The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-12-06

Ilut6I, OGtO DIoWS, OOuA u. ASckous ACAo
Miller, Carl 81. Greve. John NJ. Ruech-
fhoeft, Julia NJ. Lykin.
Some whose names appear in the above
list as receiving fullsgrade certificates valid
for.one year, did not reacha he required
minimum In certain branches and had
their certificates limited to a less time.
Some who passed a satisfactory exami-
nation were refused certificates on the
grounds of youth and inexperience.
Three applicants for certificates OF the
higher gredes who failed in either Geome-
try or Algebra, having reached the re-
quired standing on all other subjects will
be allowed re-e1amiuation when school
visitation and attendance at teachers
meetings are less pressing.
AS certificates of the higher grades now
offer their possessors immunity from fire.
quent examinations they are sought by a
greater number than when the term of
their validity covered a less period of
time. In view OF this fact few words
of caution to those who are preparing for
these examinations may not be amiss.
Success is assured only by obtaining
actual and available knowledge of the
subjects. The person who memories
the principles of Physics and is unable
to apply them to the common phenomena
which he every day observes, or who fol-
lows the demonstration of a theorem in
Geometry and does not test the COM
pleteness of his hold upon principles by
using them Independent of direction, or
who degrades Algebra to the level of an
expedient to solve arithmetical problems,
will find when he attends an examina-
ton that he is powerless unless he has
the text book to assist him. Few per-
sons know how to study Algebra or
Geometry. The proper study of these
subjects gives the student power to deal
with what is new in the realm of either,
and unless he acquire this power the time
spent in their study is wasted. It is a
difficult an unpleasant but salutary
lesson to teach, that what cannot be
used Independent of the text book is not
fully comprehended, unfortunately ext
gencies created by school boards render
it difficult to inipart this lesson to all
who seek third grade certificates; but
these obstacles are not interposed in the
case of applicants for certificates of the
higher grade.
The weak teacher invariably breads an
examination in Arithmetic, Grammar and
Constitution. Those who fail to obtain
certificates or those whose success bor-
ders so closely on failure as to SAVIOR
strongly of unftness to teach, experience
their chief difficulty in these subjects
And yet OF all the common school
branches these are least indefinite and
yield most positive results to careful
study. With themthe excuse of want of
time for special preparation has no force
whatever. It is difficult to conceive of q
PERSONS forgetting" Arithmetic or the
principles of Grammar, or indeed the facts
Of the Constitution of the United States.
Certainly all that is needed to retain a
knowledge of the two first mentioned
if the knowledge obtained is genuine
and not counterfeit,-is that degree OF
of mental activity which it would seem
is a positive necessity to any person en-
gagged in intellectual pursuits. One can
not forget Arithmetic or Grammar to the
extent he has mastered them, unless he
surrendered the capacity to think.
The trouble is, in such cases, these
subjects have never been properly studied.
When Grammar is studied in its relation
to language and It's principles applied, it
is not forgotten until language is. When
a person studies Arithmetic with know
ledge that it requires an understanding Of
conditions and relations, and mode of
procedure made necessary by these re-
lations, he will forget Arithmetic when
he ceases to read intelligently or to
couple facts in a rational manner. No
bpersons is competent to teach who has
the weakness of forgetting these things
which do not belong safely to the memory.
Historical facts in detailed elaboration
may be forgotten, but not these effects
which history teaches an almost unerr-
ing conclusions and which have made
possible conditions of the present which
are interviewer in our national life.
Examination questions are frequently
called "queer" because they are not taken
bodily from the text book thus yielding
some remuneration to the industrious
person who makes special preparation by
receiving facts. But the questions lat
least it is sought to give them that char
acter) are designed to measure the men
tai strength of the applicant and to de-
termine the capacity to couple related
facts and draw conclusions. The teacher
needs strength, familiarity with princi-
pies, and mind trained to work indie
pendently and intelligently in order to
perform his duties so as to meet the re-
qu1rements OF his position. The object
OF the examination is to test his qualifi
cations in these particulars not to grope
for isolated facts which he may have
gathered with view to their utility at
the examination without thought of
their bearing on the work he is to do in
school. The fitness to teach, not the pre-
paration for examination, is what the
superintendent deals with.
There are papers written by teachers
at examinations from which the average
pupil in the Fourth Reader could not
extract one grain of sense, SO lacking
are they, in system, in arrangement
of thought and in language that the
person inspecting them is forced to
the doctrine of probabilities to dis