Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-08-10
THE ORLEANS COUNTY SUMNER
SCHOOL.
Continued from last ,oeek.


English language in the summer
school. Mr.. Colburn was educated in
Vermont, having graduated from
Burlington high school and from the
University of Vermont. His success
as principal of Craftsbury academy
and his work at the head Of the New
port schools are we'll known in the
county. Mr.. Colburn is clear, easy
speaker, is master of his subject, and
commands the close attention of his
hearers. He started out with the
idea that "good English is the gate
way to all knowledge" The child
should hrst be made to understand
the meaning OF words in order that he
may acquire an interest in reading. A
child is not searching for ideas, but
for an outlet for his activities, and
uses words as he has heard them with
out having any clear conception of
the ideas they convey. Great pains
must be taken by the teacher to make
the child knol0 the meaning of the
words he uses. After reading a
paragraph he should express the
thoughts in his own language, or
should be able to do so to convince
his teacher that he thoroughly under
stands what he has read. In the
study Of language in reference to its
use, he emphasized these thoughts:
Expression clarifies and fixes
thought. 1t tests thought. 1t i'm
proves and strengthens thought. 1t
Is universal necessity" He spoke
of the inability of most people to
clearly express their thoughts, and
referred to certain good scholars who
had conveyed a meaning exactly
contrary to what they intended, be-
cause of their want of ability to use
words properly. The sources of good
expression were not to be found in
grammatical rules. The conversation
at the child's home, with his school
mates and with his teacher, these
are the sources from which the child
gets his vocabulary. If the parents
are faulty in the pronunciation of
words and in grammatical expression
the child will copy their speech.
Teachers should be very careful to
use correct forms of speech before
children, for the pupils accept the
teacher as authority. Children should
be taught to commit beautiful selec-
tions both of poetry and prose to
memory, as memory gems. This will
cultivate taste in the child's mind
for the highest kind of literature, and
will impress moral precepts upon the
mind which will not be easily effaced.
He dWelt much on the best methods
of teaching pupils oral expression,
written expression, pronunciation,
articulation and kindred subjects.
Miss Bertha Hayward Burridge has
given some most excellent instruction
on primary methods Of teaching.
Miss Burridge is a graduate of Ran
dolph high school, and has taken a
special course in the normal school at
Salem, Mass. She was principal of
the primary school at Essex Junction
during s01-l902, and at present is
assistant in the primary department
at Everett, Mass. Her work here has
consisted OF instruction in class exer-
cises and exhibit of work, reading
language, drawing, number work
paper folding, cardboard construction
weaving and modelling.
Miss Burridge has been very popular
with all Who have attended the sum.
mer school. She Is modest, unassum
ing, thoroughly in love with her work
and puts her soul into il. Her worl
with her class of children was intense
ly interesting. She is motherly an,
at once won the confidence and Low,
Of the children. Your correspondent
as be witnessed her work made up hi
mind that one of two things was true
namely, either the children were YER
precocious, or the teacher was
model teacher. And the reason 70
this was the fact that Miss Burridg
was able to get out Of the little folk
just what she desired, whether it wa
telling the story Of what they ga,
or heard, folding the papers to max
squares, cubes, chairs, cradles, etc., Q
blackboard work. She does not be
heve in teaching children at a dist
ance, but brings them close to he,
where she can literally touch then
look straight into their eyes, put be
arm about them - make of them
manifest her love for them and b
most like a mother to Them. II a
teachers were like Miss Burridge pa,
ents would feel safe to trust the
little ones to their care.
Following is list of those in a