Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-02-03
Educational
Column.
GUY STANTON FORD, Editor.


One of the things that make a school
teacher smile cold. sardonic smile is
to be appealed to, to shoulder any and
every undertaking on the peal ''that
yon have so much more spare time than
the rest Of u.s." From half past eight
In the morning until four in the after
noon the teacher is under the constant
strain of the most exhaust;ng of work
At four she carries home an armful of
books to prepare the next DAYS work.
Along with the books there is generally
bunch or two of quiz papers, and pos
slbly set or two of forty or fifty compo-
sltlon papers. These must be looked
oyer marked and returned and the
standings entered in class-books. Ifthe
teacher is primary teacher she has anv
amount of busy and supplementary work
to plan and prepare. If a grade or high
school teacher, her work is not thorough
ly prepared until in each study she has
gone over enough books to give her
grasp of the subject and free her from
dependence on a single text. Extra
reading and references are TO be gone
| over and arranged SO that the pupils
may have something more than the text
to consult. This is plain daily work
| Parents are to be visited and consulted
about their children, report cards made
out, written reports to the superin-
tendent prepared, papers for teachers
meetings written, school entertainments
planned and drilled in order that the
pupils or community may know the
| teacher is really alive and earning her
salary. Then of course you re bore if
you can only talk shop SO the latest mag
azine or book is to be snatched up and
devoured. Then there are pupils who
really would profit and make their grade
if the teacher could spare them little
time and they are never refused. And
then like any ordinary mortal some
where in his vast of spare time she eats
and sleeps, mends her clothes, writes
letters. reads her educational papers,
spends her salary and meditates Oh en-
tering profession where even vacations
are not devoted to attending summer
schools and institutes. Isitany wonder
that superintendent feels like saying
to bis teachers whose kindness leads
them to assume other tasks, Chou shalt
not rob the many children of your care
to enrich the few of church or social cir
cles"
Minneapolis not only has women on
their school board but has made Mrs.
jennie c. Crays president of the board
~
This country annually spends S1S0,000,
600 in education and of this large sum
Allegheny county Pennsylvania ex-
ponds about 1-lS0 or one million dollars.
The county Superintendent, Samuel
Hamilton, receives the largest salary
paid any county superintendent in the
world, it being $1,000 year.
~
President Adams of the State Univer-
sity in a recent address presented Stats
tics showing that the taxes levied for
school purposes in this state are light in
comparison with those of other states.
Further in the same address President
Adams used the following words:
"Let us throw wide open the doors of
our intelligence to every educational
wind that blows. Let us show an en-
thusiastic hospitality to all new ideas,
come they from without or from within.
Let US join hands with those who are
trying to advance. Let us ALLURE all is
olation. Let us insist upon going to
every possible fount of knowledge. Let
every teacher sift every bit of new in
formation and strive to apply whatever
of valuable residue he may find. Let
every superintendent and every School
board insist upon the employment of
the best teachers that can be found. 1t
is in such ways, and in such ways alone
that we can worthilv fill the high voca
tons where-unto we are called"
-
In connection with the present revis-
ion of our own grade and high school
course, the following clipped from the
Milwaukee Sentinel is of much interest
1t is taken from the report of a commit
tee of which DR.. Stearns was the chair
man. They were appointed to investi-
high school courses of study.
''The report took the ground that as
the courses Of study in the high schools
were formulated by the state superIn-
tendent seven years ago, they had not
kept pace with the advancement which
has been made in educational institu-
tons. The most obvious defect as ID
the crowding of grammar grade studies
into the high school courses. Grammer,
arithmetic, elementary United States
history and constitution, which now
appear in the first and second year of
some of the high schools ought to be rel
egated to the grammar school. What
was needed was higher standard of
teaching in the grammar grades, The
English and general science courses
| ought to be wholly recast. The present
system of teaching mathematics needed
Encouragement, and the work in history
as unsatisfactory. The report recon-