St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-01-23
TEACHERS INSTITUTE.
Some Pracfiea1 Points for Educators

The teachers institute for this
county was held at the Union school
building last Thursday, Friday and
Saturday under the direction of State
Supt. Palmer of Waterbury and Su-
pervisor Taylor of Hardwick. The
exercises were attended by about $50
teachers, and while there was plenty
of theorizing, yet many practical
points were presented. The practical
side was especially prominent in the
addresses of St. Johnsbury teachers.
The introductory address was Civ
en- on Thursday afternoon by Supt.
Palmer. 1t was a lengthy and
| tedious address, so called, extending
an hour beyond the schedule time.
BY encroaching on the time of others
every speaker following throughout
the entire institute spoke on borrow
ed>~e,. so to speak, and the pro-
gram had to be continually changed
Mr.. Palmer's effort was not a sue
cess.
Supervisor Taylor followed with
an address on reading. He dwelt on
it's Importance and said that future
success in reading depended on the
foundation work. He considered the
word method superior to the A B c
method The word method should
come first, the sounds next, and the
letters last. He was strongly in fa-
vor of supplementary reading from
papers, magazines or books.
Miss Woodruff of this place gave a
class drill in fractions which interest
ed all. The ready answers of her pu-
pills clearly showed that they were
receiving excellent training. She was
followed by Miss Watson of the
Academy who gave an able, forcible
and practical talk on English liter
ature.
Thursday evening Pres. Buckham
of the University of Vermont gave a
scholarly address in Academy hall on
the qualification of good teaching.
In introducing his subject the speak
ersaid: Greece had only one teacher
and she poisoned him; England only
one, DR.. Arnold; Vermont, two,
James Marsh and James K. Colby.
Both these Vermonters seemed alike
in their simplicity of character and
wonderful power of attracting other
minds and inspiring them. Hence |
say the first qualification of good
teaching is the power to awaken adj
miration in the pupil. The pedagog's S
chair is the real throne. The Samuel
Taylors and the Colbys die in the
harness. A large capacity for ad-
lniration is a prime requisite for a
| teacher.
Another qualification for good
teaching is a fine sense of Justice
One cannot rule by love alone; there
must be law and that must be en-
forced. Pres. Buckham then laid
down few rules for school govern
ment which all teachers would do
well to follow.
The third qualification was a
knowledge of human nature or ac-
quaintance with psychology; insight
into the working of the young mind.
The teacher should be a practical
philosopher. To be a good primary
teacher requires a rarer combination
of talents than in any other grade.
The object in teaching is not merely
knowledge but increased quality and
quantity of mind The teacher must
be a perpetual student of the mind.
The good teacher should be absorbed
in his work We must hold out
larger inducements to those who de-
sire to make this their life work
Qualify yourselves, teachers, for the
higher positions.
Friday morning Principal Putney
gave a practical address on the study
of English. He advised teachers to
explain the meaning of words, to
study their derivation and to explain
to the older scholars their Latin
stems Let the teachers remember
that the great ajority of their pu-
pills never reach the academies Mag
nifty your office, teachers, and put
your heart and soul into your work
Miss Martha Ross of this place in
terested all in her talk on drawing.
Her juvenile scholars showed by their
clay modelling and blackboard work
that Miss Ross is the right one in the
right place. Her exercise was review
of the years work interspersed with
explanations to the teachers present
In closing she spoke of the great sue
cess of the industrial exhibition given
at the Union school last year
Principal Conant of the Randolph
Normal school in his address on Yer
mont history and civil government
traced in an interesting and logical
manner the origin of the town sys
tenn at Bennington and its develop
nent into the state of Vermont The
town system is pure democracy and
the state representative democracy
These are the two kinds of govern
ment in America.
In the afternoon Miss Small, prin
cipal of the Union school, gave very
practical talk on history and the
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