The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1896-09-24
NOTES On EDUCATION.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO PC'
Pill AND TEACHER.
The Conscientious Teacher Must Look
Ecyond the Real to the Ideal-Occu'
pations for the Primary Rooms
Educational News and Notes.
The Invisible in Teaching.

The teacher must look beyond the
real to the ideal. He must be governed
as largely by the invisible as by the
visible. The things that are seen are
transient; the things that are unseen
may be permanent.
Only he who has correct ideals can
reach or even approach the best. The
teacher looks 10 the development or
character. an ideal thing. He uses the
subjects OF study and other school in
strumentalitieS as meanS for securing
development of mind. strength OF char
acter and culture Of taste and Judg-
ment. He is able to see in the crude be-
ginnings of life the possibility OF a
noble manhood. The unruly boy may
seem to care nothing for he higher
ideals. and may seem to be In
sensible to appeals to worthy motive,
yet the teacher looks through the droSs
of his nature and sees. possibly, the ele-
ments of a good man-thc man Of char
acter and stability. He does not yield
TO the suggestions which would lead 10
the abandonment of all hope for real
good. Possibly what seem to be evil
elements of character may be turned to
good-may be transformed into ele-
ments of great power and value as d.
recting and governing forces.
That teacher fails who does not test
his work by the standards of genuine
success in the real work Of life. He
looks at the effect which his means and
methods will have upon the pupils
ideals of life. and he looks also at the
influence which they will have on ma
ture life. In a sense, the teacher lives
in the future in that he su~bordinates
IL. things Of the present 10 the effect
TO realize the best for the pupil in his
developed character. He may frequent
ly ask, Dc these methods of instruction
and government and these branches Of
study prophesy the well-being Of the
pupil in the future: The demands of
business life and the demands of pro
fessional life may properly influence
the ideals of the teacher and assist in
shaping the ends toward which the
school is directed. Schoolroom work
should prepare for life work by the de-
velopment of medals and the exercise
Of powers which give skill and ability.
The pupil should be put in touch with
life forces and drilled in methods
which give strength and efficiency.
The teacher then looks outward. He
IS TO meet the preparation Of his pupils
for their future work. The school must
not only keep in touch with the move
ments of the present and be prepared
for its demands. but il must also look
into the future, and. by following out
the prophecy of the present, be pre-
pared for the development of the fu-
ture. The teacher and the school must
adjust themselves to the accomplish
ment Of ends which the signs Of the
present seem to suggest. There is such
a thing as the correlation Of the school
10 the demands of society and state,
and this is one Of the duties resting
upon educators. The teacher who
would serve the generations must look
forward as well as backward; must
plan for results which must follow in
1uences born in the present and the
past. The past and the present in edu-
cation must be known in order to a
just estimate of probable results for
the future. There are thus invisible
ideals which must stimulate the teacher
and engage his best thoughts and most
holy aspirations. If he will but wisely
"act in the living present." the future
will be filled with richer results.-Mis-
souri, School Journal.