The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-10-15
HINTS TO TEACHERS.

not new may be willing to read passing
suggestions from one who to-day remem.
bers that more than thirty years of his
life have been spent in actual teaching.
Alas! experience does not always bring
wisdom, and one cannot presume to do
more than offer hints. The English Ian
guage requires us to use masculine pro.
nouns, yet probably half of the persons
in question belong to the other sex.
The teachers character is quite as i'm
portant matter as his knowledge. He
needs quick aud active mind, readily
passing from one subject to another, and
giving to each the sharpest attention.
He should have genuine enthusiasm
for knowledge, and special and lively
interest in the subjects he is teaching.
He should love truth, and delight in ac-
curacy. He ought to feel profound re-
spect for youth, with its magnificent
hopefulness and its undeveloped poten.
cies; the story of Michael Angelo, who
saw an angel in the block of marble and
longed to bring it out, is worth repeating
ten thousand times. And no teacher will
be highly respected by his pupils who
has not generous disposition. The
young are quick to discern sel6shness in
older persons, and always hold it in
special detestation.
A teacher ought to be industrious.
Few tasks involve so much of plodding
detail, and Jet at the same time demand
80 much of electric energy. Every reci-
tation or lecture needs to be vigorously
taken in hand at the very outset, and
carried through with unaagging force.
& Even in the humblest forms Of teaching,
you have to put life into your pupils, to
make them take interest in the subject,
to evoke close attention and vigorous
thinking. A good driver can make his
horses 70 much farther in day, and
with much less of hurtful fatigue, than
bad driver. The teacher must be ex-
tremely punctual, and very prompt in
takipg up and completing the several
exercises, or the machine will never
work. All teachiog, of whatsoever grade,
must combine certain mechanical reg
ularity and steadiuess with contagious
animation, q spirited variety. The rest
less youth of our age can scarcely endure
existence without variety, and the teach
er must season routine with all possible
spice.
A teacher needs immense patience.
Few pupils, even among the gifted and
mature, will really know a fact, and
fewer still will thoroughly understand 8
principle, upon the first statement.
Live upon line, line upon line." Ali!
the blessed teacher, the gracious giver of
true wisdom, .wbo simply giyeth to all,
and upbraideth not" How often do we
human parents and human teachers en-
bitter instruction with upbraiding. How
often do We angrily censure the young
for being slow TO learn something which
to US has long been familiar, when in
fact, if we did but remember, we learned
It. ourselves only through a long course
of training. Yes, "precept upon pre-
cept, precept upon preccpt; here little,
there little," aud thankful may We be
if they know it at last. O the forgotten
patience Of tho>e who taught Us, long
ago.
In. order to such unwearied patience,
such promptness, energy, enthusiasm,
steady industry, q teacher needs good
health But the circumstances of the
average teacher are not favorable to-
cheerful and bracing bodily exercise.
Many who teach boys and girls think
their dignity would be lowered by taking
part in the sports of their pupils; and
sometimes unwise parents or outside oh.
serYers so meddle as to compel abstinence
from this enjoyment and benefit. Teach
ems of a higher grade are apt to be i'm
pressed with their need of profound study
and vide reading, so as to fancy that
they have no time for exercise and re-
creation. Very many of every grade,
through q onesidedness that is quite nat
nrai, but far from wise, allow themselves
10 think that mental development is
everything, mere physical strength and
health matter of little account. Now,
apart from all question as to your own
future, your present daily tasks cannot
be reformed with the.requisite patience,
energy and enthusiasm unless you have
q high degree of nerye-iorce, and this
requires bodily health. You wish to put
life into the teaching, and in order to do
this you need to have life in yourself.
So, then, make careful provision for reg
ular and adequate bodily exercise, and
also for sufficient sleep, at regular hours.
A teacher who sat up half the night over
a-novel cannot do his best next day in
the work of instruction. Even if he has
the strength of an unnatural excitement,
he will lack calm patience and steady
cheerfnlness. Some persons need far
more sleep than others, as a matter of
Inheritance. Find out how much you
really need, and take that much, with a
good conscience and by rule. The hours
: Of retiring and rising must vary in differ
ent cases according to surroundings; but
it is surprisingly important that they
will habituate itself to almost any hours,
if only they are the same hours. Two
lessons should be early learned by every
one whose pursuits are Intellectual; first,
to bend yourself to mental work at the
proper time, though you may not feel
like it.; second, to withdraw yourself
from mental work at the proper time,
though consumed with desire to 20 on.
81 wonder if the writer of this sage ad.
vice has learned these two lessons him.
self" That is not the question, good
friend; the thing proposed was not per-
sonal professions, but hints to you. Yet
assuredly some of US would have been
buried and forgotten long ago, if we had
not a thousand times forced ourselves to
cease working when the hour came.
Your object in teaching is to see that
the pupil gains thorough acquaintance
with certain facts of existence, and re-
fleets thoughtfully upon the relation of
these facts to each other. The irst re-.
quisite is an accurate acknowledge of
facts. In spelling, reading, writing, in
botany, zoology, mineralogY, in geogra.
ply and history, we must see to it that
the pupils knowledge so far as it goes is
correct and exact. Not all facts of course
deserve equal attention. Many teachers
err in requiring their pupils to give as
much time to the most trif1ing as to the
most important matter; but whatever
they undertake To know, let them learn
to observe it closely, and to state the facts
just as they are. Nothing is mere com.
mon than almost knowing thing. In
helping pupils recitation, We have to
distinguish very carefully between sup.
plying what is unimportant, and supply
ing q small part of what is important.