The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-02-26
Educational Meeting at Weston.
Reported expressly for the sIrTER.

BY invitation of some of the citizens
State Superintendent Dart held an ed.
ucational meeting at Weston, Thursday
and Friday, Feb. IL and 13. The exer.
cises were opened Thursday with devo.
tonal exercises, followed by an address
of welcome by Rev. w. r. Davenport
of the NJ. E.. Church, to which Mr..
Dart gave fitting response. He then
discussed the subject "Methods in Ar
ithmetic." The speaker thought that
too much time was given to that study,
In most common schools, and too little
to other and more important studies,
Reading for instance. In his mind the
great error was in passing over the fun
damental rules too carlessly and thus
entering upon the advanced portions be-
fore fit preparation had been secured.
Make haste slowly should be the motto
In commencing any study, but especial
ly this The object method should be
used at first and whole year could be
probably spent in learning all the rela-
tons to each other of the first ten fig
ures, when this has been done so that any
example in the first four rules could be
done accurately and rapidly, the book
could be completed easily in two years.
Addition is the most important, and
multiplication next of all the rules in
the entire book, yet how few people
can add and multiply rapidly and cor
rectly. Advanced scholars should be
taught to make everything practical.
finding the area of the ceiling, of the
school room, the amount of wood in a
pile, feet of boards required for a side
walk, &c. Mr.. Dart also thought that
the whole school should be drilled in
mental arithmetic for fifteen minutes
each day and thus taught to think
quickly and accurately. Principal A.
Z. Leavenworth discussed the same SUBJ
ject later in the day and took substanti-
ally the same grounds. The discussion
following and the attention given show
cd that much interest in the subject had
been awakened. In the afternoon Supt.
II. ]. Parker gave paper in school
management.
In this paper he pointed out the er-
rors in a way that would at once sug-
gest their remedy. The school meetings
are often poorly attended by the legal
voters, those there desiring to have just
school enough to secure the public mon
ey, and to elect committee who will
hire teacher as cheap as possible. Of
ten the Office of committee goes beg
Ing SO indifferent are the best citizens to
the whole matter. Trivial causes often
produce the most disastrous consequent
ses. Many school houses are totally I'M
fit for occupancy and are bare of any
attractive furniture or useful applian-
ees such as maps, etc. As rule teach
ers are hired for only one term and put
Into the school, whether they could get
an honest certificate or not. Scholars
are taken out Of school for the most
trivial reasons, parents rarely investiga-
ting to see if complaints are well groun-
ded. Frequently the school is looked
upon as a founding asylum and very
young children are sent, merely to be
out of the way, the older scholars are
constantly tardy, and have, nearly, as
many absent as present marks. Parents
desire scholars advanced to the higher
studies, whether prepared or not, and
rarely, if ever, visit the school to OBJ
serve the progress made. The remedy
Tor all these defects was obvious, and
Mr.. Parker urged general reforma-
DON in school matters.