The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-12-08
EDUCATIONAL.
D. A. MAHONEY,

D. A. MAHONEY, Ep1qoB
We clip the following from a ciru-
lar sent out by Supt. j. 7. Lunn to re
Sank county teachers. We besDe.t
for it the careful attention of fhe
teachers of Kenosha county.
As the teacher is so IS his school /
is a truism that circumstances nal
affect, but cannot overthrow. SO n;
if your teaching is not satisfactory ID
first thing to suspect and TO insnees
yourselves, and it will rarely hanin
that you need go farthe, to find theI-
ment,so that he is usually binding h.
self and not others who alege outgie
causes to excuse his shotcomingsas
teacher. The possibility of rais,q
the schools of our county ttrank With
the best in the state depens forts
realization on your abilities scbola-
ship, skill and energy, each wbih
you should exert to its full mesure !,
perfecting your school work, nd Ie
who will not so exert himself . moi
wanted as teacher.
COURSE OF STUDY.
II you are teaching a countrSchooJ
and the pamphlet containing theourse
is not at the school or clerk sent
promptly to the county superinndeut
for a copy, as no teacher Of uch a
school can afford to be so careles as tc
neglect, nor so egotistical as toefuse
the guidance and aid which thbest
educators of our state have emddied
in this course to which we owalone
pull and strong pull to enTe its
success; for this generation oteacl-
ers should be ashamed to comics that
they are not equal to its demals OF
not respective enough to appniatt
it's merits. e
We regret that there are tlchers
who sneeringly tolerate the coue as 4
thing they once taught school tbout
and can do it again. We alld that
they did once teach, after a fhlon,
but without any course. but tlpres-
ent demand is for better schoo than
such sneerers ever taught, a, the
standard of ten or twenty yearsgo is
not the measure of to-day, this0urse
being an attempt to rectify the regu-
larities prevalent in the past Id to
furnish a basis of comparison othool
work and advancement in the ture.
The central idea of this coursls to
grade the work of each pupil to pro-
portionate advance in each the
branches composing a Form; al the
subordinate idea is to grade the.hool
into three sections, each worAg in
but one form. In other wds a
9. form" is a group of related wo, and
is not group of pupils; and if cup
ing the work is not securedthen
grouping the pupils goes for night.
Far too many teachers think theduty
done when they register the npils
by forms, while they are coDlete
failures to the central idea of kping
pupils eUen in their individual wk by
requiring as much of one brane as of
another in a form, instead of alwing,
or still worse, of abetting them rush
ahead in what they like and SIX what
they dislike.
Turning pupils back in thr adj.
vanced work is not the way 10 even
them up in forms, but the prAra5le
method is by giving outsidand re-
view work so as to retard hem in
their hobby branches while rectine
their main efforts to their 1glected
branches, some of the minor pics of
which may be omitted for tie. 1t
must be recollected that as ea( form
comprises several classes, that of a
form can neither enter nor leae it al
one time, but each by himself cord
ing to his advancement, which pends
on regularity of attendance, Lbility
and industry.
Register pupils by forms indicted or
the margin of the register, .acine
each in the form in which he las my
atpnaastered work; so that no one vii
be in middle form who is not mater
of all in the lower form, and no me
in upper form who is not masero1
all the work below it. For two d
three weeks keep the roll on alooe
sheet, and after the school is fully Or
ganized transfer to the register, le.yile
a few lines after each form for ater
entries.
By the first of February, ifyor
have any pupils who have moi
thoroughly mastered all the cours anG
desire to graduate for its dipOma
send to the County Superintendent fol
questions and instructions for heil
examination.
While these are writing, or else aout
two or three weeks before the clos Of
the term, examine all other pulls
basing your questions on the 1rl
laid down in your course and ndir
their text books, and promote seL
as are truly worthy of it. Ask qls
tions embracing several points reqir
ing complete statements, so thatpu
pills may not receive higher stan{ne
than the teachers on certificates.
Primary standing may be simply
estimated by teachers, middle stad
ing based on written and oral exm
ination and upper standing maaly
written.
The recitation and study progrm
with standing and progress of classes
should be recorded and left for he
next teachers.
What to teach, should be guided by
this course alone, and should notbt
warped by the arrangement of ar
score or more series of varying TIT
books; by following the course WI
teach topics, by following the box
you teach pages. In the course tie
methods of teaching and hints thereO
are far iH advance of the usual pC
Torrance, especially in the line of o
jective developing, inductive wok
leading by observation from the know
to the unknown, forming a sharp CO..
trast with the usual "Take the neJt
lesson" and memorize and repeat i
whether you know it or not, STYLE i
prevalent in schools.
PREPARATION AND RECITATION.
The teacher who cannot at any rec.
5ation step into the class and recite IA
better than any pupil in the class hal
better change places with the pupil
who can do better than himself. an,
L u l.