Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-02-02
EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT.
Conducted by J. II. Terry, Principal Of Mineral
Point Public Shoots.
READING.

must expect to draw power not only
to meet the difficulties that beset hi.
life iii school, but those he will NEE
in the struggle through the world
When the child first enters tn.
Primary department he commences
reading. In the next grade ht
reads. He reads in the Intermedi
ate, and undergoes the same expert
ence in the Grammar department
Even into the High School depart
ment this Reading follows him
sticking "closer than a brother"
Surely after all these ten or twelve
years of such close companionshil
they should be well acquainted
But every teacher knows that in
many cases, yes even in the major
ity of cases, a large part of the
work expected OF pupils in respect
to this subject must be done after
they reach the highest grade men,
toned.
This leads us to inquire for what
purpose SO much time is spent by
the teacher and pupils on a single
branch of school work. | will not
attempt definite answer. The
average pupil should, after ten or
twelve years spent in school, be able
to read understandingly common
business forms; any of the ordinary
newspaper articles; most of the cur
rent literature as found in magazines
and works Of fiction; textbooks
that he is required to study. An
accomplished reader can do more
than this: he can read so that
others may understand as well as
himself. We venture that it is not
going too far TO say that pupils
should be able to do this by the
time they are fifteen years of age.
Let us examine then the causes of
failure and see if there is not REM
edy We do not expect to furnish
any new ideas; but merely call at
tention to some things that are
probably too often overlooked by
teachers. Let US begin with the
young child. Not to attempt dis
cussion of the methods for teaching
primary reading; but merely to
point few mistakes and their rem
edies. The main point with chill
dren is to have them become &C
quainted with the words that rep
resent the ideas with which they are
familiar; AID to add to their stock
of words. Now how much valu-
able time is taken up, we might al
most say wasted, in learning lists Of
such words as and, but &c. Words
well enough to know, and useful in
their place but their proper place is
never out of the sentence. The
same will, in a certain sense, apply
to all words. How much better
would the time spent in committing
a great number of disconnected
words to memory be employed in
studying large plainly printed pic
ture of a rat running through a
hole in the floor with nothing but
his long tail visible; while the cat
stands near with disappointed look
in her countenance. Here is pic
tured an idea with which every
child is familiar. The words, "The
cat did not get the rat, would rep
resent the same idea III an entirely
different way. The picture helps
the child in more ways than one to
remember the new way of repre-
senting the idea.
The point we wish to make is
this: the idea and the sign of the
idea should go together. The child
should not be required to memorize
new words until he knows what they
mean. Too much emphasis can not
be placed on this. Words without
ideas are almost useless.
What has been said in relation t.
primary reading is equally peril
nent to other grades. This linking
of meaning with signs cannot bt
carried too ttr. 1t should be the con,
slant aim of the teacher to cultivate
in the child the habit of associatine
the two. This as the child grows
older will develope into a spirit o
inquiry, that great requisite of hiT
who would be well informed.
In all our school work we are in.
clined to use too much time or
| comparatively uuimportant points
Much time is thus wasted in drill
ing pupils on the sounds and mark.
ings of vowels and consonants. or
the accent of particular words; and
emphasis of peculiar expressions
All of these are good; but should
not interfere with the leading aim
of the reading exercise viz: to &C
quire large stock of words and
ideas. Much can and will be &C
quired in regard to the manner o.
reading without the great amount o.
time that is usually spent on it
The example Of the teacher, will dc
much toward this.
Another cause of poor success