The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-09-14
TEACHERS INSTITUTE.
Large Attendance Daily Interesting Exer-
cises-Teachers Participated in the Dis
cussions and Read Paprrs-All Say II
Was An Enjoyable Meeting.
Reported for the democratic Advocate.

1
| Grammar, Round Table, Theory and Practice
Of Teaching English Grammar. Prof Hanna
said we should call halt on the bad Eng
lish that is becoming common, even getting
| into newspapers, and into literature.
We do not want to speak pure English,
could rot readily understand speaker using
only pure English. What we want TO study
and speak is pure American. The teacher
has TO deal with the ehild's own vocabulary
| gotten from his home, from streets and alleys;
therefore, teachers should talk with him on
subjects that the child already understands,
and by degrees try to lead the child touse bet
ter language.
In the reading, watch carefully the child,s
pronunciation and the sound he gives to words
and expressions, gently correcting as needed.
Have books suitable to the child's capacity,
there he showed list OF books that he thinks
most suitable for children in first four years OF
reading. The first four years The work is
reading, spelling, drawing and language, which
begins as soon as the child's school begins.
| Lead him to understand subject and predicate,
he will soon let modifers take their places.
Grammar should begin when the child
reaches The high school, but since 95 per cent.
of the pupils leave school without reaching
| high school modified course of grammar
! should go all along, i. e., nouns action. words,
and modifiers as such.
/ The best work is done in the country schools.
| He knows whereof he speaks He owes so
much to the example of the country school
/ teacher who deals with SO many Obstacles
| added to the regular school work.
Technical Grammar only occupies about 36
| pages, and teachers surely can teach that much
thoroughly in three months. photography
| belongs to spelling, syntax and prosody belong
to rhetoric. He was considering Haryey's
Grammar.
Taking away photography, Syntax and
Prosody leaves only Etymology for real Gram
mar. Unclassfed facts arc no good. Facts
must be divided and classified and the teacher
must do it.
The bones of a human body are only heap
of bones until classified. Only properly Joined
| do they form skeleton. The teacher must
clothe it. The skeleton of the verb is to be
placed on the board. The child takes that
| skeleton home and is to do what he can with
it TO classify it.
1t matters not whose Grammar he uses, but
he must bring his work neatly written nicely
written, properly spelled, etc., just what he
thinks of it, this leads to Il free discussion IN
the class which is what is termed Round
| Table Pupils give the thoughts as they un-
derstand the subject and the teacher suggests
other thoughts. Teacher does not ask ques-
| lions to discover what the pupil knows, but to
instruct the pupil
Grammar should not take the place of Ian.
guage lessons. He gives no definitions until
pupils reach Technical Grammar.
The subject was further discussed by Miss
AIDA LaRue Trump, who gave talk on the
voices of the verb. She would have pupils
understand clearly whether verb under dis
| cussion are active voice or passive, and why
She was followed by Prof Simpson, who
said Miss Carrie Harbaugh gave the idea Of
taking a simple sentence and letting it grow
by means of modiGers until it becomes com
| pound sentence, sufficiently comprehensive to
suit the progressive ability of the class. Prof.
! Simpson said his plan is 10 get at the bottom
of a sentence, when he builds the sentence aud
names all its parts, he has the whole OF Gram
mar.
Mr. Levi D. Reid explained the uses of ad
| ieclives and adverbs. ITO be progressive Is
| TO be praiseworthy.n The need is that teach
ers be all round teachers. We must not think
an adjective is always an adjective. Assistant
Examiner Caple being absent on account of
| official business, the course of remarks ON the
subject was further discussed by Prof Hanna
who, in his discourse, eulogized the late Prof..
Newell, and was highly applauded.
Prof Mcdaniel being absent, Prof. Simpson
| gave a short talk on the Philosophy oil Frac-
| lions, showing that when We have taught per
cent g. e. carrying the division 10 hundredhs)
we have taught all OF declmalS
| DR.. j. w. Herring was enthusiastically vel
coined by the teachers. In his happy style he
informed us that ne had learned something;
he had learned that he chad not kept up with
the procession;" congratulated himself on
being in the midst of old friends; gloried in
the work of the Western Maryland College,
| but is now convinced that the common school
| is the most important to our state because II is
dealing with the average man aud woman.
| The rank and file, the bone and sinrw, are
what are being taught in The common schools.
and our teaching force is on the up grade, and
congratulated the teachers on the great work
TUESDAY MORNING.
Devotional exercises by Prof. Simpson.
Prof Hanna made practical application
of his method of opening schools Read short
lesson from the Bible, followed with the Lord 5
| Prayer in concert, sang suitable selection,
( then gave, lst, a news item on the board and
repeat in concert; 2nd, an anniversary histor-
| ical statement; 3rd u literary quotation. The
| first and last to he discussed by some pupil
| tomorrow.
Mr. Morelock read paper on the news
| item given the previous morning.
Miss Effie Hess read paper on the life and
| traditional reputation of Shakespeare, the
author of the literary quotation given the
| previous morning.
d. A..
! on the ACCESSIBILITY of teaching the three HIS
instead of the three Rs that used to be taught
with the help of the rod. The three ii $ rep
resent head heart hands. This closed the
method of opening schools. and Prof Simp
son introduced Mrs. Hanna by giving few
hints as how teachers may arrange time TO
give music, drawing, nature studies and other
side issues with the least interruption 10 regu-
lar school work. These are desirable, but
not obligatory He suggested giving period
of half an hour week to music, &c., stated
that at the office is chart on music and other
school subjects that can be used to facilitate
teachers work in the school room, and the
School Board proposes to send one to each
school that will advance So for It, The real
price of the chart being 500
| Mrs. Hanna then gave instructions on vocal
music. She advocates for little children a
few motion songs with motions, true to
nature as possible. She gives the scale as a
whole, and corrects false tone at once; teach
each pupil to depend upon himself, take the
| leaders out of the class. As soon rs possible
let them understand that do may occur any
where in the staff-introduce these changes ms
soon as possible Introduce theory rs it oc-
ours To illustrate length of note she first
| makes a whole note then attaches Il stem and
it becomes half note, fills the head and makes
it quarter note, puts flag on the stem and
makes an eighth, &c, and beats time from
the first.
The subject of spelling was taken up by
Prof. Hanna, who said poor spelling is a
national disease, because he notices that some
of the best educators are poor spoilers. He
attributes il TO the old way of teaching the
subject To certain extent memory spell
ing is necessary, the irregularities of the Eng
hsh language make it necessary. When he
notices a word msspeled in the class work
he goes no further until it is corrected.
Pronunciation is most important in teach
ing language-spelling is only language.
Many of the changes in use Of broad and
short a Tor other vowels) are only fads, and
all society fads should he abolished.
In spelling, Mr.. Hanna says he is like
celebrated Virginian, having several ways to
spell words, though they are not il the spell
ing book. Train the eye not the ear in teach
ing spelling This may be begun in first school
days by writing names of objects on board,
then erasing and calling for reproduction.
From objects to other simple words. Don't
teach words a child doesn't know and doesn't
need If spelling booHs must be used select
only such words as are necessary for hun to
know Do not teach definitions from book.
it is no good. Because measnreless formed
words used in defining in dictionary not I'M
derslood by children. In connection with
spelling drill in phonetics. Oral spelling en-