Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-07-17

EEI1 LDtfG pI 1uO Ii LhJ liAO Vh~S 49,
fiction that in my position [ am not only
teacher, but the teacher of teachers. -
What is a Normal School for; is o1ten
asked. Well, it is to learn how to teach.
ITO learn how to teach !" Is sometimes
replied; why, if q man kal0acs thing LIE
IAN teach it. You might as we'll say thae
man should learn how to eat "Weii, ="
said the Professor, SIT would not be oad
idea fol many people to be taught how TO
eat" Laughter Try one illustration OF
it'll Blind Tom knows all about music.
He knows it so thoroughly, so Instructive
ly, that his performance is simply Won
derful. What sort of a teacher do you
think he would make? We must learn 10
teach. There are two ways. One is by ex-
perience, picking it up, as it were. as
many of US have had to do. An
other, is to be taught by some one
who has already learned what we want
to know. This last is what the Normal
is for. 1t is The quickest, surest and
largest way, for it gathers in the results
of the long and toilsome experience OF
many. Take Latin for example. Give
man Latin book and grammar and d
dictionary and leave him to himself.
How long and slow he is about learning !;
how often fails altogether. But give him
with those, teacher. one who has al
ready learnt; one who has travelled the
path he wants to go, and what differ
ence you will see. OF course there are
men here and there who master Latin,
yes, and Greek too, without a teacher,
but they are rare indeed. Another ques-
tion asked; is how do you teach people to
read ? Well, the Normal is intended to
teach reading, for there are several ways.
We take, say, the three methods the word
method, the alphabetic method, and the
phonic method. We divide off, for exper-
iment. class of persons for each method,
and after time has passed we compare the
results. And by that means it can be de-
cided to a certainty which is the best
way to teach them to read. AS to myself,
said Prof. Winston. I am Bridge between
the Old and the New. L actually ciph-
cred through Pixies Arithmetic and made
the journey through Murray's Grammar!
I am bridge, too, between the old time
collegiate education with it's narrow
views, and the new, strong and vigorous
Public School education. 1 am also a
bridge over section. [ am connected
with an Institute run by our own people
of which we are all proud. (Applause,)
We have no objection to the valuable
ideas which have come from elsewhere, and
appreciate them highly, but we have got
ten on our feet and want to show that we
can walk by ourselves. lApplause.)
Maj. Jed. Hotchkiss, who for length of
of experience in its various branches may
rank among the oldest teachers in Vir-
ginia. as he may from his enlightened and
progressive views be classed as one of the
most modern, was next introduced to the
audience, many of whom he had met at
his lectures before Teachers Institutes
in the State. He said he had just been
thinking Of what the three hundred thous-
and children in Virginia would say if they
could only be here tonight and see the
teachers themselves at school. How it
would please them to see the teacher 8
taught! Nine and thirty years ago, he
said, he had begun teaching in Augusta
and had kept it up for twenty years, and
since he stopped teaching school he had
been talking Education from the noun
tains to the sea. The burden of his life
having been the development of the re-
IF no hod RI Loo 4
that the very foundation of this was the
development Of her children by education.
We are developing, too s! We are growing
in all directions; We have better schools.
better teachers, better teaching and bet
ter scholars every year. Every man in
Virginia, with his eyes open, sees this.
Do you need proof of this? Look at the
hundreds of bright teachers here toni ght.
Are not they great improvement on
past days? Look at this Normal school
how admirably differed it is, and tell me
if you don't think old Virginia is going
forward. Our people in this Valley do
not appreciate this advance perhaps as
much as they otherwise might. They do
not know about the rest Of the State, and
with them they have always had schools.
With them the church and the school
house Travelled together and sometimes
the school house was built first. But
those who travel the rest of the State can
more plainly apprehend the improvement.
And can understand too, how great debt
we owe to the first State Superintendent
of Education for the way in which he put
the system in operation. | hold these
Normal Schools to be invaluable, in tina t
they teach us new ways of teaching.
will Illustrate. In 1872 lectured be.
fore an Institute in Henry county. A
lady teacher said she had boy in her
school who was deeply interested in
| Arithmetic and who was near sighted and
as I was to lecture on the Science OF
Mum bers, she asked for place for him
on the platform, so he could see. He
came, and with his chin buried in his
hands watched the blackboard intently
When 1 got through he said, Nv by, 1 can
do Arithmetic that way.' 70 him that
lecture had been an Institute. In few
moments he had learned new and easier
! way. [ would not like to tell how many
| innocents l have slaughtered in learning,
by experimenting on them, what a N Ormal
can teach you in an hour. When Taught
school l had class OF little fellows tC
experiment On. l went around the neigh
horhood and got their parents to send
them. 1 taught them and they taught
ne the Science Numbers. [ had only to
fire off the experiment and see how il
worked. There, you teachers of to-day
1 Of hcuo G