Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-08-12
The INSTITUTE
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.
FRIDAY.

FRIDAY.
Lecture on attention, by Prof. Foulk.
Now John, Susan, Thomas, pay atten-
ton, for without gaining your atten-
ton, can teach you nothing. 1t is
the one thing l need. /. Without it
my school is a failure from beginning
to end. ?. How can secure it, SIM
ply demanding attention does not Sc
cure it, for outwardly you may seem
to be attentive while your minds are
wandering we know not where. We
adults know how difficult it is to fix
our attention on particular subject.
For example, we are listening to ser
mon. thousand and one thoughts will
distract our attention. How much
harder then must it be for children,
whose unframed will-power cannot be
used to fix attention. We may urge
and entreat and secure the attitude
! of attention, but if we wish to gain
genuine attention. we must do it by
arousing and securing interest in the
subject we are to teach. This can be
done by thorough preparation of the
lesson blythe teacher. Hour knowledge
is vague, uncertain, or wavering we
lose power over the class. 'Tis true
a teacher may be successful in meas
ure by studying but three leaves ahead
of his class, but how much more sue.
cessful he can be if he makes abund-
ant and thorough preparation. No
teacher is able to impart more than
fifty per cent OF the information lie
possesses upon subject, and he who
is bound within a narrow limit gets
but half that information impressed
upon the minds of his pupils how
much then is their need of a knowl-
edge of the subject in hand through
all its ramifications. Reach after the
ideal, which, like Christian perfection,
makes us better for the effort to grasp
even if we cannot attain it. Cultivate
quickness of eve and ear. pity the
teacher who can talk only to one end
of the class, oblivious of the other.
Singing of lively school songs has
proved of far more value in arousing
the dormant or uncultivated faculties
of childmind than the deeply relig-
ious hymn, the sentiment of the latter
being too far beyond their mental
grasp. The telling of interesting
stories, too, has secured admirable re
suits. A teacher must be skillful in
illustration. Tell or read story but
once have pupils to reproduce; first
orally, then in written form.
County Superintendent Tabler arose
and gave a resume of this lecture a.
Make teaching interesting. b. Pre-
sent something new. {. Call on mat
tentive pupils to recite. d. Gain at
tention by telling short, interesting
stories. C. Don't talk too much T.
Have pupils observe closely. g..
arouse their curiosity. h. Show that
you are interested in your work. L.
Cultivate attention by giving proper
praise when pupils are attentive.
Prof. Kimler again took the floor
and LOcai Geography was iectured up
on. Il have known persons who
have travelled all over Europe with
only the vaguest ideas of the geogra-
ply of their own country. 1t is from
such persons that Europeans get such
hideous ideas of America.
I ION in early days of school atten-
dance we learned definitions which to
us had no meaning; example An
ocean; what is iii Answer. A large
body Of water surrounding the CONT
nents on all sides.
"To me those were senseless words,
but upon asking a classmate the def
milton he replied. It's a great big
pond understood. and to-day
think the boy and not the book had
the correct answer. So true is it that
we must go from the known to the
unknown. Hold that which is known
in one hand and reach after the un-
known with the other.
4 Begin geography by drawing rec
tangular plan of schoolhouse talk
with the pupils about the things in
the room tell the boundaries what
touches the building, north. south,
east, and west. When this is learned
extend lesson to school and yard then
district. then county, then State. -
Here came an interesting talk by
some teachers about laying off school
grounds and how to make improve
ments not furnished by boards, the
planting of trees, building Of fences,
identifying schoolroom. We should
make our schoolrooms as nearly like
home as possible, curtains, carpets.
cards, pictures, and flowers should be in
every schoolroom.
Resuming Geography, he said the
child's mind should not be burdened
with so many little towns, but bring
. in some points Of history in the study
of the State.
Following this was C,adiRg al
Country Schools.
1t is safe to say that there is no
subject of more importance engaging
the attention OF teachers to-day than
the grading of country schools, for
which our law provides.
I Ad,,a,toe,ac for the ,,uriI. ,oc,,1fc ~