The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1900-01-12
Educational Column.
Dear Editor

Educational Column.
Knowing that your valuable paper
would be clowded last week, I have
waited till nov 70 talk again to our
teachers.
Most Of the schools are getting along
80 well that I an proud Of our corps Of
teachers. THE Sunflower district has
shown apptecilfohb by building q COM
modious schoH Siiding, and the result
is that te,chsrs, patrons, pupils and your
humble Superintendent are all enthused.
II WON'T take columns to tell about the
good work being done by trustees, pa
irons md teachers, and we are constrain-
ed to 9claim, let the good work continue;
the ward is sure.
SIX TEACHERS.
H,lf of the school term Ia now finished,
and ( you have your school under good
discipline, you Q do better work
during the balance Of the term.
want to give you, right now, the best
advice I am capable Of. Pages could be
written On the importance of and best
methods Of teaching all the branches,
anda talk on each subject would not be
fini,hed till after the close of the term.
The educational Journals furnish much
valuable matter. Do you subscribe for
any of themf A dollar or two thus in
vested will pay you ten-fold. If you
intend to make teaching . profession,
heed this suggestion.
THE THREE RS.
These are our leaders, Reading, 'Riting,
'Rithmetic. You are teaching grammar
ali the time. Children would never use
bad speech If they always heard gram
mitical language.
WRITING.
50 little attention Is paid in some Of
our schools to writing that 1t is really
alarming. must insist that children be
required to write at least half IN hour
each day. How can they ever learn to
write if they are not taught Required
to do it; to practice. Do you know Of
anything Of Importance being learned
any other wayi II parents will not
provide paper, pen and ink, or even
states, get boxes, fill them with sand,
smooth them over, and let the children
learn to write. This has been done in
some countries. II you can't get boxes,
smooth the ground, get pointed sticks
and teach your pupils to write. l attach
this much Importance to it, and any sane
man will agree with me. This may look
like running things into the ground"
but we had better do this than have our
children grow up without knowing how
to write decentletters. II you have time
to teach at all, you have time to teach
writing. Many Of you write beautiful
hands, and have the opportunity of build
ing monuments to your regulations as
teachers, and II you are not good penmen,
copy books with set copies can be OBJ
tanned. All children cannot acquire q
beautiful hand, but they can learn to
compose and write q respectable letter
or composition. How nice 1t would be
for John or Mary, ten or twelve years Of
age, to be able to write Q nice business
letter for their parents, when requested
II they have never been required to
write letters at school, when will they
learn? fi1
The ability to express ones thoughts
in good Language, written or spoken, Il
the most important thing in . practical
education. Letter and composition wri
ting should have a prominent place in
every course.
The way to learn TO walk IL by walk
ing. The way TO learn to talk is by
talking. The way to learn to fight IL BY
fighting, and the way to learn to writ,
Is by writing. The only way to learn :,
do anything worth doing is by taking
hold and doing it. Comevills said, lie.
things that have to be done, be Learned
by doing Them" Be,
Many of the school children, at m,
request, hse written me nice letters, o
which I N proud. They are ON tn
right road.
Show the compositions and letters h
trustees and patrons, and send me . few
occasionally. I received . few last weel
gems for beginasrs.
Enthuse your pupil II you can; II yo'
cannot, you are a poor excuse for
teacher, and . better one will take you
, placehext yesr---
It's indeed . sad and serious matter I
let your children 60 10 school year ate
year and not learn TO write . ~respectsbl
lstter.
~ DOLLARS AMI GENTS.
II 1t will be worth dollars and cents I
, our boys and girls u Ne able to commu
nicate their thouyk3s clearly 70 Others
Instead Of horrihfs bugbear compos,
ton work can be made one Of the mos
pleasant exercises ofschoollife. Chang
r memory tests to life producing exercise
Teach the children to have thoughts Z
0 their own. Cultivate originality; teac
!. the pupil to talk with pen or pencil, 4
well IS with the tongue. Here 10 . goo
|; chance TO teach grammar, another but
. bear. Let gramnae be,a touchstone Il
the advanced to test their sentences.
Tell your pupils that they must writ
compositions, and you frightsn- then
D They think It n . terrible task. Az
: them TO write pf what they ssw on III
. way To- chool; their games; their schooI
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