The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-01-19
''Instltute Notes.v
(Communicated.)

manner i'm which county institutes
for teachers are at present conducted;
but / will give some of my views and
ask some questions. | will not object
to being corrected if my views are
erroneous and will be grateful for any
information anyone may choose to
volunteer in answer to my questions.
Does the present manner of con-
Quoting Teachers County Institutes,
| II suppose they are conducted in some
other counties as they are in Elk
cover the actual intention and spirit
of the law? Does it bring the best
| results that could be obtained? And
is it an improvement, so far as the
| actual benefit to the county teachers is
concerned, on the older and less
aesthetic method of conducting them?
My idea of County Institute always
was and still is. that the teachers of
the county should meet at certain
time and place designated by the
County Superintendent, to compare
notes on the manner of teaching a
school, governing school, making it
as attractive as possible to the pupils,
putting their lessons before them in as
plain Il manner as possible, and all
such things as would naturally arise
in such discussions and comparisons
and to let every teacher deduce there
from the best method for his or her
particular school, and set about the
manner Of applying it. In short, l
had vague notion that it was Il
teachers contention for the benefit of
the teachers and through them for the
advantage of the people at large
have in mind n few of the earlier
Institutes in Elk county. / don't
know whether any of the teachers
present at the last Institute held here
attended any so far back, but | do
know there are those residing in this
village who attended some of them.
who can bear ME out when L say,
there was more work done, less fuss
made about it and ut Il much smaller
cost to the county than those OF later
day, and we paid 40 admission fee
either.
Right here let me digress little to
say, that the idea of paying an adnlis-
sion fee to attend the County Institute
exercises, for which the law provides
Il way to pay, is quite novel. We not
only pay once but thrice, because the
law provides for the payment of the
Institute expenses out Of any funds in
the county treasury, that's once; then
each teacher is paid out of the district
school fund for attendance, that's
twice; then we the public attend the
Institute and pay an admission fee,
that's three times.
For what? 70 hear the teachers say
what progress they have made since
last Institute? To hear them, the
teachers, drill a class OF teachers in the
art OF teaching after the manner OF
our normal schools? TO do that for
which the Institute was originally
Instituted? Oh. 70 hear u profess
sional singer; to hear u professional
eiocutionist; to hear Il professional
lecturer. With all due Difference to
their privilege of singing, reciting or
lecturing; and with proper appre-
citation of their qualifications to do so,
now many teachers ut this last Insti-
tite went away any better prepared
for their work because of the singing
that was done? How many went
away amy better prepared for their
work because of the recitation of
How Edith Helps Things Along;"
or "Artemus Wards Mormon Lee
ture;' or "The Little Hatchet story"
&c., NC; or how many went away
any better prepared because of hear
ing lecture on 'Snobs and Snob-
berry" or Il lecture on the mistakes
Of i'ob?" What possible bearing
could a religious lecture have on our
common school system, which accord
ing to the law should be entirely free
from amy religious connection or inhu-
ences? If am answered that these
were only side shows" then | will
say, that nearly all the time was taken
up in side shows, and that these side
shows were dearly paid for, both in
time and money.
Now | will give little picture by
way of contrast, of the first county
Institute held in Elk county at which
1t was my privilege to be present. We
convened in a school house at St.
Marys. Doctor Farley was County
superintendent at the enormous salary
of three hundred dollars per year-out
of that he paid the expenses of the
Institute; but he worked just as hard
as if he had received twelve hundred
dollars and expenses paid. He called
the teachers together and we organ
lied classes. The teachers 1--WE had
not so many professors in the class
then as were at this last Institute.)
the teachers I said took their turn
as they were called upon, in drilling
the classes in the different branches
which were actually being taught in
the schools; giving their methods; be-
ing criticised in their turn, which
brought forth discussions and opinions
all of which could not fail but be of