The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-01-30
Comments

''ResOl1ed, BY the county superIntcnd-
ents in convention ut Topeka, 1st, that
the state board of education should pre-
pare the questions for examination and
send them to the county superintendent
(All right, but IN all justice make the
certificates good throughout the state.)
ID. That certificates be numbered /, > and
keeping be added TO the requirements foI
"A first grade"
BY all means. The country school
teacher can we'll afford to devote consid
cradle time TO this very necessary branch
We wonder that its importance has been
so long overlooked. Another essential
branch is astronomy. DAY unto day
uttereth speech, and night unto night
showeth knowledge, but man, like q
dumb beast, unders;andeth It not"
The common school teacher is re
sponsible tor this deplorable state Of
things. 1t is their business to educate
public sentiment up TO the standard 81
common sense. \ proper comprehen
sion of this important and magnificent
subject requires some knowledge o
algebra, geometry and trigonometry.
Very we'll. Just add those studies Il
the list of requirements, and my wore
for it, ambitious boys and girls will un
weeks Normal institute. Considerable
knowledge of chemistry and natura
philosophy is also involved and Ough
to be required. 4 correct knowledge o
of the terms used in these sciences wOulC
necessitate the study of the languages
| Greek and Latin at least. knowledge
of those languag, S involves more or les
| acquaintance with the history of thos
| nations. Therefore we really ought Il
have ancient history Modern history i
generally admitted to be of more import
ance than ancient, and certainly ough
to have place in the common school
| Normal labor ought To be introduced
into the course of study. If we %oul(
| abate the tramp nuisance, we must teacl
! people how to earn 4 living.
Begin with the boys and girls. Their
is no reason why boy who can use
| jack-knife should not exercise his i'll
| genuity in carving brackets, etc, Will
| the girls might work tides and like use
| full articles. Moral science must not b
| neglected. Daily instruction on variou
| points should he given. Every day eS
! periences give the live teacher chance
| to illustrate and eXpOund the great priI
ciples of ethics which underlie all civil
ization. The Bible, Confucius and Josl
Billings furnish many excellent maxim
| ready-made. The correct use of the Ri
BILE calls, of course, for Hebrew, Will
| Confuclus calls for Chinese, and Jos
| Billings can only be mastered by thol
ough study of the almanac.
As at present arranged, the countr
school teacher finds his place sinecur,
Twenty classes Il day is about fair a
erage of the number he has to hea
Primary reading, arithmetic, geography
grammar and writing are best taugI
from the board and by oral instruction
Much of the work is done on slate
and the teacher only has to examine eac
one and mark it.
He is required by contract to keep a
accurate account of the attendance, d
pertinent and standing in each class I
each scholar. All of these. figures are (
be added and divided and reported to I'll
clerk of the district, and the county 81
perintendent.
Such enforced idleness is irksome. Is
all means enforce il knowledge of boo
keeping and all the rest. Ivy.