become model for his pupils. Mr..
Walker very forcibly presented the ne
cessity of cleanliness of the pupils per-
sons, and of the school-room; not only
because it is conducive to health, but be-
cause of the important part it plays in
the formation of the pupils characters.
\ recess of ten minutes was then taken;
after which the motion was made, and
carried, that the next meeting be held ut
I Alishicott on the 22nd day of February.
\ committee, consisting of j. O'Hara,
I. Walsh and G. Blake, was appointed
| to make ont the programme for that
meeting.
/ The teachers then listened TO q very in
teresting paper on the subject of Tense,
and the forms which the Verb requires
to express it, by I. Walsh. Mr. Walsh
claimed that the teacher should be ac-
quainted with as many authorities as pos
sible, if authorities were to be used. lie,
! however, presented an inductiye method;
the pupils to observe and investigate,
! themselves, under the guidance of the
teacher, and make their definitions and
statements from this observation and in
veshgation. In the discussion which
! followed this paper, these thoughts were
suggested: That tense should either be
Il distinction of form or of meaning.
! That it should be a matter of observation.
not of authority; and that the teacher
take a basis of classification, and adhere
to that classification.
This closed tue exercises of the morn
ing. Mr. Walker requested all interested
| in the County Teachers Library Associ-
alton to remain, as that body would or
ganize on the adjournment of the meet
/ ing. Adjourned at II 45 until 100 p. NJ.
Mr.. Briggs was elected chairman, and
the association proceeded to consider
and discuss very kind and liberal offer
made by the Jones Library Association,
which was unsatisfactory only in that it
would eventually result in the loss of the
volumes to the association. A motion
was made and carried that committee,
| consisting OF J. O'Hara, I. Walsh, and
G. T. Niebahn, be appointed to frame
constitution and bylaws for the associa-
ton. Adjourned until afternoon.
The meeting was called to order at
about 145. The first exercise was pri.
mary lessons on form by Miss Emile
Richter. First, came drill in direction
and position, and terms used to indicate
! these. Then direction and relation Of
lines. Then distinction between straight
! and curved lines; spiral and broken lines,
then good exercise on angles. This
was followed by a very interesting les
son on the square, comparison OF the
| square and oblong; also of the triangle
and trapezoid; the lady deriving these
three latter forms from the square by
| folding square of paper. This eye
training and the training of the Land
were combined in every step IN the work.
The doing aud observing going hand
in hand. After Il short discussion,
Methods of Computing Interest was
presented by Byron Oakley Mr.. Oak
ley gave the following as his fayorite-
Prin. Ratio Time. Quite q discus
sion followed his remarks, on how many
methods should be applied. Some ad-
vocating as many as possible, others, one
and that thoroughly. \ recess of five
minutes was then taken, after which fol-
lowed a discussion on, How can we as
teachers, inculcate in our pupils taste
and habit for good reading. This dis
cussiOn was to have been opened by Mr..
Powers, but as he was excused on ac.
count Of indisposition, NJ. Viebahn
took his place. He said he thought that
love for science and general history
must be created in our pupils before
they viii have a taste for our best litera-
ture. That enough ought to be given
them, at school, to awaken in them a de-
sire and a curiosity Ito know more; and
then they would pursue these studie1
when their school lie had passed.
Among other things, Mr., Briggs thought
that there ought to be societies in all our
high schools, for the purpose of studying
the best literature Of our language. It
was thought by come that reading seIec-
tons from our best authors would awak-
en- on the part Of the pupils, desire to
know more of them. 1t was acknowledged
as deplorable, that in ourpublic Libraries
the ordinary works Of fiction are more
thumbed and worn, than any other vol
ume in them; and these are read not by
children, but by men and women. This