The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-09-15

| add to our strength as teachers. Ones pro
fessionnl Improvement depends upon the
1 nature OF the food that one needs. Some
| teachers will need one thing that would
| scarcely be beneficial TO others, hut OF this
thing am certatn that Is that each teach.
or should know all there is to know about
| the subject he teachers He should make
| himself master OF the text books that he is
| TO teach and OF many more text books be-
the teacher than this discovery on the part
| Of the pupil that the teacher knows more
than the text book. text book Is n good
| thing. but the teacher should make the
lfext book his servant and, never be servant
| to the text book. N Is well that Ahe thought
| In the text be brought out and that the
| pupil be held accountable for the lesson
that yon have assigned him IN bis text
| book, but the investigation should not al,
| ways stop with this. | wish TO commend
the large body OF our teachers, who de-
ject matter and better methods OF teach
Ing, have spent portions of their vacations
this summer in attendance on the universe
ties, the summer normals and the Chuutnu-
qua and Citations. 1t Is much easier to
| rust out than 1t Is to wear ont teach
er wrote me not long since, while In at
tendance upon n university summer school:
II have gained n number OF new ideas ana
|. shall be stronger In my work, / trust.
next year" After we have taught the
whole wear through and dealt with minds
whose attainmcnts are Inferior to our own,
| the natural tendency Is toward dQgmnt ism
and self-conceit. One value of the summer
uuIluhis lHt university OF luc hSsNliAllNuo
Is TO put MS In contact with minds equal
and superior TO our own and thus show US
our own weakness and our real strength.
DR. Harris has said: 'The average teach
or ceases to grow after achieving fair sue
cess, five years being the usual Limit" The
only way, then, for us TO continue our
growth as teachers Is to take advantage OF
the means for professional Improvement,
Sometimes II is a good thing to ask the
school board for a years leave OF absence
ln order that you may take advantage OF
Tor bt,rba fge ei.Y1ul
growth,
The Institute is a means for professional
growth II rightly considered, Here we are
to study the general laws OF education. In
principles upon which teaching Is based;
and one who will conscentlously aud
faithfully do the work outlined and engage
In the discussions which take place can not
fall TO be u stronger, better and nobler
teacher. To make the Institute really help
fui all should help by taking part In tho
discussion. You consider Il poor recita.
| ton in your school room when only q few
I of the pupils take part In the discussion OF
a topic, and we can but reason that an IN.
sttutc whore the majority sit back and
| walt for a few to do all there Is TO do is
| poor institute. IL we prepare the lesson,
i this thorough preparation VIII give wings
to our thought and expression VIII come
| easy. During the past year we nave had
! a difficult work on psychology to study
and discuss but this year we have chosen
! Dickens as an educator, which, tn the
| language bApIfhStu at IT'S AuuptIbut 10 IN
oasis IN the desert 1t Is not alone tho
mere knowledge of fundamental principles
that we gain in the institute, but the
/ strength the mental discipline gained by
| tRckllng the subjects under discussion that
makes these meetings so valuable. l trust
| that during the coming year each snail feel
| that the success Of the institute is depend
! ent upon him individually ana upon us all
In the grade meetings quite a gain was
| made last year, AS well as In the institute.
! The purpose Of the grade meeting Is to
! apply the general laws Of teachiug 10 the
| special work OF the grades The relation
/ which the Institute bears TO the grade
meetings Is that of theory to practice. In
| the former the lnrger views OF the subjects
/ are dealt with, so as to gain deeper In
I sight and clearer comprehension of the
! special topics under consideration Whlc
! in the grade meetings the results and bene-
| fts of the institute should be, as II were,
| crystalized and exhibited in actual work
II II such n.anaer us c0nId De applied IN
! rooms. BY this means suggestions and
criticisms without lengthy discussion can
4 become helpful and practical The, grade
place Of class drill, such rs is HttRlued in
model schools attached TO schools for the
year We're well outlined by the grade lead
ers and much good work was done. During
the, coming year ] trust that the topics
a will be narrow in extent and deep In con
tent Il Is far better, instead Of taking a
ifo 0R Teaeh the SURFACE OFF Of Nortb
America" would be better. The grade
meetings should take M the actual diff
slble solve them, but II is Useless for a
Leader to get up good program unless
the members of the section will thoroughly
prepare for the meeting The grade meet
Ing IS not plnce for oratory or long
speeches, but for actual demonstration as
70 how the work should be accomplished.
II Is a place, too, and a time when recta,
lions can be conducted with great profit
to the teacher conducting them and to
those who are spectators, II kind aud. con.
scientious criticisms are made on the reel
tntion after the pupils have been dismissed.
We have tried to some extent this plan
IN the grade meetings, and | would he
glad III every grade meeting this year
would try this plan at one or more the
meetings.
The teacher who takes advantage OF all
the foregoing means for professional i'm
provement stiil has the advice and critl.
clsm Of the principals, the directors and
Of the superintendent and | assure you
that all criticism that / shall offer yon
VIII be rendered In the spirit of helpful
ness, and with no desire to humlliate sou
In any way whatever, but to point out ia
you in plain and unvarnlshed way the
truth as ! see IT, ] am sure that every
principal aud also the directors will meet
teachers In the same spirit, Emerson says;
THE poet AS II craftsman is Interested
only In the praise accorded to him, and
not In the censure, thought II be iust But
the poet cultivated becomes stockholdei
in both companies, AS soon as one sides
with his critic against himself, with JOY
proht from criticism we must relate Our
selves to II IN the sympathetic and reccp
tive way Whoever rejects criticism OF
resents 1t cuts himself on from one OF
the best menns OF growth and improve
ment He liz no longer teachahle and
therefore no longer a learner Infinitely
better IS IL To keep ourselves always ready
20 receive instruction from every source
We are not making the most OF our lives
II we are not eager TO do our best I'm
whatever we do and to make constant prog,
ress In our doing In order to do this we
must continually he made aware of the
lmperfectlons of our performances that we
may correct them. Our ewes are so set I'm
our heads that they look out and not In.
1t Is hard to see ourselves as others SEQ
us. Although Il seems not So he is my
true friend who holds mirror to my face
and, hiding none, Is not afraid to trace my
There are those who regard criticism al.
ways as nnkindness and meet II with q
bitter feeling They are unable to make
the distinction between rftlcism and
fault finding and regard criticism of what,
ever Kind ms faulthndlng, These persons
pave such opinions OF the lnfalibility ana
, inc nawiess excellence OF their own per-
formanee that II seems never to occur 10
, mem that the Judgment OF others may add
further wisdom or point out anything bet.
ter 50 they absolutely refuse TO accept
cfltlclsni however kindly amy suggestion
! may be offered which looks TO doing diner.
entity from what they have done They re.
! Eard as az enemy any one who may even