The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-01-30

ONE of the arguments used against the
Bennett law is that it will not permit a
teacher to explain matters in German to
a child unable to speak the English Ian
guage. Mr.. Voss of Kiel says The Hi
nois Stats Zeitung makes this charge
against the law, and if this Interpretation
be correct he is opposed to the law. There
is not a word of truth in what The Stats
Zeitung charges. The manner of teach
ing is wholly matter of method always
left to the discretion OF the teacher. 1t
would be the utmost folly to enact a law
telling just how certain branches are to
be taught.There are various methods III
vogue for teaching primary reading;
among them, the alphabet method, the
word method, and the phonic METHOD
each teacher employing the method which
in her opinion is most certain to produce
the desired result, giving the child the
ability to call words at sight. But no
one assumes that the law in requiring
reading TO be taught makes obligatory
any particular method.
Opinions may differ as to the advisable
ity of employing any language as a
medium of teaching another language to
children. The language which offers the
least resistance to expression will always
crowd out the one a knowledge of which
it is desired to secure. The writer some
years ago found a few schools in this
county in which the answers to all ques-
tons, and all explanations were given in
German. The questions were PROFOUND
ed in the amelanguage quite frequently,
and the result was that English was not
taught at all though English text books
were used. The pupils were wholly I'M
able to express themselves in the Eng
fish language and being permitted to use
exclusively the language IN which they
had most facility Of expression no effort
was made to master the language which
presented difficulties. The matter was
fully discussed at teachers meetings and
ii
taught in English nothing but English
should be spoken. and when German was
taught nothing but German should be
spoken. The child learns only when
he tries, and he tries only under the
pressure of necessity. The good results
of this system are the best proof of its
wisdom. But the other system, (that of
permitting explanations to be offered in
any language prevails in many counties
of this state. 1t is only QUESTION of
which is best. The system adopted in
this county received the heartiest sup
port in kiel, Mr.. Voss' own home There
is not pupil in the primary room of the
hiel public school who is not able to
speak English and explain in English
what he reads Only last week the
writer saw boy in back woods country
school. recent arrival from Germany.
who attended school only one month,
who could explain in English what he
read in the first reader, in hesitating Ian
guage, of course, but still so as to be I'M
derstood. He could not speak a single
word of English when he came to school
and not word Of German had been
spoken to him by the teacher. Would
the results have been as good if the other
system had been adopted?
But this is not the Bennett law. That
law does not prescribe methods. No law
should ever be passed that would. 1t
would be making the law take the place
IF the teacher. The teacher should know |
what to do and have some reason for
LONG as he does. The pupil who takes |
up the study of history should certainly |
pc SO proficient in the language in which |
re is TO study it as to make unnecessa;-r
ne employment of any other lanruaoe
explanation. fit is necessary. then
ne methods employed are SO very family
hat they should be discarded at once.