The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1891-10-21
SOME SUGGESTIONS.
Matters of Interest to Both Pa
rents and Teachers.

INA requires the puOliC sCHOolS
to be kept open at least four
months per annum. If the tax
is not sufficient to do this, it
should be supplemented in ey-
cry neighborhood by private
subscription. Surely the pa
irons of every school can add
enough to have a school atleast
four months.
The following course of study
is intended to guide the teachers
not so much as to how much
should be accomplished in this
general system ofpublic schools,
but more especially to guide
them as to the order in which
the different books on our State
list should be taken up.
The course supposes that the
child enter school at six years
of age and attends regularly
four months each year. Ii he
has ordinary capacity and good
teaching, and especially if he is
encouraged to read and study
at home during the long vaca-
tions-at least enough to hold
progress already made-this
course can be fairly accom-
plished as laid down.
Every teacher should strive
earnestly to have the pupils be-
come interested in completing
the steps year by year, and to
secure such cooperation By pa
rents as will induce them TO
buy for their children not only
the text books, as they are in
dictated by the course, but to
get also for them other enter
tanning books that will induce
them to read. This reading
will not only give them informa
ton which they ought to have,
but it will give them a yoclbul-
airy and ability to understand
the language in which their text
books and other books are
written, and 50 enable them the
better TO accomplish the course.
If children do not advance as
they should, their parents may
be as much at fault as the
teacher.
children will be found less al.
vanaed than others who are
younger, and will have 20 take
stndies according to advance
ment rather than age. But
still the course Of study will in
dictate what branches ought or
dinarily to be pursued at the
same time as PARALLEL Studies,
Other children will be found
who are advanced proportion
ally more in one branch than IN
another, and the course will
perhaps, not show what branch.
es they ought to take az par.
allel studies. Under such con.
ditions there is opportunity for
the exercise of the common
sense Of the teacher. without
which success is impossible.
II the teachers will carefully
note what is specially intended. !
they will the more easil, be allie |
70 classify the pupils and al. |.
vance them.
!. An earnest effort Is TO be
made TO get the children 20 read
Understandings at as early an
age as possible. Hence the
,tress laid upon the use Of thel
Readers and HarrIngton's SpeI.
er IN such thorough and sys. {
ematic way necessarily 10 give |
he children the meaning and ! /,
Use OF the words. In ths early |
tages Of the course this mean /
ng is not to be learned from DO. i
init ons, but by actual use oil
ne words In sentences.
2. The four fundamental riIles !
q arithmetic are to be thor. {
ughly learned before the pupils I
re allowed TO pass bevand u
hem. Atfirst the children will 5
OF be able to read well euou,,b 4
} use an arithmetic, and "a theI
'acher will have to devise
Ieans to teach them something u
'out figures without the book NJ RI
cir hands. m
AS q rule, perhaps Sanford. "
1mary Arithmetic may be placed Of
their hands when thew begin tLs Oh
lird Reader. Of course. atone ..
u this practice in che fnnda-
'atal ruies The pupils must have
ne praeticai examples. The ths
! b. IlIAdelup BY the teacher a. d.
TAKEN fDm tho books. ia W.
hsps, needless 10 say that blaek- ~
.rd. are indispensable. Sos
/. Penmanship is 10 BE- inciisn- 81
y taught at the very beginning ~
he course BY the use Of ylats 70 .
pencil. Later Il should r. slall
yht 10 all the pupils by Ina nae .r !.
en- and ink and copy-6ooks. wy
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