The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-12-07
PRIMARY READING. II.
BY William Noctling.

THINK, nenCS SLOW lnlHkGIS are SLOW
readers-slow in learning to read.
Slow pupils and quick pupils should
not be classed together in school work
A pupil may, too, be slower in one
subject than in another. All the organs
and parts of child's body do not
grow and develop with equal rapidity.
While some parts are almost at a
stand-still, Others are advancing.
Marked differences in both mental
and physical development are found
IN members of the same family. Some
children grow at regular rate in
height, or seem to do so, until full
stature has been reached; others
grow for while, then a period of
arrest sets in, or sometimes several
such periods occur, before the whole
stature has been attained.
Some people attain their full height
much later than Others 1t must not,
however, be supposed that all growth
shares that of the halt of height.
While one part or organ seems to rest,
as before stated, others are developing
The different parts of the brain do
not in all individuals complete their
growth together, hence the differences
of mental development in children.
Some learn rapidly in everything,
others enough so in perhaps one or
two subjects, but slowly in others, and
those of third class are slow in every
thing.
Heredlty, too, is not an insignih
cant factor in mental growth. This
fact is, however, usually overlooked
when children's progress is under con
sideration. Age alone is supposed to
be the proper gauge. Few parents, no
matter how slow or dull their children
may be, are willing to admit that they
are inferior in mental grasp to the
best. This is ignorance that it is diff
cult to dispel. Unfortunately this igno-
rance is not confined to parents or
patrons of the schools, but too many
teachers seem incapable of under
standing why all pupils Of the same
age or class do not make the same
progress. 1t is not an uncommon
thing to hear teachers ask. How
much arithmetic should a child of
eight years, for example, know? How
we'll should it be able to read ? How
many words should it be able to spell ?
How we'll should it be able to write ?"
Would it share much less knowledge
of child psychology and Of pedagogics
to ask how tall such a child should
be i? What it should measure across
the shoulders ? How much it should
weigh? How fast 1t should be able to
talk, walk, or run2
What can be expected of the aver
age parent in a subject of which
teachers know so little ? Parents, in
deed, are excusable they have enough
on their hands if they keep up with
the progress OF their own vocation (;
but what palliation can teachers claim
for ignorance on subject Of such
vital importance to the intelligent
prosecution of their calling as that of
the relation of physical to mental
development
If every child of the same age does
not advance with equal step, the
blame is placed to the credit Of the
teacher or her method. Yet every one
who has had opportunities to observe
the differences in progress OF child
rem during their early school years,
cannot have failed to notice marked
difference in their advancement, some
learning as much in one year as others
in four, hve, or even more!
Differences in the rote of develop.
ment are not limited to the early years
of life. The same thing is found in
persons of mature years. 1t is true
that sometimes two or even more are
found of at least seemingly equal
mental penetration and physical skill,
but these do not constitute the rule ;
they are the exceptions. The rule IS
difference, variety; and it is high
time that both teachers AID parents
take note of it and stop expecting i'm
possibilities forcibly distortlng nature
by trying to make levels where no
conditions have been provided tor
them.
THE WORD METHOD.
With whom this method originated,
or whether it originated with several
persons, neither knowing anything OF
the discovery of the other, is not
known. If my memory is not at fault,
there was statement in the PenoSy%
vania School Journal some years age
that the method had been used by a
teacher in the Keystone State as
early as 1924. But the credit OF
both discovering and publishing the
method is by general agreement be
lieved to belong to J. Russell Webb
teacher at the time (IS46) at Water
town, New Work. This method be
gins with reading, not like the alpha