The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-08-21
''TEACEING.'
Tie following Essay was read by Miss
Lizzie Anderson at the recent Teachers
Institute

Institute:
"Wha! general subject" hear you
sag, "sVhy in the world didn't you take
some part Of it-something moro spc-
ciiic?:" Well, nothing would have suited
me better, if only could have decided
wi,a. to take. When | read A1r. Rus
sells note requesting me to prepare q
paper on any subject | chose, thought
and thought and thought, ard tic more
thought the more bewildcred | became.
Finally, when | had given up al! hope
Of ever deciding among the subjects con-
tending with each other in my mind, q
dim light flashed over that chaotic mass,
and observed two or .nree which
seemed to have tic mastery oyer the
Others, SO then | concluded not 70 wait
ary longer for only one to prescn! itself
but lake up my ren at once. Bat beg
yGu TO remember that it ie not because
know 50 much about The wliolc thing
that chose Tie above Reall and
truly fear there is a totally different
rcasop, that Of knowing so little about
any one Of them Ii any iuither apol
ogy IL needed this paper, no doubt, will
be able to apologize for itself, but just
here let nc say | had rather be right
than be original, 50 yoa arc not at all
likely 10 hear anything new in this-iiust
wha! has been said time and again.
wculd Ike, i. ! cnly could, to get
dcwn 10 cur every day needs, for now is
the time for each ofus 10 think for our
selves what we lack-what difficulties we
have to encounter in cur work, while we
have these kind instructors here who arc
able and willing to help as
TIE day of machine teaching has gone
by, and that filed with life and yigor is
taking its place. Education once looked
backward and consisted simply in i'm
parting TO the child the wisdom Of the
past. 1t now looks forward ard seeks
the development! Of the highest powers
through The seif-activity of the child.
In other words. the teacher helps the
child to educate himself How? BY put
ting a book into his hands and telling him
to "Get that lesson by heart" All, wc
all know the words Of the book sre often
memorized without the ideas contained
therein. The victim of this mode of
study gropes helplessly among the Iuass
he has collected for replies TO the most
commonplace questions, ard is never
sure whether he has drawn the right
answer or no. Memory work should be
incidental rules, servants; processes,
means and thinking, the central point Of
Il lesson. No ,l9ub. ynu have all seen
pupils in solving p:o!'lems i'll arithmetic
do sp:cndidly whea hs,!limg :hs book
and following the rnies. hu jus; put them
OH their own resources aud .ilsy i:rs at
s:a. They are akin Ia the well knnwn
boy wjo lsied in w5r'; s plnhlen con-
corning turkeys, bcc;,nas he couldn't find
the turkey rule" l.. hi, bo"k Arilh-
,ny!ic is truly Il !;.augiii s;.dy-npi much
iu it IL menorizs, ir!ess il IS lie ;ru:li-
pi!ta,!nA table, aud i rev .! buttons nn
wire will DC away will, some Of that.
If our pupils form the habit Of rcl%ing
too much or what Tie bool; says without
doag much thinking themselves, it will
be hard ever 20 ge' them to do otherwise.
The listcss manner in which some pupils
so through their recitations is often due
to this form of study. ] do not accuse
teachers here of teaching with the above
result, but wc are constantly subjected
to the temptation so long rs we place as
much confidence rs We do in our text
books, and assign a certain number of
paragraphs Oil pages, especially 10 pri.
mary pupils. We are aware it takes but
half the time "nd nol hit of skill 70
have pupils me'aogize definitions, in
Form study ior instance: but what is the
result? Only enc faculty exercised
facts ylihEy rccaliel but soon forgotten.
On Tic other baud, By means Of the
senses, all il.c faculties have been set il
molten and The facts obtained are ever
at his command. oi callrs4 the ,acmory
rclats :i.a: Hhic! las gonc tllrou II the
mill o; reaSe.:l ard understanding, much
better li,a,, word memorized Then
should sc teael our pupils cn!y that
whic:, they c,; comprehend, Or haze
thcm mamul;ac nothing they do not TN.
G,rstan,l, even ii j; be useful ever alter
"ards 10 !:aye in mini? In the old
fashioned spelling exercise it was
thought ncccssa.. for the pupil 10 learn
the spelling of q lit Of words without
regard to the rucsnihg. How much bet
ter to put them in t!.oaght-bearirg sen
tcncuA than to dca with isolated %crla.
am thinking of 3 class WHO composed
their owil spelling lesson Oh Tie black
boara, aad never DID cyes sparkle mere
than vixen it Was time ipr that exercise,
and they learned to spell, too. The
study of things 5g means Of the senses is
often pleasure instead Of a drudl;ety.
But learning cai not always be made
entertaining. Ciii!drcn can not be edu
Gated by amusement; II such we're pos
sibIe it would un:.t them for the stern
realities of 'jle, BIZ! hard study Will make
them strong, brave. independents men
ana .o.nen. Is dessert is TO dinner, so
is amusement; to study, tut do ct Us
have some .lcascy. in our sch0G;s> Do
you think VIC ca,l put too mnc! system
and precision itn our work Ii y boy
in swimming. across the river paya more
attention to the aolions lie is making
than 10 the direction he is going, he will
be likely 10 drift. So with tie teacher !;
he riay drift a! least away frcm the
pupil, for lha minds power 10 act may
be endangered bg lie clec!: wofI:. like
operations of;en required by ID" teacher.
We should rot he AFRAID 10 vary rur