Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-01-20


The desirability Of establishing q uni.
form grade throughout oil the schools Of
Storey county is too obvious to need
more than a mention. The subject has
been agit..sd anew since the appoint
ment Of Professor Young to the office Of
County Superintendent and has met
with the unanimous approval Of the
members Of both School Boards. The
subject has been by them referred to the
Principals Of the First. Third and
Fourth Ward schools Of Virginia, in
GLIDING Mrs. Swift, Professor Bakers
assistant, and to Professor Young. both
Is County Superintendent and Princi.
pal of all the Gold Hill schools. and
seems in q fair way Of accomplishment.
Ameeting OF this committee was held
last Saturday evening ut the Fourth
Ward schoolhouse. Virginia. at which
also Miss Sullivan Of that building was
in attendance and to which q representa-.
tive Of the News was admitted. The
committee lacked the presence OF PROBES
sor Willis Of the Virginia Third Ward
school; otherwise there was q full
attendance. Professor Young took the
Chair and Professor Baker was ap-
pointed Secretary.
Professor Young asked Of the Com.
mittee q preliminary consideration OF
the subject Of text books and that the
influence OF the Committee be used to
have the change made by the State Board
as soon as possible. II II is to be made
at all. He understood that readers and
arithmetics were to be changed soon.
The change should be announced at
once IL to be made or an announcement
Of no intended change should be made
IL that was the decision OF that Board.
In this view Professor Baker coin
cided, such announcement being neces.
sary to the proper arrangement OF the
courses Of studies.
It was, on motion. unanimously re-
solved that tho State Board DO respect.
fully requested to come to some decision
a. to the proposed change OF text books
in tho schools and to announce that do.
cisiou as soon as possible.
The chairman said the duties OF the
committee resolved themselves naturally
into the establishment Of q uniform
course Of study for both schools and the
~cataloguiug OF that course. He spoke Of
the unanimity manifested by the School
Boards in favor OF the uniform grade in
both districts and such q course he be-
lieved to DO for the good OF both patrons
and pupils, aud the interest in the sub
iect was general. 1t was the duty OF the
committee to fix this grade and report 1t
for adoption.
Professor Baker said be did not think
il necessary to consider the question oil
text books. particularly as the same
books were already in use in both dis.
tricts and were. in fact, fixed by the
State Board.
Professor Young said that while the
text books used were the same. the
methods Of teaching were different. He
thought 1t necessary that this should be
| considered, so that the same work might
be done all through the county. II text
| books were changed classes should BE-
| commenced in them together and kept
together.
Professor Gray considered this Of as
much Importance as the establishment
Of the uniform grade and was. In fact'
an essential part Of such establishment.
The subject Of reading was taken up
and the manner Of teaching beginners
agitated.
Professor Young considered the first
two years in this branch Of the greatest
importance, and asked the opinions oil
the committee as to how Q child should
first be taught to read. Reading was the
basis Of all acquisition. since oil text
books must be read in order to gain any
information from them.
Professor Gray thought before dis
cussing this question q uniformity In
the text books in the several grades
should be established. In Virginia Ger.
tain reading books were used in one
grade and in Gold Hill other readers
were in use in q corresponding grade.
These should first be made uniform. and
then uniform methods should be intro.
duced. IL possible.
Mrs. Swift thought this applied as
well to other branches ss to reading. In
the Third Primary departments they
hal in Virginia the Elementary Arith'
mstic aud the Second Reader. They
used the spelling book also to page 40
and the copy. book and pen. II was not
the same in Gold Hill. especially in
spelling. where the exercises were prin-
cipally oral. Now scholars coming from
Gold Hill to Virginia were required to
use spelling books, while those going to
Gold Hill from Virginia left their spell.
ing books behind. She considered 1t
necessary to harmonic these discrepan.
cies in regard to text books. II this
could not DO done there was no use in
going any farther. There was q dis.
crepancy also in the use OF the primary
geography.
Professor Gray said that In the First
Ward they studied geography q year
before any text book was used.
Further discrepancies were cited.
The subject OF reading was passed and
an endeavor made. by running over the
Gold Hill course Of study to get o uni.
Il tOEm COutoo iOE Az "hoso SsAs
During this discussion Professor
Young said that the best grading was
by topics and suggested. for instance,
that in geography the first year Of its
introduction be confined to the State OF
Nevada. In q uniformity OF books hs
would include a uniformity OF topics.
Mrs. Swift said classes should also be
lettered or numbered the same.
Professor Baker felt with Professor
Gray that before discussing the best
manner OF teaching 1t would be desira-
bic to have q uniformity in all matters
pertaining to grades. There was now
too much difference in this respect, even
in the Virginia schools. There was not
o much the frst year. but as the
classes advanced greater discrepancies
were discovered.
Professor Young expressed o prefer
snce for no text books at all for the
-u.u. In ansltinO