Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-05-17

all our schools are literally supported.
An excellent and exceedingly pains
taking class OF teachers are pursuing
as a profession the calling Of teachers.
More mental activity and zeal is dis
played by teachers than by any class
of workers laboripg as hard as they do
and for as little reward.
1t is rot the purpose of this present
writing to criticise these faithful work
ers in the educational field. But there
is quite general belief among
practical people, outside the
teachers avocation, that the system Of
education, courses of study, and meth
DDS of instruction are not what they
should be-that there are grave and
inherent faults in the way teachers go
to work, and in the system under
which they go to work.
Take for example, our own city
schools. A graded system is provided.
Pupils in large numbers are started in
the primary grade. Fifty, sixty or
seventy little children are placed under
one teacher. A regular course or cur
riculum of study is laid down, whereby
in the course of a certain number of
terms one of those pupils, with no set
backs will graduate from the
high school. Every pupil, male and
female, bright or dull, quick or slug
gish in perception or mental process, is
expected to travel the same course of
study, receive the same mental aids,
accomplish the same results in the
same time. Mueh of the instruction
is of an arbitrary kind, which requires
Il dead-lift of the faculties to master;
aae is, In most cases, forced into the
mind of the child by mere unrefective
exercise Of the faculty Of memory. It
matters not what child's mental pre-
elections are, or for what pursuit in
life he evinces natural taste and incli-
nation. The school furnishes to all
the same dead, dull, uninspiripg
bill of mental fare. Girls of
delicate organization, and intellec-
tual tastes that would lead them into
literature, language, art, botany or
some such channel of development are
held just sa long and thoroughly as the
hard headed boy, whose brain nature
moulded and cast for q civil engi-
neer, to course of mathematics; and
to each the methods of imparting in
struction are the same. Add to these
disadvantages, the fact that owing to
the crowded state of our schools the;
teachers aim to establish system
cast-irOn set of rules of recitation, de-
corum, movement, which, while neces.
eary for order and progress, tend to
remove the scholar and teacher further
apart, make the former machine,
the chords of sympathy between teach.
er and pupil are but slight: the teacher
can know, but little, having little op-
portunity to study each chiid's mental
traits Or most natural direction of de-
velopment.
The evils of this system are fully ap-
preciated by our best educators. But
systems of teaching are quite apt to be
like the fashions. They must be fol-
lowed, whether sensible or not; and like
fashions they change.
The ideas of educators have been
startled somewhat, by the theories of
teaching and the practical work of
Col. F. w. Parker, now in charge of
the Cook county Normal school in
Illinois. His methods are SO replete
with common sense, as to create q
marked sensation in educational cir
Giles. Prof. Shaw of this city has visited
his scnool, witnessed his methods and
kindly favors the DEMOCRAT with an
outline of the new theory and practice,
of which but meagre sketch can be
here presented.
Col. Parker is placed in charge of
this normal school, paid q liberal sal
airy, and given ample means to carry
out his plans, and he is meeting with a
success which is watched with eager in
terest by all the leading educators of
the county. The leading idea Of his
system is that the science of mind
should be the basis of education. His
aim is to fit pupils for practical life. To
that end he first makes or has the in
structor make, s. careful study of the
mental habits, tastes, traits and predi-
lections of g. child, at first placing it
under as little repression as possible.
Having discovered the embryo me-
chanic, artist, or mathematician in the
child, or such traits or aptitud6s as ia
vite to particular line of instruction,
that natural inclination is encouraged.
In order to get as close a sympathy as
possible between pupil and teacher and
to enable the teacher to study the child,
and learn what dormant faculties it pos
sesses, he divides the primary classes
into sections with q very small num-
Der of pupils tC q teacher, believing
that children should be aerded into
large classes only as they are more ad-
vanced, just the reverse of the system
now in vogue. His method of teach
ing, especially of small children is to
deal with concrete things. No abstract
ions or arbitrary rules, no lightweight
ing of the memory. The children be-
gin by sitting around 8 table on which
are the objects used fsr illustration.
For instance; in development of per-
ceptive faculties: A little class or Sec
ton are each handed picture. The
attention of each is directed to it. He
is then called on to tell all he can about
| it, to describe it. Thus perception and
descriptive faculty are called into play.
| Then, picturs is shown him, and re-
moved and he required to describe it,
thus invoking the powers Of memory.
The imagination is put into action In
| the same manners, the child being led
| from simple TO more elaborate efforts
of imagination and description, at
first oral, and in writing as pro-
gress is made. Mathematics is
taught by illustrations with con-
CREE things rather than by arbitrary
rules. Geography is taught by the
use Of moulding clay. The pupil is
set to moulding little bas-reliefs CONT
nents, With mountain ranges depress-