The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-26
Joint Session

| The joint meeting of grammar and
| primary sections was in Mechanics
Hall at o'clock. Mrs. Mary Rogers
Miller of Cornell University made the
principal address on Mature Study"
] She said
| Mature study is as old as school
! teaching. There may be new phases,
! but as long as there has been good
! teaching, there has been nature study.
/ 1t is hard to tell just what is nature
study In some places it is called cut
{ ting up cats" and naturally it is dis
gushing to many. Fortunately true
nature study does not mean that or l
| should not advocate it."
/ Mrs Miller went on to tell of the
work of the Cornell University nature
/ study bureau.
THE origin of the Cornell nature
study movement was with the people of
the state. Almost every phase was
suggested by those with whom it has
to do. When the work began we first
went into the schools to see what was
being done. We found good work being
done by teachers who called it by va
rious names. We found two real and
many fancied difficulties which would.
1 am sure, occur to you if asked What
stands in the way of nature study p
a crowded curriculum and lack of con-
fidence from the start and they
told us why they could not
do the work in their schools, Some
admitted lack of preparation and 9TH
ers said there was not time anyway. II
a teacher believes in the study she will
find time for it.
I'VE tried to suggest methods for get
ting over the difficulty by correlating
with other studies in great part. 1t is
4 ohi no ri 70
about things in which they are inter-
ested Field work was suggested
where it was possible.
1.-The problem of how to help the
teacher was taken UP. They asked US
how to go ahead with the work. Five
years ago was published the first teach
er's leafiet in nature study, which has
proved so popular with teachers who
realized what it stood for.
Another form of instruction Is in the
course of teachers institutes. In New
York, these institutes are held at reg
ular intervals. Instructors are sent out
by the state and teachers are obliged
to attend the Institutes and listen to
the discussion.
"For four years it was my pleasure
and pain to attend three teachers in
stitutes per week. The work OF getting
from place to place caused the pain
but the pleasure of the teachers more
than made up for the unpleasant
things. Over one-third of the teachers
| 1 met in the institutes sent for oul
| leaflets.
Another course of instruction wa:
taken up by us in connection with th'
summer schools
] I'm order to carry the schools along
there were organized in the schools OF
New York what were known as Junior
Naturalistic Clubs. The membership
of these clubs last year was about
$50, 900.
a Some say you can never get nature
study into schools until you have a
: law compelling its study. I say there
) should be nothing in the way OF
r obligation or examination.
( Another danger is from the super
! visor. I don't care to make it per-
} sonal and I don't want to go too far
here. The trouble as I have found il
is that the supervisor knows too little
of what the teacher is doing If
were to give a young man or woman
advice as to what they should do tC
fit themselves for supervision I would
I say. Go and teach school,"
Il feel that nature study needs less
t supervision than other studies. Much
f knowledge is safe in the hands of a
f good teacher. There is a serious
menace to nature study just now, and
that is people read books about nature
study instead of studying nature itself
. So far as true training goes, book
study alone is almost absolutely
, worthless. If a book is to be used,
: would prefer to have the child read
{ of thing after he has found it out
and knows what it is. Finding out
for himself gives a child power.
"In order to study nature, first gel
! interested. Go to nature and keep al
E it. Read what others have writer
about nature study and if it makes
u you feel like going right out to in
vestigate a thing, that is a safe book
: Keep a constant question mark toward
t nature It's no matter if nature re-
= fuses to answer on the moment, keeI
. at it.
n ITS dangerous to finish a study
S That is when a matter is taken up
h children should not be allowed to think
= they are done with it, The influence
l. of such a course is deadening.
= Mature study asks for the time
e which is now wasted in the schools
e When a child is tired, let it go over
/, to a corner where you may have E
e grasshopper in jar. The little fellow
: may not have known how a grass
= hopper eats, and it will interest him
e He won't be in trouble, at all events