Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-06-12
The Teachers Preparation.
Read Before. the >Cratiot County
Teachers Association, Alma,
June and ..
BY MISS VIOLA BUELL..

be INQUIRIES OF teachefs aDlllly,
and there afe times In every true
teachers life when he asks himself
how he may better prepare for his
work and longing to do his task
more efficiently. While the views
herein expressed come more from the
longing 10 do better work than from
any experimental knowledge of the
subject matter.
That man is doubly fortunate and
usually doubly successful who early
in life makes choice of some pro
fession and spends his days of men
tai and physical growth in prePar-
ing for his calling. Especially is
this true T one who chooses the pro-
fession Of teaching. There is no
calling in life which demands more
careful aud thoughtful preparation,
and thoroughness Of work, and no
life work which calls into play all
the stored up knowledge and all the
nobleness of character more than
does that of teaching. There should
be depth of learning, broadness
of culture, a control of emotion, In
deed all that tends to refinement
bound up in the bundle Of teachers;
for the true teacher, as Brooke says,
has seemed to be painting pictures
on the canvas Of minds that last
through the generations and fade
in not eternity. =
The community ir'Which we teach,
expect us 60 be the most intellectual,
the most pleasing in manners, inter
ested in all that pertains TO their
welfare and will look TO Us for sup
port and aid in all intellectual and
social work.
Happy are we if we are prepared
to give to them their demands and
broad and lasting will be the result
of our work.
In order to be fitted for his work
every teacher should seek true cul-
ture, that culture which John Bur
roughs said meant the perfect and
equal development of man on all
sides; and'a lack of it will often
render a teacher unsightly to her
patrons as a tree is TO our eyes when
one side has been stunted.
There must be culture Of mind
and soul WHICH will unconsciuusly
waken within our pupils nobility OF
aim and purpose. Culture includes
first a power TO learn, nor is it suf-
fcient-for teacher to be learned in
one lEanoh only, nor study only such
things which he expects to use daily,
nor cQf1ins himself to those subjects
which, wilf'put him in possession Of
a third grade certificate, or second
grade certificate, or even a first grade
certificate. lie must have a general
knowledge of current events, poijti-
cal, social and literary, -
But in our use Of book. nc Should
know how to study well. One can
not teach what he does not know
and he cannot inculcate good habits
of study unless he has them him
self. Daniel WebSter'S way of read
ing book was excellent and practi.
cal. He began the book by first
looking through 1t, reading the pre-
face and It's table of contents. Then
he wrote out what questions he ex-
pected TO find answered therein,
what matters discussed, and read the
book twice, three times if need be,
and often after finishing it wrote a
brief review of its contents. He did
not read books to see how many he
could read but how n&IGb he could
learn from those he did read. As
to what we shall TS1f,+ aahomas Gar
lyle says. eve learn to read in
various languages, in various sci
ences, we learn the alphabet and
letters of all manner OF books. But
the place where we are to get know
ledge, even theoretic knowledge Is
the books themselves" it depends on
what .We read after. AL manner of
professors have done their best for
us.
1t is as eg Kay important that a
teacher shoaid learn how to impart
his knowledge as that he should
know how and what to study. One
is never ia fultpossession of an idea
until he is able to put it into lang
uage and the child can meyer under
stand his teacher until that teacher
has learned to speak clearly of the
things in his mind. Socrates had a
habit of wandering about the streets
of Athens dtd.doWnbythe sea shore
talking with himself aud no doubt
some of the ability which Socrates
possessed .c$dia from this seem
ingly ridiculous habit of discussing
with himself the great questions
which he pve'tTto.s1ch simple and
| clear language that all the Athen-
ians understood.
In order i5 I'M 3kE oar EXPLANATIONS