The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-11-27
SECOND DAY OF THE INSTITUTE.
An Interesting Programme and In
Structive Addresses.
Both Joint and Separate Sessions Held
by the City and the County
Teachers.

semDled yesterday, a full attendance pe-
ing present. After roll-call and read
ing Of the minutes and piano solo by
Miss Lizzie Taylor, the institute sepa-
rated into two sections, the city teach
ers occupying the church and the county
teachers occupying the lecture-room be-
low
A B. Coffey addressed the former on
the subject The Institute as an Aid to
Teachers" and proved himself an able
and interesting speaker. He adverted
to the fact that all political parties
hold conventions and meetings for the
purpose of discussing the issues of the
day, and acquainting themselves with
them. Various organizations also hold
conventions for mutual discussion and
Improvement Why, then, should
not teachers so assemble? Much good
can be gained by discussion and an in
terchange of views. To gain benefit,
however, attention is necessary. 1t is
as much their duty to listen carefully
to the addresses as it is the duty of
their pupils to pay attention to their
teachings. AS much good is also at
tanned by the private discussions out
side of the institute and points gained
from other teachers as in any other
way he ADVISED the use u Wudl iS
called Intelligent note books" in which
ideas can be jotted down for future refer
ence and investigation.
We have been in the past, he said, too
apt to discuss methods instead of prin-
ciples, forgetting that there is a prin-
ciple underlying every method. He
contraSted the methods of diagnosis
used by the Chinese doctor, who feels
the pulse of his patient and prescribes
Tor him arbitrarily, and the civilized
physician gains all the information he
can from the patient and his family
before prescribing. He asked the teach
ers whether they were getting hold of
the child and finding out what is the
reason it does not get along, or were
prescribing arbitrarily for them doses
of history, grammar or arithmetic.
He spoke of the eccentricities that eX
ist in every person individual likes and
dislil1es for color or other things and
that children have their likes and dis
likes also. He instanced q teacher who
had for some time worn a grayish-
brown dress, who one day put on a red
dress to wear in school She could not
tell the reason that the children
crowded round her and caressed her as
they had never done before. She could
not understand why they did so until
two days afterward she changed back
to the old dress, when at noon a little
and said: Miss I wish you
would always wear a red dress, you
look so nice in it. Then she realized
that the children had discovered har-
mony that had not before existed, and
always thereafter she wore red some
where in her dress. Children are quick
to discover harmony in the teachers
disposition as we'll s in dress.
He told of one of his pupils who could
not fix his mind on his school work, and
who frankly owned TO the fact that he
had a glorious coon hunt the night be-
fore and could not get 1t out of his
mind He asked the teachers how often
their minds were off coon hunting
while they were trying to teach classes
and told them that pupils were sharp in
observing and quickly discover the fact.
The experiences of teachers are the
measure by which can be gagged the
amount of good they will take away
with them from the institute he said.
We must first gain the confidence and
good will of our pupils before we can
set at the real obstacles in the way of
their success. We cannot always sue
coed with one pupil by the same method
we use with another any more than the
physician can make one medicine do for
all his patients. The teacher may I'M
derstand the subject of arithmetic, or
grammar, or history, and yet not be
able to present it to the best advantage
to a class They should study the lesson
before hearing it. with view of learn
ing how to present it to the pupil to the
best advantage.
Mr.. Coffey was literally applauded as
he closed.
MENTAL ARITHMETIC.
An intermission was then taken,
after which Joseph W. Johnson ad
dressed the institute on the subject of
Mental Arithmetic
In reality it was on the teaching of
arithmetic in the primary grades. He
said that teachers should adapt them
selves to circumstances and not fol-
low a certain method because someone
else had done so, and gave an account
OF his first experience in teaching and the
difficulties he labored under. Shortly
afterward he attended an institute in
Marysville and learned there he should
never attempt to teach a child what it
could not understand. He tried to make
his pupils understand everything they
did, and for two or three weeks his work
was a failure.
He then spoke of teaching arithmetic
in the third fourth and fifth grades.
He did not believe in treating of abstract
numbers, as it confuses the child, and
they should be taught by use Of OBJ
jects that they see around them We
deal too much with the abstract, which
IS beyond the child's comprehension.
We also give out numbers too large for
him to comprehend. He considered that
the teaching of subtraction was diff
cult, and gave an illustration Of his
methods Of teaching it by letting his
pupils write the number left after Dor
rowing one above the figure in the sub
trahend.
He believed in the short method of
multiplication. In division the teacher
should start in with shall numbers. so
that the child could easily comprehend
them and that in the fifth grade three
figures in the division are enough, as
large numbers discourage the child.
He explained the difference between
enumeration and enumeration, and be-
Heved in teaching the latter by three
numbers only, grouping units, thou
sands and millions together.
Department Two.
In department the first few mo-
ments were taken up by a reading of
the questions TO be under discussion by
Superintendent Howard. Among them.
How shall we train our pupils 10