Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-01-27
PUPILS FILLED WITH WORDS.
DIR. WHITE, OF COLUMBUS, SAYS
THEY DON'T THINK ENOUGH.
Able and Interesting Lecture to City
Teachers ON Fundamentals in
TeachinE"-ToO Much Talk,
Not EnOuSh Thought.

DR.. Emerson E. White, of Columbus, O..
ex-state superintendent of public instruc-
ton for Ohio. ex-principal of the Cleveland
high school and one of the most widely
known educators in the United States. de-
livered an able and instructive address be-
fore the teachers of the Kansas City
schools yesterday afternoon at the high
school auditorium. on the subject: "Funda-
mentals in Teaching DR.. White has de-
voted his time for the past few years to au-
thorship and lecturing on educational sub
iects. He is the author of a series of text
books on mathematics and has for many
years occupied a commanding position in
educational ranks. He is a hale and hearty
old gentleman in the apparent prime OF his
denceS of impaired physical powers. He
will lecture this evening at Leavenworth:
tomorrow afternoon he Will lecture to the
will deliver the commencement address be-
fore the Topeka high school.
afternoon by Superintendent Greenwood
and was given a hearty greeting by the
several hundred teachers present.
Il have come to Kansas City said DR..
White. Ito set my pedaGogic watch. that
1t might be up with the times. l consratu-
late this city, on the fact that while other
cities have changed men and methods this
city has had the wisdom to retain the men
who have brought your public school sys-
loss. / recently addressed a body of teach
ers who declared they were so burdened
and confused with new and changing meth
Many teachers find so little of practical
help in the books on ~pedagogic philosophy
that they wonder whether they are or are
teachers to whom the erudite and complex
systems would be a help if they understood
them and l know of few who are success.
teaching.
Il have been studying the art of teaching
some of the fundamental principles in
teaching. There are many who can apply
q few and few who can apply many such
fundamentals. 1t is encouraging that the
fundamental principles are both few and
simple !.Yhsrs are three tbrsss IN ,s,cb,rr-tbres
ends that must be attained: three laws that
underlie the attainment of these ends:
and three teaching processes that embody
these three principles of attaining these
three ends. The fundamental thing in
teaching is the end. which always guides
the end. we should not differ so much over
teaching. Ali skiIiful teaching is guided
teaching. which must have an end in view.
Just as the teacher sees clearly. this end
will be her skill. other things being equal.
The end must be immediate and here is the
limitation of philosOphic systems. A friend
of mine in a public address said the end
was to put the child in right relations with
the universe. Now. that sounds grand. but
= NotAA WV i't t"' 'ibie IA AShN hNt
tons with his mother, his brothers and his
sisters and his seatmate. l only know a
little spot of this universe.
The end is the measure of success. No
profession would be more forbidding than
teaching without satisfaction. and what is
the teachers satisfaction but success? If
you didn't aim at anything. how do you
know whether you hit the mark or not?
The end is the test of method and devices.
Our school literature to-day is a swamp of
devices. methods. sometimes tricks. Every
good teacher is working out n new method,
some ingenious way of teaching. Yet any
teacher will do better work as she sees
what a better teacher Is doing. Teachers
cannot afford to go, on in the old way all
the time and shut their eyes to new meth
ods. Yet believe that much of the ex-
perimentinG in our schools is next to crime
The teacher has no right to simply exper-
brief opportunities for preparation for life's
work.
Put these three questions to every de-
vice: What does it propose to reach. what
Is its purpose and end? Suppose it has an
end. is it a true school end. a true educa-
tional end? A device may be good on the
the schoolroom. The fruitage of the device
is above you. Skillful teachers who have
horizontal views only are not good judges
of methods. The relation to what is higher
must be seen in every method. The first
second % yeap. and n,io so on pea" The e' thirdi ou ie ioe
to be put to this device is this: Is it the
best device for me I'm my position. with my
You can do is poor enough for the child.
You are to use the best you know. The
device that has a clear and true end and is
the best for you. may safely be tried, bu.
it must be compared with others.
Some of the sorriest stupidities that have
disgraced American teaching have worked
well in the schoolroom. They interested
the child. and I have been amazed that
even children have been enthused over the
veriest chaff. The mere element of novelty
or interest is not enough.
Good teaching secures three ends. The
first is knowledge. The more clearly this
knowledge is in the teachers mind. and the
steps to be taken in teaching it. the more
skillful the teacher. All good teaching has
a point in view. No teacher can give the
child the power to know without knowing
it yourself. I have no confidence in these
training or developing teachers who don't
expect their pupils to know anything tangi-
bic and definite. But all teaching has not
merely knowledge for an end. The develop
ing of mental power is the second end. The
che abiding thing is power. knowledge
may fade; hut power will never die: it is
eternal. If my memory were wiped clean;
not be an intellectual pauper. But take
\ away the mental acumen and power. and I
were poor indeed. I am not sorry that the
| facts are gone, for We have learned that