The Republican journal., 1900-03-15
Belfast Teachers in Council.

The regular monthly meeting Of the Bel
fast teachers was held in the High School
room Friday afternoon. The schools were
closed to enable them to attend. Several
interesting papers were presented and gen.
orally discussed
The question of individual or class work
was opened by Mrs. A. L. Moody, and was
discussed by Messrs. Hayes, Bailey, Ellis,
Howard, Misses Russ, Spinney, Ladd and
Mrs. Adams. The class method is general
ly preferred as a rule, with individual work
in special cases. Some teachers hear the
questions of such scholars as need help, and
take the particular examples on which help
is needed for work before the class Scholars
often get better idea from spoken words
than from the printed page, for the reason
that any point not fully understood may be
called up and explained.
Superintendent Brick discussed the Eng
lish of our common schools. He spoke of
English under two heads: 1st the general
or oral and correct speech, and written Ian
guage; I'd, technical grammar. Each has it's
place. The teaching of English affects all
other subjects. If child cannot express his
thoughts orally or in written words he does
not understand the subject on which he is at
work. The pupil should be trained to
observe, to think and to express both orally
and in writing the results of the observation
and thinking, in clear, correct and cogent
language. Teach him to know the construc-
ton of his mother tongue.
Classification in city schools was discussed
by Misses Walton, Wiggin and Mr.. Ellis.
Miss Walton spoke for the primary grades.
referring to the change of little child from
the home to the new atmosphere of the
school room. The work of dividing these
little ones into grades is extremely difficult
Children are not capable of advancement all
along the same lines. The bone training
has great influence. If child hears good
language, has proper home influence and the
parents are interested in his education,
that child is more likely to prove a good
scholar than one whose home life is differ
ent. Miss Wiggin finds classification in
grades and 5 difficult for the same reasons
She has tried va rious methods, but as condi-
tions vary in different classes, method
which works well with one class does not
with another. Mr. Ellis finds a great diff
ference in individual scholars and in classes
If we had two classes in each grade we
could accomplish better results. We must
know our scholars There is no set way to
handle grade. Larger classes can be
handled in the grammar grades than in the
others, but every class and every scholar
must be governed according to the condi-
tions in that particular case.
Miss Roberts presented paper on "Read-
ing as taught in other cities" After detin-
ing the Rational and Milton systems
and explaining their use, she told of the
methods in use elsewhere. Rockland and
Bath use the Milton method, Belfast the
Rational, while Bangor and Waterville have
a combination method, made up as stated by
Miss Snow, Superintendent of Schools of
Bangor, of the best parts of all methods.
Reports from ten of the larger cities of the
country show that all use the phonc system,
combined with an initial stock of some kind.
Birmingham, Ala, uses the conversational
method for instruction, but during the
first few weeks they combine the word and
sentence methods. Words and phrases are
taught by sight, and these are combined
INTO sentences as soon as possible. In teach
ing words they first develop the idea of a
word by means of pictures; second, the word
as a sound is emphasized for the ear; third,
the word as a form is emphasized for the
eye fourth, the word form is copied. Phon-
les are taught in the same manner as in the
rational system. The letters are not taught
until the beginning of the second half year,
! when they are taught in their order.