The Republican journal., 1903-10-01
WALDO TEACHERS IN CONVENTION.
Meeting of the Waldo County Teachers.
Association in Winterport.

'" s@As@~V 0ANa0A0 AN NV~s @s>s = AVANs
Meeting of the Waldo County Teachers.
Association in Winterport.
The semi-annual session of the Waldo
County Teachers Association was held
in Union Hall, Winterport Monday, Sept.
2sth. The teachers, superintendents and
others from Belfast and the surrounding
towns went by special trip of steamer
Castine, leaving Lewis wharf at O'Clock.
touching at Searsport and arriving at
Winterport shortly before II. Union Hall
was we'll filled at all the sessions. Ellery
Bowden, Esq, of Winterport, president of
the Association, presided, and Miss Grace
A. Lord of Belfast acted as secretary in the
absence of the regularly elected officer
The forenoon session was opened by
prayer by Rev. W. H. Hotze OF Winterport,
an earnest address of welcome was given
by DR.. J. H. Baker of Winterport, and the
response by Emery D. Bickmore, superin-
tendent of Schools of Stockton Springs.
The hymn "Nearer, My God to Thee was
sung by all, and the secretary then read the
records of the last regular meeting.
Principal A. F. Richardson of the Castine
Normal School spoke on Semi Perception.
Psychologists, he said, claim shat the pow
ers of observation should be cultivated first.
The child uses all his senses. He sees,
feels, hears, tastes, smells. He learns fast
from what he observes with his senses.
The change from outside observation to
the work of the schoolroom is too sudden.
The children should be taught to observe
more closely. They see the stars, flowers and
birds, but do not know them. They should
be taught this when young, not as astrono-
my, botany or ornithology, but in learning
to observe nature, to really see things.
The president then appointed the follow
ing committees:
On resolutions, H. r. Eaton, Belfast; 1.
F. Burton, Searsport; Miss Della Hills,
Northport.
On time and place, W. P. Greenlaw,
Northport; Mr.. E. L. Davis, Searsport !;
Miss Harriet Moody, Winterport.
1t was announced that Miss Catherine
Kneeland of Searsport, who was elected
secretary at the annual meeting. was out of
the State, and Miss Lillian Spinney of Bel
fast was elected secretary.
The committee on time and place subSe-
quently reported that the next meeting be
held in Searsport, Friday, May Goth, and
the report was accepted. 1t was voted that
the subject be arithmetic.
The afternoon session was opened with
prayer by Rev. ]. w. Hatch of Winterport.
John R. Dunton, Superintendent of
Schools of Belfast, spoke on "Reading,
how much and how?" There are two ele-
ments in reading, the boy and the book.
However much we may talk of observation
and laboratory methods, the boy must read
the book. Reading and observation must
each supplement the other. He must read
and observe. We do not make intelligent
effort to get out of a book all there is in it.
Children should be taught to read before
studying They should know the meaning
of words. But small proportion of the
boys and girls see in the mind what they
read. The pupil should apply the same
methods and Imagination to reading his
tory, geography and arithmetic that he does
to reading stories. If a person reads a
thing as he should he would no more forget
it than he could an occurrence he had seen.
But the speaker would sum up the matter
thus: ''Teach the child as much as you
can, and in the way common sense die
tates.''
Miss Nellie F. Harvey of Castine spoke
on elementary reading and methods in the
public schools" The ends of reading are
the methods should be the same She cited
the Sth verse of the Sth chapter of Nehemiah
as summary of what reading is. If the
first steps are taught properly the Others
will naturally follow. She emphasized the
need of dictionaries in the public schools
and the advantages of phonetic reading.
Children and teachers should be disabused
of the idea that reading should be finished
early in school life.
Hon. w. W. Stetson, State Superintendent
of Schools, spoke on ''Ends, means and
methods" He spoke of the "School I'm,
provement League" the objects of which
are "Better physical surroundings; art in
Vic SCuOOllOOWf tAC UCoe Uooho AOA Oil
and the motto, 'The home and the school
the hope of the future" We have been a
long time stumbling. We are in the twi.
light but very near the daylight. We have
been looking at things in too narrow way
We should observe proportion and cOlOring
and be able to read building, or village
or the people as we would book. People
see things each from his own standpoint
Different people see different points OF
beauty in the Angelus. Each sees what he
is most interested in. One should be able
to read nature, and groups, and art. The
pupil should first be taught to master the
word, then the sentence, then the whole
The teacher should read to the pupils some
thing which she herself feels. We should
look at reading as something larger and
more comprehensive than getting through
or 6 text books.
Miss Marie Wardwell sang solo, 81 know
she waits for me" and was heartily applaud
ed.
Prof. H. NJ. EstabroOk of the University
Of Maine said that reading is more neglect
ed than any study except perhaps spelling.
There is no reading in the High schools and
but very little in the grammar schools. The
text books do not give systematic reading
Tharo has haan q pnnaral a6vanca in school