Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1895-01-10

The meeting of the Wayne
County Teachers Association in
the Graded school building at
Goldsboro last Saturday was
we'll represented. In the absence
CT the President, the chair was
filed by Mr.. H. T. Jones, vice
president.
The first paper was read by
Miss Minnie Slocumb, of the
Graded School on, How to Sc
cure in Pupils a Correct use of
the English language" In Dr.
der to attain this desirable e
suit, Miss Slocumb insisted that
the speech Of the pupils should
be looked after all the time.
|Children learn to talk by hearing
others. Their habit of speech
becomes fixed not from a study
of grammar, but by the constant
use of Language, Very little can
be done towards forming correct
habits Of speech by paying at
tention to it for only a few min
utes every day during the Ian
|guage lesson. Every lesson
should be a language. Do not
allow pupils in explaining an
arithmetical problem, in reciting
geography ,s~hlstory, or any other
lesson, OF in asking a question,
to use iacorrecU speech, without
calling his attention to it, and
having shim to correct it. And
If tre child does not know the
correct expression to S then
is the time to tell him, and not to
wait till it has passed out of his
mind, and he comes across it
perhaps in some Language les
SON"
Miss Slocumb's paper was we'll
received, it was full of excellent
practical suggestions, and pro
voked a fruitful discussion by
Messrs. Howell, t. B. Parker,
Jones, Mangum, Foust and Mrs.
Humphrey. All agreed as to the
Importance of this subject, and
that the result could be obtained
only by constant attention to it.
lnueed it was suggested that it
is impossible to get children to
use correct language all the time
aud that too much time
would be lost from other studies,
If teachers paid SO much atten-
zion to the mere expressions OF
the pupils. Mr.. Foust feared
tI,at, as the main object of school
teaching is to train the mind, to
develop the power to think, this
end might be defeated ii the
child should be too much liter
rupted to correct his speech. he
would become confused.
Mr.. Howell replied that it re
|quired thought to speak or
rectly, that accuracy Of thought
and accuracy speech go together.
Hhe child, should not be inter
!rupted SO much as to distract his
mind from the main thought.
The teacher must use judg-
ment. 1t is best to wait till the
child finishes what he has to
say, and then call his attention
to the mistake. AS to the loss of
time Mr.. Howell held that the
time would be we'll spent, and
even the apparent loss Of time
would not continue long, for if
the teacher is determined that
his pupils shall speak correctly,
and adopts this method, their
language will soon improve,
and the occasions for cor
rection will grow fewer. He
said that the main thing to do is
to get the pupils interested in this
and that this can be done, If the
teacher is interested. He compli-
mented Miss Slocumb's paper,
and testiti ed to the good results
she had secured with her pupils
by the constant attention to their
speech that she had recommended
to teachers. Mr.. Mangum gave
some Of his W experience in
this work, going to justify Miss
lSlocumb'S method.
Most of the time of the meet
ing was consumed in this discus
sion. Mr.. II. B. Parker, of Fork
townships school committeeman
next spoke on What the People
expect Of their School," They
want an education that will make
a boy or girl independent, strong,
self-rellant not an education for
show and display. They want
the schools to have.outdoor work
Iers. Mr.. Parker showed much
sympathy with teachers, and
held up a lofty ideal for them.
Short remarks were made on
this subject by Messrs. Mang-
UNI Howell and E. l.. Becton.
Miss Mallie J.. Preston, of
Walter, read the last paper, on
THE Teachers relation to the
Community" MissP ideas
were well conceived, and her
paper was we'll written and we'll
rean. The teacher is something
more than amere hearer of les
ISonS. The teacher is a citizen. and
lshould be a leader and an educa-
tive influence in the community.
The teacher has large possibili-
ties for usefulness outside of his
school room. It is his duty and
his privilege to elevate the com
munitv in which he lives.
1t was resolved to make this
subject the theme of discussion
at the next meeting of the Assoc