The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1889-12-05

the country schools has risen to the dig
nifty of profession with underlying prin-
ciples, and the boy and girl preparing TO
teach have imbibed some of its flavor be-
fore attempting its duties. In conss-
quence.the person who attended the ex-
animation ito try his luck" has given
place to the applicant with definite pur-
pose, and failures are growing less fire.
quent both at the examination and In the
school room.
The subjects upon which fully ninety
per cent of the failures occur are arith-
metic and grammar. These stand pre-eml-
nent as test of mental strength, habits
of study and independence of thought.
No person is competent to teach who Is
not a mathematician in his mode OF
thought, and no person can be success
full as a teacher who is not grammarlan
In the sense of being clear. explicit and
exact in his language. 1t is not so much
knowledge of mathematical facts as
habit of mathematical exactitude and
perception of essentials; not so much a
knowledge of technical grammar as per-
ception OF the need of making available
what he has, which the teacher needs
Back of the commercial or business value
OF every subject taught is something,
loosely called discipline, whose power to
develop the faculties every teacher should
comprehend. The teacher commits a sin
against mathematical integrity when he
teaches the words of any study and not
the substance. He sins against graninaU-
ical propriety when he permits the
thought to be clouded by clumsy ex-
preston; and against morals when he
accepts slovenly work without rebuke.
The person who fails repeatedly in gram
mar and arithmetic gives evidence that
there is something fundamentally wrong
in his manner of thinking. The ,mathe-
NAUTICAL faculty-if the term may be al
lowed-is never idle when we are in
thought, and hence the necessity of train
ing it properly. There is no ''piece-work"
LII IudUuCllldUlCS, UolCl aOlC 10 q WIZ
unknown to it. Whatever is done must
be perfect or it is complete failure. A
little, well done, strengthens the child,
while much, done poorly, weakens him and
this weakness is reflected in all his other
studies. Language is the mirror of
thought. 1t should be clear and strong
as the child's thought can make it and
the teacher should be model for him in
this respect.
have always found at examinations
that increased proficiency in any subject
is shown as much in the appearance and
language of the writer's work as by its
matter. Intelligence is never slovenly
and ignorance is rarely neat. Thought,
to be productive must be systematic and
system is neatness. Those who find it
difficult to get knowledge of the con-
stitution should study it through an
arithmetic Arithmetic should be taught
SO as to teach the pupil how to study and
this the teacher himself should know.
Be thorough in every thing you attempt
and the difficulties of arithmetic and
grammar will soon melt away. Teach.
your pupils habits Of thoroughne IS
through these subjects and the difficult
ties of teaching will be greatly Jesse ned
Attention is given largely in this re-
port to these subjects and to the exclu-
sion of others which may be consider
ed m gre germane to its purpose. This,
for the reason that complaint is frequent
ly made that the examination in these
two subjects is zoo severe. But it is
through them that capacity for thought
and ability to properly express thought
can be determined with most certainty
and these form the basis of all good teach
ing. 1t is important that every teacher
should have clear perception of the
value of these studies, disciplinary as
well as actual. This they can not learn
through information. 1t must come
through forceful manifestation il them
selves.
Manitowoc, Wis. Nov. 80, 1889.
JOHN NAGLE, Supt. OF Schools.