The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1891-12-25

best education possible and thes
rights we ought to respect.
Supt. Harman answered the follow
ing questions: d. you approve of de
tanning a pupil after school? Not so
far as his experience is concerned.
DO you detain at recess ? No. DO
YOU allow pupil to interrupt a teach
er while Il class is on the floor? No,
try to make such arrangements that
this will not be necessary. Should a
teacher exact promise from a pupil /?
Questionable. In concluding his re-
marks to the Institute, Supt. Harman
said that he felt the importance Of
going beyond the books. There is
too little attention paid to cleaning
from the papers OF to-day. We live in
an age of newspapers and these papers
arc all vielng with each other in size
and IN their effort to get quantity they
forget the quality. Advise the boys
and girls how to read the newspapers.
Advise them what is valuable and
should be ignored Our newspapers
are doing IN immense amount of evil
by putting into our homes the failures
of the world. Teach them to discrimi-
nate.
Prof. Welsh Of the State Normal
School was the next speaker He was
asked his opinion in regard to the posi-
ton Of the pupil in writing at the desk.
If all pupils started Alright they would
not acquire bad habits, but we get
some pupils where habits are already
formed. and in such cases the best ex-
ercise is a free hand exercise which
loosens all the muscles, and this in
connection with this the finger move
ment. In signing names many people
try to acquire Queer style. This practice
should be condemned and counteract-
ed by the public school teacher. The
pen should be held correctly which is
indicated by all systems of writing
The left handed writer should be allow
ed to write with his left hand.
Supt. Walton resumed his talk on
"Imagination." We must understand
how the imagination of the boy is fed
before We instruct him. In the ina
gina,ive studies it is very important
that we get the imagination to work to
assist them to get Il correct idea of the
subject. The teacher should have a
good imagination and form stories in
accordance with facts and have their
pupils follow them. After the story
which stimulates the imagination then
question them on the same point.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
Sessions opened with music, con-
Quoted by Prof. March. The first
speaker was DR.. Philips, of the West
Chester Normal School. He spoke
on "Hints in Teaching Arithmetic" I"
First, find out what the class knows,
and does not know. See that the four
fund mental rules are first thorough
ty taught Addition should receive
more attention than it does. Do not
teach too many ways of doing the same
thing. DO nor teach too many con
tracted methods of doing things. Don't
be afraid of cutting out the non essen.
tial parts of Arithmetic. For instance,
the subject Arbitration Cf Exchange
which has no practical value whatever
Our teaching should prepare our pupil.
for everyday life, and our work should
be drawn from the methods of dong
business by the world around us. as
sign good lesson point out definite
ly what you want find out what they
have done when they come into tht
recitation room train your pupils how
to read the problem correctly; pu
them all to work - there is differenc,
between seeing thing done and do
ing the thing yourself. Pupils woult
rather do the work themselves than tC
be aided too much, provided they arr
led on in their work properly. Make
your teaching very practical.
DR.. Waller then addressed the In
stitute and the following are a few o
the points made: 1t is accepted as
trVlsm that education is a growth. w,
ought to employ the practical branche
TO aid in mental growth. Education
cannot be employed as filling process
The great question that meets us to
day, as teachers. is what do our pupil
need o-day, rather than what the
need in the future. We are to brinj
about the conditions necessary to pro
mote the g,owth of the mind as a liv
ing and growing organism. Educa
ton is from within and depends upo
the self activity of the child. Sine
education is a growth we cannot meas
ure it by rate per cent. If educatio
is growth the teacher must provid
the favorable conditions good schoc
houses, good apparatus, good ventls
tons, and good surroundings generally
Time is an important condition t
growth. Our school terms are to
short to bring about the proper deve
opment of the child. We must allo
natures time for the development {
the mind Our school tenn is ne