Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-11-15
\ SchoslrOOm Sketch-FOr Yonns Teaeh-
prS,

The teacner helievel in lrl! She was
said TO make hobby of it. She had learned
by her own and others failures that there
was no other way to touca a subject, a fter
it was presented, but by uncOmpromisino
drill. At least she thought she believed
all this but the new methods of teaching
by entertainment, which hld poured like
nooi over the schools, hId taken her
in its sweep. and while she hal KEEP her
feet pretty firmly in the rushing tide, she
had not wholly escaped the excitement
ana was conscl luS of an uneDnteSse lie
sire TO try her hand Mt il. The opportunity
soon presented itself
Before Ler sat fifty six children Of jho
lowest grammar cla1s, for u lesson in
geography. Slowly, for months, she had
taken them step by step Overthe preceding
pages, Illustrating Ivy globe and baekb1u Il
drawings every new subject ut the fl .st.
following it each day with relentless.
naentertaning drill But this was rather
old fashioned and she lOnyel to lest the
entertanment and Reproductive m,ho
tIone and this is how she dill it.
The subject FOR the DAYS lesson in
geography was the plants and animals in
'ihGiVh tluukl les w ntt tOOll u 20
delightful for trial? In all their yrldo
work II geography there did not pxl-t 50
golden an opportunity. Commenting win
the cold climate, she struck an iceberg at
the outset without dtu9er, and with all
the Imagination tnl fac gt her com n IN -,
sho described the huga hla,irg mass
sailing king.like through northern seas.
oit-iinos with plnnlGles gliSeniny like
lclcles IN the sunlight. Turning T., the
bl1ckboard she roughly skelchel one seen
by herself, one bri4ht morning in mid
ocean, showing in word pictures the good
snip with its anxious crew, its silent can
tain watching statue like every sign through
his glass, the passengers little alarmed
but wholly enthusiastic over this wandering
voyaSer, striking off rainbow hues .'as he
sailed" 1t was easy to imagine polar
bears clamberng over its marble surface.
and to 90 from this to the other animals
OF the region, and to tell of their furry
coats, and of their food, habits, etc. Here
was introduced that touching story of the
cider ducks maternal devotion in buryinp
ner pale green eggs in the warmth of
snowy down, plucEed from her own breast,
each time it was stolen by the hunters.
Coming to the inhabited portions, the life
and habits of the people were taken up.
Sparse vegetation was noted, and the lesson
closed with n thrilling account of II con-
ver,ation the to ,cher once hld with the
survivor of an arctic expedition. How the
children listened. Big round eyes looked
into the teachers ewes, which gave back
their reflected enjoyment, for shs let the
delicious power of swaying that little
audience as they bent forward over the
seats with bated breath Really, this vaS
delightful teaching after all.
Next day she repeated the experiment,
and this time led the little flock through
the dense forest of the tropics, parting the
almost impenetrable mass of leaves and
climbing vines for them to peep through
into the jungles of wild beasts lying stretch
ed out in the languor of noontide heat, vet
showing through their half closed lids the
terrible eyes that become balls of fire in
beasts ofprey, when that huge paw lying
so quietly now unsheathes its catlike claws
With these facinated children she picked
the native fruits, finding in the bananas
and figs new flavor of freshness. Pick.
ncEing under the self-made arches of the
banyan tree, she told them of the food and
habits OF the natives, US she pCinted out
the gorgeously plumaged birds and broad
leaved trees. Again the long sigh of
delight at the close of this lesson toll of
its success as an entertainment.
Now for the reproduction. The teacher
was sanguine of the result from the very
nature of the lessons The children We're
of more than average intelligence, with
abundant home opportunities for reading,
and nIVa tho Il
result of this trial had been theirs from the
beginning. The final reproduction test
was preceded by Il spelling lesson Of the
difficult words used by the teacher each
day, which had been placed upon the
blackboard at the close of each days
lesson.
Next day came and with it paper aud
pencil for each pupil, with test questions
upon the blackboard. Trey wrote for an
hour The teacher examined the papers
in the quiet of her room in the evening.
Could she believe her eyes? Were these
the intelligent, absorbed children who had
swallowed every word of those two DAYS
fancy teaching9 A heart sinking came
first, then as "dsaster followed fast and
followed Gaster," the full Significance of
the situation burst upon her, and II ringing
laugh eased the pal of Disappointment.
Only Il Jew of the results can he given
here, and it is only fair TO say the worst
are given. Some were tolerably Correct,
bu, mixed understanding of cima ic
pecuIiallties was apparent TO all
Question: Mention some fur.bearing
animals, and tell anything you remember
about their home.
Answer.-Ider duck, baros, and ermin,
and they live in gungles.
ALL barring anemals are called
yams, and they grow in hot countries.
~ A.-Poler bair, seals and hyener, and
they climb up the side of iceburgs.
Q.-What do the inhabitants of the
cold region eat, and why?
A.-They eat fat meet and brood fruit,
because they can't get oranges and bcr.
manners.
Q.-Name some valuable woods that
grow in the hot regions.
A.-Banyun trees, parm trees, and
rosewood. This is the hardest wood in
the world, and it is very black [evdenty
confused with lignum-vilte and ebony
Enough has been given to show lne
tumble of the lesson. The reproduction
did not work, because there had been no
drill. The two days of entertainment
teaching, which had allowed all the
questions from the children that they chose
to ask, and which had not neglected to
call out their previous information, mad
left them wofully mixed. Their ideas of
the two countries were not distinct. They
were thoughtless and childlike--did not
stop to reason. The teacher, saddcr and /,
wiser, went back to slow, step by step |