Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1900-09-05
. THE PUBLIC. SCHOOL.
Much Of Little or Little Of Much.
4 Paper by BIZ. Neare. =
!, Readat twelfth annual session of the Adams
~ County Teachers Association.

|. .HeHQat tWelftn annual session OIL the Adams
tA County Teachers Association.
Just what SHOULD. be taught in the
common schools is difficult question
to decide, and it is not the province
nor. the purpose of this paper to at
tempt to decide it, but rather to sug-
gest few thoughts that may lead
teachers to careful consideration of
the subject.
We have progressed far beyond those
simple times when it was considered
that smattering OF the three Rs cor
stituted liberal common school edu-
cation. We have added to the list of
subjects in our common school courses
until a thorough knowledge of them
all would require more study than
ordinary working people are Athletic
bestow in lifetime, while the pupil
who attempts to study them all in
the time usually spent in the country
school is quite sure to, have only q
very limited knowledge of all with u
complete understanding Of none. -
Now the history of education shows
that nearly all thegreat teachers of
the past; those who have aided most
in educational advancement, have
achieved success by combining the
efforts of their pupils to a few subjects
at a time and requiring complete
mastery of these few before any others
could be taken up. A few even re-
quired the mastery OF a single book at
time and were remarkably successful.
There are certainly few experienced
teachers who have not met with pupils
who were trying to stumble along
through books which they did not and
could not understand, with the result
that both teacher and pupil finally
became discouraged and made only
feeble efforts at advancement. Now
it is easy to believe that if the pupil
is kept at work OH the first book until
it is thoroughly mastered-and that
means more than some suppose-he
will be ready to take up the next with
clear head and a stout heart, MAX
ing success almost certainty. More
over, since the brain is strengthened
by every successful effort and weaken
ed by every failure, it is better for the
pupil to completely master one point
in day than to get hazy impression
OF a dozen that may end in confusion.
Again, as the brain tends to reproduce
wrong impression just as readily as it
does right one, it is impossible to be
too careful about the correctness of
our teaching, even though we teach
but little. However, it is doubtful il
the plan of completing one subject
before beginning another would be
wise in all respects, as it might lead
to one-sided mental growth. -
Without assuming to make final
decision, it may be possible to make
some suggestions that will be useful at
least to young teachers. Since the
time Of the pupil is limited, it is best
to teach only those subjects which
have general usefulness, and leave
technical knowledge to be learned in a
technical school or by actual exper-
fence. For the beginner, four allied
subjects, reading, writing, spelling and
language are sufficient Make haste
slowly. Be accurate. Do not use IN
necessary words nor introduce irrelev-
ant matter. The motto of the great
metropolitan newspaper, accuracy,
terseness," is an equally good guide
| for the teacher. . - W.
When the pupil%ha learned to DC
quire thought readily from the printed
page and to express it freely, both
orally and in writing, then, and not
before, he should begin regular work.
in numbers. Then geography may
be taken up; number work will grow
into arithmetic, and language. into
grammar. The subjects named are
sufficient for most pupils in country
schools. Hygiene should be taught
orally by the teacher and by practice.
Physiology, as a text book subject,
should be left to higher schools. Pupils
who have thorough understanding
Of the subjects recommended above
and still have some time for study,
may be employed on civics and history.
The six subjects; reading, whiting,
spelling, grammar, arithmetic and
geography, if carefully taught with
the primary object of aiding mental
growth and the secondary object OF
giving a working knowledge of the
subjects, will leave the pupil in an
independent and self-helpfll position
where he can readily learn and profit
by the lessons OF experience and con-
tinue his studies as circumstances
permit. He will be able to do good
work alone, If necessary. A pupil
thus carefully taught will surely be a
greater power in any community than
one who has dipped a little from
every subject and prepared mixture