Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-06-30
TEACHERS INSTITUTE.

A teachers institute of instruction
was held at the academy Tuesday and
Wednesday of last week under the
direction of Prof. Edward G.. Baldwin
of Barton, examiner of teachers for
Orleans county. The instructors
present were as follows: Walter E.
Ranger of Johnson, VT, State super
intendent of education; Mrs. Pollard,
superintendent of schools, Southing-
ton, Mass; and E. A. Sleeper of Brad
ford, VT, formerly of Haverhill, N. Il.
The roll of teachers in attendance
is in this wise listed: Jessie Comstock,
Bessie Ready, Tilla Johnson, lila
Tenney, Lucille Prime, of Barton; Mrs.
Mary A Bailey, Florence Gillis, Jen-
ME Locke, of Barton Landing; Lola I.
Sargent, Cora Marsh, Minnie Wylie,
Walter Anderson, of Glover;
M. Violet Tucker of Wsst
Glover; w. E. Cheney of West Burke;
Nellie Beede of Bloomington; Lois
Stebbins of Johnson; Tia Patterson,
Maud Macomber, Ella Wilson of
Craftsbury; Nina Wylie of Naples,
Nellie McGoff of Irasburgh, Elsie
Skinner of Evansville, q. L. Taylor of
South Stukely, Que; Bessie Lewis of
Brattleboro, Alice Gilbert of Westfield,
Belle Stannard of Lowell.
Mr.. Baldwin opened the institute
with course of instruction in Yer
mont history, viz: exploration, tenn
porary and permanent settlement,
Indian raids, Rogers expedition, dis
pute over boundaries and territories,
the two parties and their claims, in
termingled with important elements
in geography. He was followed by
Mr.. Sleeper with instruction in
drawing. He dealt with the primary
and simple features which would tend
to be more practical as the ideas could
be readily grasped by the teachers
present, who could in turn apply them
in their school work in actual practice,
not merely theoretically, as has prin-
cipally been the case through the
state in the past.
In the afternoon Vermont history
was resumed by Mr.. Baldwin. In de-
scribing the battles of Bennington
and Hubbardton to the pupils the
teachers should confine their stories
to the causes leading up to the con-
flicts, eliminating all unnecessary de-
&Io% to Iiotr nt q
child's memory. Of the personnel OF
the battles, tell of the striking char
| acteristics of the leaders, some one
trait that would impress the young
: mind. For example place opposite
the name of Ethan Allen on the
blackboard the word bravery" after
Ira Allen, craftsmanship" after
o Seth Warner, ''forethought;" aftel
= Thos. Chittenden, Executive ability
t and after Jonas Fay, wisdom
Dates in history should mean some
thing to the student. The year III
e is made famous by the excitement o
Ticonderoga, 1776 by the invasion o
: Canada; 1878 to 1888 by the Haldi
> mand correspondence; 1888 to 49,
a territorial collisions between New
!; Hampshire and New York. Suggests
i works of fiction as inspiration to in
a culcate historic data into minds o
q the young, viz: "The Rangers" eth
y Green Mountain Boys" "The Greer
y, Mountain Girls" "Gilead Guards,
etc. Drawing was again taken up b
q Mr.. Sleeper at 8 O'Clock. The frs
= point to be considered should be tn
training of the hand, such as drawing
= of lines in fat planes, establishing tn
horizontal line and method of provin
work. His blackboard exercise
made his ideas very plain.
The days work was finished by a
n; hours conference in which M
Ranger answered question or tw
p on school work. He said the time
~ show the certificate was when til
n; teacher went to get the register. Th
Vermont statutes require that Vel
n; mont history, Vermont constitution
= and drawing be taught in the school
While the modern courses added
teaching were all right, he would M
al have the teacher lose sight of the in
IL portance of the fundamental three r
y. reading, 'riting and arithmetic.
ee the matter of certificates, M
or Ranger advised the teacher to stay
place long enough to obtain tv
tive-year certificates when they wou
be eligible to life certificate, ALLOW
ing them to teach in any place al
having no further bother with exam
nations. Vermont was especial
skilful in primary teaching, but the
was a universal demand for teache
of higher grades, hence be careful