The Newtown bee., 1895-11-29

The first meeting under the direction
Of the local Board of Education in the in
terests of the teachers of the town was
held on Saturday afternoon at the Acad-
emy building. E. L. johnson, chairman
of the Board, presided, and the program
as announced IN The BEE was carried
out.
The first speaker Of the afternoon was
William 81. Hoyt, the new principal Of
the Newtown Academy, who presented
an excellent paper on Management"
Among other points he brought out were
the following: Our preconceived ideas
of school ethics are often erroneous. We
may read, imagine and talk, but it is by
actual experience, by cutting and trying,
that we are to gain that knowledge which
fits us for the duties of the schoolroom.
We learn to do by doing. The critical
period in the history of the school is
without doubt the opening day, especial
ly if the teacher is stranger. We are
on trial as it were, and the jury is not an
impartial one. There can be no differ
ence Of opinion as to the objects to be at
tanned on this opening day. Fret, to
create in the child's mind favorable i'm
preston of school and teacher; to i'm
press upon its mind the fact school is to
be made pleasant, attractive and profit
able; that the teacher will be kind, cour-
teous and impartial, in short, to make
the pupil feel thoroughly at home in the
schoolroom, 80 that he will long to return
the following day. The second point to
be attained is to test as far as possible
the relative standing of pupils for the
purpose of classification. Third, to es-
tablish system of order which shall be
subject to daily Improvement. Closely
linked with school management as re-
CARDS discipline ia responsibility we
cannot shirk. We assume it on entering
the profession and the beginning of every
school year only intensifies it. The hon
esty of purpose, the correctness of hab-
it, the purity of life of every pupil in our
schools is Influenced more or less by the
lives we lead. What greater responsi.
bility can be imposed upon us?
Miss NJ. NJ. Ransom, the teacher at
Gregory's Orchard, followed Mr. Hoyt
with paper on ''Order," dealing with
the subject in detail. She thought cor
poral punishment had its place at times.
Miss Lena Sherman of the Half Way Riv.
er school, had physical culture as her
subject. She brought out the thought
that you develop the body and you have
cheerful mind and soul.
The remaining paper was by Miss Min
tie Edmonds of the Taunton school, heI
theme being "Morals and manners of the
district school. She pointed out that
children were great imitators, and as the
teacher is, SO will the pupils be. II
her guard.
Miss Marguerite Halpine, the teacher
of the Lands End school, conducted
class work in percentage, which showed
careful attention to detail and was high
ly creditable. The recitations by her pu
pills, Miss Helen Brew and Miss Nell,
Kean, were well done and credit to boil
pupil and teacher.
| The exercises closed with an able ad
dress by Principal A. B. Morrill, of tn
New Haven Normal school, who spok
for about so minutes. His subject wa
ssTeaching," and he handled it in his us
ual vigorous and enthusiastic way. 81
divided his subject under several heads
l 80 IN dill opI tostr
Under instruction he emphasized tina
idea getting depends to some extent o
the senses. His second division was
clear presentation by use Of apparatus
pictures, diagrams, etc. Another divii
ion of his subject was influences an
guides, under which he spoke of motives
directions to books and the right use Q
books. To get the children interested
good literature the teacher must first b
thoroughly informed herself. There wa
way to get children interested in goo
books by first describing some attractiv
scene, which would cause them to get IL
terested and afterward take up the boo
and read it. Under the third division {
his subject, Mr. Morrill, thought the teacl
Ier should first inform herself before a
tempting to teach others. The progral
as whole was an enjoyable and instfuc
L i've one. and reflected credit on the pc
son who arranged it. 1t is understood
similar meeting will be held shortly aft.
the holidays.
PADEREwsKI TO PLAY IN aEv HAvEx.
! Tbrou0h the enterprise of Manager