The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1888-04-24
THE HONOLULU INSTITUTE.
A New Departure in Education
Beginning of Normal Instruc-
tion-opening Address by In
SUPERINTENDENT Atkinson.


schools, as previously announced, met
Monday. 10th inst, at the Fort Street
school building. Mr.. A. 7. Atkinson,
Tnspector-General Of Schools, presided.
The teachers present were Miss
Brickwood. Mrs. J. II. Brown, Miss
Walker. Miss Annie Walker, Mrs T.
II. Gibson, Miss Taner, Miss Mist, Miss
+. Mist. Miss Atkinson, Miss Dudoit,
Mrs. \. A. Wood, Miss Barnard, Miss
Bernice Barnard, Miss Annie Moss
man. Miss Mary Babcock, Miss Helen
Ladd. Miss Mcintyre, Miss Sorenson,
Miss Bella Iishman, Mrs. Hookano,
Nessrs. C. H White, Armstrong
smith, #. Beesley, David Malo, V.
KapuIe, James Donnely, VT. Lucas,
Geo. i. Edwards, f. Zumvalt, B. d.
Mitchell. and Harry j. Wishard.
Mr.. Atkinson opened the proceedings
with an address, substantially as fol-
lows:
Our meeting together to-day is a
somewhat new departure in the Edu-
cational plans of Hawaii, and / trust
that ii NAV prove beneficial TO the
saachers personally and to the cause of
Education generally. By meeting to-
-ether in this way with a definite pur-
nose before US, we must all learn some
thing we can use beneficially when we
90 away to our various school rooms.
By an interchange of thought We
widen our horizon, and breadth of
thought Is what every teacher must
strive after. The tendency of the pro-
fesSiun is to narrow into grooves and
this j. tendency that must ever be
fought against. The more teacher
knows of matters outside his or her
profession. the better teacher he or she
will be. the more readily viii difficult
ties be overcome, the more telling viii
he the Illustrations used. ] wish you
10 regard yourselves moi only as inter-
eSted IN the particular school or school
noon OF which you may happen TO be
IN charge. but To consider that you be-
long 10 a far wider field, that you are
members Of a body which is working
a. a whole for the improvement and
advancement of the country which you
have madeyOur home. 1t Is by united
action that we can really produce great
results. Individual effort, however
excellent, has little effect upon the
mass. The teachers of Hawaii must
work shoulder to shoulder; the oldest
and most experienced must be inter-
ested in the work of the youngest, and
the Youngest in that of the Oldest. As
for highest and lowest / regard not the
term. Al good teaching Is high
whether ii be in the primary class or
among the seniors of a college.
Let Us see if there is any particular
course which we must pursue, if there
j. any pressing need which it is our
duty TO at once attend to.
The Education required in all gov
eminent schools in this country, out
side Of Fort-Street School, whose posi-
tiOn is unique, presents at the present
moment peculiar features, features
which, perhaps, are presented in such
form to no other set OF educators, and
which have developed rs the country
has developed. In Fort-Street School
rhe mass of the pupils thoroughly
understand English before they enter
THE school room doors, and the educa-
ton can therefore follow the lines of
the schools in the United States. In
the other schools of this city and in
the country mt large the case is very
different.
We have set before Us the problem
ii how to instruct in the same school
children Of varied natlonalities. 1t is
no uncommon thing to enter a school
ON these Islands and find from to
different nationalities represented. /
have in mind one in which there were
Hawaiians, Half Castles, Germans,
Portuguese, Americans, South Sea
Islanders, Chinese, Japanese and Nor
Vyegians.
Ii j. plain that with such mate
rial 10 deal with, some language, which
a shall be i'm time common to all, must
l.e used. Circumstances have decided
that that language should be English.
English has to De the medium of in
str1ction. 1t is plain that were such a
thing feasible, only especially gifted
individuals could instruct such a
heterogeneous set Of scholars, each
puuiI i'm his own language. What we
undertake to try to do then, is to give
an education in English to pupils who
are utterly ignorant of that language.
Let me be clearly. understood. We are
10 teach English and TO teach in Eng
fish.
Now the teaching of a language so
- 10 give q mere smattering of it, rs
french. Latin, Italian, and so forth,
are usually taught both IN the states
and in England, Is a comparatively
easy matter. The school French or
Latin i very seldom practically used.
Ii serves as a foundation for the child
upon which the adult may build. 1t
may or may not come into practical
use a. time goes on. 1t is not an
essential, it i ar accomplishment.
But the English we are teaching
! not TO he a mere accomplishment.
Tt j. To be the practical language
of life. the tongue To which all
other tongues in this country must
give way. Ii this is the case, and
there really j. no eff" about it,
81 l. the case. we must at once make
our teaching practical upon this lang
uaCe we are going uouse. Our English
has to become the language of thought
~ well a. a medium of speech. To be-
come % ii must be thoroughly taught,
no mere smattering viii suffice. If our