The record-union., 1894-11-27

in their profession: but it is possible that
the law of fatigue after a day in the
scnoolroom has something to do with it.
another thing is, that for some reason
the articles III the educational journals are
not interesting to us. They do not treat
OF facts, carefully noted and worked out,
as medical journal does. Did they do
SO, they would be eagerly sought. When
they do so they will be read by all.
There is no doubt of the fact that teach
ers do not take notes enough. Did teach
ers do so, they would be help to each
other. Could one collect the notes OF the
collective experience in the schoolroom
| they would made a widely-read book, and
the compiler would be made famous.
Teachers do not take notes, perhaps be-
cause they do not study child-life. They
think the experiences OF others are just
like their own, and would be therefore
uninteresting.
As TO teachers meetings, he had at
| tended them, and had seen a man OF
ability get up and consume the time with
remarks that, while good and instructive
! IN themselves, wearied his auditors and
prevented the very purpose OF the meet
| ing, preventing others who had come
| there TO say something on the subject OF
| the meeting themselves from giving ut
terance to their ideas.
The teachers meetings which talk
round and round the subject without
! touching it accomplish no good. The
only successful way is to take up the
study or child life and investigate it
thoroughly IN the light of collective ex-
| perience. Each teacher is able to con-
tribute something to the common fund.
! We can all see the children in their natu-
raj life among the sports of the school
ground as well as in their more artificial
| life in the schoolrOom. We can note
! MANY little nninrG each daU that fin
! light on the workings of the child's mind
and even physical peculIaritieS may be
noted with profit.
! When teachers make practice Of not
ing these things and studying upon them,
pedagogy will become IA profession as
medicine is. 1t is in accordance with the
practice OF physicians, who make notes
of symptoms and results they do not un-
derstand and debating upon them at their
! meetings, till they become more or less
clear. But, says the teacher, / have no
time; want to get immediate results.
! Well. the notes and their discussion are
the way to get them, and teachers meet
ings conducted on that line will become q
| success.
The three RS, reading. sriting and
rithmetic," as the old Englishman said,
are the fundamentals of education.
Read and write
| Speak and spell,
J i LG NOIuS you use,
And use them well.
The one who cannot do these things
lacks the practical elements of education
Reading and spelling are certainly prac-
| tical. Some educators say throw away
the spelling -booll"; others say ''do not
dare to do it," 4 teacher overheard
two pupils spelling the names of things
they were talking about in their play,
and the idea struck her that it would bl
well to get pupils to write out at home
the words they must use next day al
school, thus learning both spelling and
writing, and the idea when carried out
made her school the most successful
spelling school i'll the country. Reading
and spelling are the foundations of Ian
guage and we cannot oyer-estimate theil
| importance.