The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-07-23
SUMMER SCHOOL
Continuation Of Doctor Browns
Lecture Course.
BENEFITS DERIVED BY TEACHERS
Faultfinding With Pupils
May be Obviated.
Reasons for Some Children APP
pearing Dull - Lecture
This Morning.

The regular attendance of the mem
bers of the Summer School, at it's meet
ings and classes is sufficient proof that
the teachers are finding the school Of
done in all the branches, and many
teachers will approach the ordeal of
next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
with fewer misgivings than they have
felt for some time past. The talks of
DR.. Brown in the High School building
at 9 a. M. to the second section and at
1: 45 p. M. to the first section are emil
nently valuable and practical, and it is
certain that much better work will be
done through the coming year by those
who have availed themselves of his
kindly guidance and advice
Yesterday morning DR.. Brown took
as his subject Educational Diagnosis"
1t was pointed out that the fine art of
teaching is intimately allied to other
fine arts, sciences and professions. The
relationship between teaching and
painting has been pointed out. The
work of the teacher is on lines parallel
with that of the minister, and it can
be shown that the teacher must adopt
some of the methods of the doctor, il
he is to be successful. The doctor con>
Germs himself chiefly with pathological
conditions, although many medical
men are now devoting their attention
to the healthy functions of the human
body, and trying rather to prevent dis
do primarily with conditions of health,
secondly with conditions of disease,
but in common with the physician, the
teacher has a great deal to do with di-
agnosis. There are no books treating
of this subject from an educational
standpoint, although day by day the
of the subject is being more
clearly seen.
In the school room things are very
often not what they seem. A teacher
may think that child is stupid or in
dolent, when really that is not the case.
1t becomes necessary, therefore, for the
teacher to make careful inquiry into
the real cause OF trouble. lie may unQ
that Cd the difficulty may arise from
some physical or physiological trouble.
90 Difficulty may be caused by peculi-
arities of development, especially of
mental development, or CD the trou
BILE may be caused by former imperfect
teaching Trouble is often caused by
some imperfection in the eye of the
child. A diagnosis of this case may
be formed by observing that the child
keeps his book too near to his eyes,
that he slips words in reading, or does
not see the blackboard clearly. This
may be caused by the imperfect light
ing of the school room, by too much
or too little light, or by cross lights
in the school room. A diagnosis of the
case being formed, the teacher is in a
position to seek a remedy. The light
should not be too scattered; it should
fall on the left side of the pupil Where
necessary, the parent should be notified
of the defective sight Of the pupil, or
the pupil sent to physician for treat
ment. The ear, too, may often be at
fault: a child, by defective hearing,
may form a habit of inattention. This
difficulty, also, should receive the at
tention of the teacher.
DR.. Brown was unable to finish the
subject of educational Diagnosis" and
will continue it today.