The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-12-04
TEA6HEBS'GoLuMN,
DM All communications intended 70
this Column should be addressed 70 D. Fl
RUSSELL, School Commissioner, Ander
son. S. G.
LOVING READING.

A parent was visiting school.room
and the Third Reader class was brought
up. They held the books properl ly, stood
accurately. When :sey had been dis:
missed to the seats the teacher received
some compliments from the rarent and
was pleased. The parent lemarked,
"They don't love reading, that is plain,
and you do wonderfully we'll when that
is taken into consideration.
This was intended to please the teach
er, but it did not. She felt convicted of
failure. For she remembered Prof.
Sheldon had said to the class in the nor
nal school, "If your pupils don't love
school it is because it is not the right
sort of school; ifthey don't love arith.
metic it is your fault"
After the visitor had departed the
teacher determined to ask the class some
questions. They were called forward to
their places. Beginning with the head
one she asked "Anna, do you love to
come up here in the class and read
Remember, l want you to speak frankly:
I have curiosity to know what you
think of it," Ali were asked and the
teacher found that few 'lked it some )"
others did not dislike it," few "liked
geography much BETTER" two "really
disliked it,"
The teacher thanked them for telling
her, and told them she was determined
they should like to come up and read !:
she said frankly, "It is my fault if you
don't like it. This surprised the pupils.
The teacher began to look back over
the facts She remembered how inter.
ested she was in some of her classes, how
uninterested in others. She began to
look for the reason; she felt it was in
the teacher. She determined to study up
the method of teaching her reading class.
es so that they should be interested.
The geography class was very much
interested that she knew. Why was it !?
She thought and thought, and felt sure it
was because they understood it. Gould
she apply the same plan to her reading
classes? She determined to try.
"The words in a reading lesson are not
the words child would use to describe
the same event." This had been said at
the summer school by Prof. Frye, and
the teacher wondered just what was
meant. She took up the lesson for the
morrow. Here was paragraph:
Beautiful, indeed, said she when she
saw them; but the hand that gives to the
poor is more beautiful than the one that
is washed in the clear stream, stained by
fruit, or garlanded with fragrant flowers.
She felt here were many words the
pupils would not have used.
10 really read, the reader must use
words that arc in lis oaon vocabulary."
For reading is getting thought; if ono
reads aloud he must give his thought.
Reciting lines from Virgil or Homer (the
pupil not knowing the meaning) would
not be reading. Upon this subject The
teacher thought great deal. She read
and re read what Col. Parker says in his
"Talks on Teaching" Reading is think.
ing" She felt sure that most of her
class were doing no thinking when they
read. And then to the structure of
the sentence-the teacher felt that mona
of that class would have said-"washed
in the clear stream, stained by fruit, or
garlanded with flowers"
She determined to have the class study
the words so that they would be part of
their vocabulary; so she wrote dispute,
aside, color, staff, perfume, wrinkles, gar
landed, fragrant, unadorned, unstained,
on the blackboard.
Which words do you use2 "Color."
Wrinkles" l wish you to copy the
other words and use them at home, or
anywhere, and tell me to morrow. On
the morrow she asked, Who used dis
pute? II said at the tea table, Il will
not dispute with any one.'" II said to
Henry that my grandfather leaned on
staff he said it was "a cane and so the
talk went on. Then the class read on
previous pages.
In q few weeks that teacher could say,
"My Third Reader class loves reading as
much as they do geography Teacher s,
Institute.