The Portland daily press., 1895-11-23
THE PEDAGOGUES.
Cumberland County Teachers Meet.
WHAT THE SCHOOLS OF MAINE
NEED.

Remarks and Papers by Many Educators
The New Methods of Teaching-In-
teresting Sessions-Some Grammar
| School Methods atsacked,
The Cumberland County Teachers
Association began it's annual meeting at
Lewis Hall, Woodfords, yesterday morn
ing. President W. j. Corthell presided,
and there was large attendance of teach
ers State Superintendent of schools W..
w. Stetson was present as the representa-
tive of the State.
| The exercises were opened with prayer
ty Rev. E. P. Wilson, of Woodfords.
The Wis iting teachers were welcomed to
Deering. in the absence of Mayor Mitchell
by Mr.. A sher G.. Kinds, chairman of the
Deering School committee
President Corthell responded for the
association. He expressed the pleasure
of all in meeting for second time in
Doering The city had an enviable repu
tation for it's corps of teachers; and if the
grammar school course had not yet been
expanded to include all branches of
human knowledge, it nevertheless was
probably true that the schools were doing
excellent work for the future. The mat
ter of education was making great pro-
gress in the towns between Gorham and
Portland, as could be seen by watching
the progress of the last fifteen years. Mr..
Corthell also congratulated the cities
of Westbrook and Deering on being the
first towns in Maine to set tho example
OF cooperating in hiring capable and
accomplished man to devote his whole
time to experimenting the schools of the
two places. All the towns of Maine must
come to this system before the schools
can do proper work.
The following committee was appointed
on nominations: Mr.. Charles E. Cobb,
Mr.. kGray, of Bridgton, and Miss Adams,
OF Portland.
On resolutions the following committee
was reported: Messrs. Charles Fish, of
Brunswick and b. z. G. Robbins. of
Deering, and Miss Taylor, of Portland.
The first subject for consideration was
"What are we doing to give to the pupils
power of expression in good English, and
to develop in them the love of reading
good literature.
Miss Abbie Norton, was introduced as
the first kindergarten teacher in Port
land Miss Norton said that she could
not claim that honor, which belonged to
Miss Jennie D. Proctor, who introduced
the system in 1874, and is now of Con-
cord.
Miss Norton dwelt first upon the neces-
sity of correct language training as the
basis of good education. 1t is the aim of
the kindergarten system to get a full,
free expression of the life of the child,
in the forms of culture. The child comes
to the school with it's Astounding vitality
and it is the aim of the school to en-
courage and not repress his activities.
, Sol gs are much used. Then every Mon
} day morning is devoted to stories of the
} home, when each little one relates some
incid Mt Of the two days previous.
J Miss Nellie Cloudman, of the Gorham
training school next exemplifled the par
|
cou RACES free and correct expression, not
by correcting the child frequently, but
by the gentle power of example.
Miss Hodsdon, of Yarmouth, next read
a paper on primary grade work, describ-
ing the latest ideas in language work.
Miss Leland, of Leering, who does the
kind of advanced teaching described by
Miss Hodsdon. gave interesting details of
the work in Deering.
Supt f. E. G. Robbins spoke Of the
language work in the primary grades of
Deering and Westbrook.
State Supt. of Schools, W. W. Stetson,
was called upon. He said in WIS.,
iting the schools of this State he had OBJ
served an attitude of formality on the
part of students and teachers which was
painful The teacher was a car and the
pupils humble subjects The great
trouble of the schools today is that the
scholar is in an unnatural position as to
his bouy, and an uneasy condition aato
his mind. A school st ould be run as the
best homes are run. There should be a
social atmosphere.
Rev. Mr.. Hague, of Bridgton, spoke of
the individual peculiarites of people in
their methods of thought, and the ques-
ton of order as applied to schools