River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-08-16
DIFFERENT SCHOOLS.
BY Ex sUPT. H. S. BAKER.

We take this article from the Prdc-
ticaL Teacher. 1t contains much food
for thought. Ed.
1t is fact that the pupils of the
country schools, from twelve to fifteen
years of age, who come into the city
schools to complete their education,
because their parents came into the
city to live, are better qualified to do
work in those studies that require
thought, such as arithmetic, than the
pupil of the city schools of the same
age. They will attack difficult ex-
ample and conquer, before the city
pupil can decide whether he has ever
seen one like it, from which to work as
Il model. The city pupil is compare
lively helpless, The country pupil has
been obliged to work out for himself
examples in a new topic. lie has
studied twenty minutes and recited
ten. The city pupil has studied TWEEN
ty, and recited forty. Recited, did we
say Not exactly. Perhaps he has
been iii class in which the teacher,
by questions so woTded as to relieve
him from the necessity Of thought,
developed the principle with an elabo-
rateness that was painful, with an idea
of the pupils power Of grasping con-
nected links of reasoning that was alb
surd, and 50 confused him that all will
be Immediately forgotten. Perhaps
his recitation was conducted by a
teacher whose sole object was to ask
questions that the pupil could not an
swer, until he thought his teacher, as
lack of thought power among city pu-
she hoped, q repository of all knowl-
edge. Perhaps he recited TO teacher
who aimed to have him think just
that way, and with that cl0seness
which his mental growth demanded.
Probably not. Why this lack of
thought power among city schools,
relatively speaking! They know many
fine things, of course. They can draw,
write, speak in stilted sentences, To-
cate every African cannibal settle
ment shun few common errors of
speech, until their utterance is halting
lest they would use sOlecism, tell TO
minute the date of hundred events,
and tell the names if not the location
of two hundred bones in the body. In
short, they can do all but what they
should do, viz, think. The reason of
Ui4O oCCLIo W w DltIlIiJ bIittp bhN1C 10
too much teaching by a weak Socratic
method. by Quincy amusement
method, by an oral humbug method,
and, in short, by any method. There
is too much teaching and not enough
studying. 1t is what pupils study that
gives them thought power, not what
the teacher develops for them. If ev-
cry recitation period in the city schools
could be reduced One-balf we believe
the result would be beneficial. Let
the pupil do something for himself, in
short, use his mind. He soon learns
whether he must get over the obsta
cles alone, or whether his teacher will
do it all One object of recitation is
to find out what the pupil has done.
and that is lost sight of by assuming
what is generally true, that he has
done nothing, except mechanical work.
Teachers ars too kind tQ pupils, land
such fatally everlasting kindness.
Why! Because If the teachers pupils
fail in the examination she is cOnsid-
cred failure by the school board,
parents, pupils, and saddest of all by
some who ought to know much better,
such as the superintendent, and some
times by the principal.
If a teacher gets her pupils into
good habits of thought she should be
forgiven many sins, and what is more,
her pupils should he promoted, and
we will warrant that they will make
up the work. They have learned to
use that tool, the mind; and even II
they couple nouns and verbs of differ
ent numbers. and can not tell more
than five or six classes OF adJectiVes,
and are behind the grade in Senegam-
bian geography, give them chance to
use the intellect God gave them, with
the condition Of using or losing it.
Give principals autocratic power TO
promote upon this ability to think,
and note wholesome results. They
kpoy mere of that usually than the
Superintendent.