Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-01-05
NO. T..
Some Things for Teachers to DO.

The schools in Tennessee are using
a great variety of text books. Teach
ers have become wearied with exam
ming the works of so many authors.
Some states have adopted a uniform
set OF books, and superintendent in
those states do not give certificates
to applicants who are not acquainted
with the books used in those states.
People Who have never taught,
have little knowledge of the trouble
and confusion which this great Va.
riety of text books makes in our
schools. Children often move from
one district to another, and if differ.
ent books are used in adjoining dis
tricts, or in adjoining counties, teach
ers are often subjected to great incon-
venience.
During the next six months, teach
ers ought to exsmine the different
books now in use, and try to agree
upon some plan by which uniformity
can be secured. A National Teach.
ers' Convention will be held in Nash
vile in July. In that Convention,
every one of the thirty.eight states
will be represented, and every coun-
ty in Tennessee ought to be represent
ed.
Reed and Kellogg have revised
their books on English Grammer, and
their latest books are free from sew
eral Objectionable features found in
all their older works. The greatest
objection to their books is, that, in
giving definitions, they do not give
examples to illustrate the definitions.
This defect can be supplied, to
great extent, by the teacher. Their
rules for spelling, punctuation, and
for Epistolary correspondence arc
elegant.
1t has been stated that Patterson
has revised his Grammar, and that
he has made his last edition far more
acceptable than his first edition. One
thing is very commendable in Pat
terson. He has placed all his dia-
grams at the end of his book, so that
the teacher may, or may not use
them, as he pleases.
The grammars introduced into the
Public school in McMinnville, are
very Objectionable. On the preface
to one of them, the following Ian.
guage may be found: "That the lead
ing object of the study of English
grammar is to teach the correct use
of English is, in my view, an error"
This is n new idea to me. More
than fifty years ago, was taught
that children should learn grammar
in order that they might speak and
write correctly.
The author of the book to which |
have alluded has fully carried out his
plan in writing his book. He has
scattered his rules through the book,
thus making the task of finding the
rules very difficult. He gives a list
Of Irregular verbs on one page,
without giving their principal parts,
and requires the pupil to look on
another page of the book TO find
something more about them. This
requires time, and often confuses the
pupil. In the Greenbaek grammar,so
called, there are no rules for spelling,
and no exercises in the erroneous use
of language; the consequence is, we
now see, in our newspapers, more in
correct spelling and more errors in
the use of language, than we were &C
customed to see fifty years ago, Even
President Cleveland has a mis-spell-
ed word in his annual message. He
has also used a word that is not found
| in any Dictionary that l have ever
seen. There is also u mis.spellel
word in the last catalogue Of the
Winchester Normal. Scarcely a copy
of the STANDARD appears, which
does not have several gross errors on
. its first page.
Another great objection TO the
grammarS used in the McMinnvillC
| Public Schools is the pupil is required
to buy three books. / say without
fear of successful contradiction, that
e more sound, practical knowledge o.
: the use of language can be obtained
0 from Reed and KellOgg'S two books
}. than can be obtained from the threI
i. books to which have alluded,
Say then 20 all teachers in War
= rem, do not ask any one to buy IN,
: Red, Blue, or Greenback grammar
Let the circulation Of those Tine,
books stop with the bounds Of tn,
y corporation OF McMtnnville. lie