Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-07-17
school Visiting.

Dbbpet
A teacher in "a public school, SAYS
the JDarllai II EducatiOlt, received SO
many visitors for so many successive
DAYS that She was worn out and re-
ported to her principal that she must
either take a vacation "" lie relieved
from visitors for few days He as.
sured her that he would bring no Wis
itors TO her room, and, II any came.
she might say to them that Ler rooms
was not open to visitors, but that all
the other rooms were. In little time
teacher from a distance entered the
building, did not enquire for the prin.
cipal, but went directly to this room.
The teacher said pleasantly, II am
not quite well this morning and NY
room is not open TO visitors, but all the
Others are; Mis-, -, in the next room
has the same grade The visitor paid
no attention, but deliberately took q
chair and began to take notes. In .
few minutes the teacher explained the
case once more, and offered to show the
teacher to the other room. The WIS.,
itor declined, walked out and of in a
milf, and mas not ceased to tell what
shabby treatment" she received in.
This at last led to extended correspond
ence over the grieyence.
School visiting is one OF the signs of
the times one of the characteristics
OF the "Newness. one of the manias
of the hour. 1t is good thing. 1t is
one of the best educational forces.
Indeed, there is no way in which one
can pick upso much in so short time,
provided the school visited is wisely
handled. One never learns how to
teach from school visiting, he merly
"picks up stray ideas, "catches or"
TO devices, is stimulated to wake up
If he is teacher by nature or training
it will prompt him to more and better
work. Buts il is a very expensive
method OF teaching for these schools
that are over visited. At first it is a
benefit to the teacher thus honored. Sne
is stimulated by it; becomes more wide
"A wake; studies to have her wcrk clear
er, more direct. more effective The
children become more interested take
pride in their work. and think with
more animation. After a little time
there IS run upon this school.
Now the evil influences appear. The
teacher must multiply devises She
must have new ttricks.n Her work
must be more startling, or it will grow
tame with her and her pupils. Great
Expectations can only be realized
when the Newest becomes more and
more dazzling.
To keep up this excitement is too
great strain upon any teacher. The
pupils become unnatural in their work;
the moment visitors enter they pre-
pare for the show as instinctiyely as
trained animals. The attention of the
visitors is fixed upon the devices, the
tricks, the schemes and not at all upon
the children. You never hear them
speak of the mental yigor or elasticity
OF the pupils, but rather of the cards,
sticks, toys dolls, etc; more frequently
they speak merely Of the devices by
number, Miss A, of B., IS
known as the woman with thirty-two
devices in language work; Miss c..
of D.. as the woman with forty
three devices in number work; and
Miss E., of F., rs the woman
with 40 schemes for buSy-work. One
would rarely suspect that there We're
any children to be taught or any meth
DDS of teaching. As soon as q eacher
becomes famed among visitors her
usefulness to them is gone. She should
bee given a rest from this draft, and the
tide should be turned to some other
equally good teacher.
It is demoralizing to every unvisited
room in a building to have all publicity
focused upon one, and il is equally de-
muralizing to that room, One Boston
master has the good sense to have a
series of large cards for each classroom
door, and when visitor enters he
sees at once one or the other of these
cards upon every door: