Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1904-11-11
TEACHERS ARE TAUGHT
Large Attendance of Instructors at
Polk County Annual Institute.

The Polk County Teachers Ann1a
Institute opened Wednesday morning
with an attendance exceeding that oil
any institute heretofore held in this
county. One hundred and thirty
teachers registered at the opening
session, and many more arrived dur.
ing the day. Little time was devoted
to the opening exercises, and the
teachers and instructors were soon
earnestly engaged in the active work
of the institute.
The instructors are j. HI. Alderman,
State Superintendent of Public In-
struction; w. G.. Hartranft, School
Superintendent Of King County
Wash. e. d. Ressler, President, and
@. A. Rice, Principal Of the Training
Department, of the Oregon State
Normal School. The corps of instruc-
tors is especially strong this year, and
County Superintendent @. L. Starr is
to be congratulated upon the success
of his efforts in securing such efficient
men to take charge of the work of the
institute.
J. H. Ackerman is justly rated as
one Of the strong men in educational
work on the Pacific Coast, and his
good work in behalf of the Oregon
public schools is recognized and
appreciated by parents and teachers
in all parts of the state.
Superintendent w. G. Hartranft, Of
Seattle, is an ideal teacher-active,
earnest and progressive-and has
made an enViable reputation through
out the Northwest as d successful
institute instructor. That his work is
appreciated by the people of his home
county is shown by the fact that he
has been twice elected to his present
office in the face of strong factional
opposition within his party ranks.
The excellent public schools Of King
county, Washington, are an eloquent
tribute to his ability as a modern
educator.
President Ressler and his able assis-
tant, Prof. @. A. Rice, of the Oregon
State Normal School, are familiar
with every detail of institute work, the
training Of teachers being the chosen
profession Of each. Both are thor
oughly practical in their methods, and
their suggestions and advice are Of
great value to every teacher.
Tracy Staats occupies his usual
position at the secretary's desk, and
performs his duties in a manner
highly satisfactory to all. The regis
tration of teachers and recording Of
the proceedings keep him busily en-
ployed at every session.
Superintendent Hartranft's subjects
were primary Reading" ''The Reel
tation," and Opportunities of the
Rural Teacher" In his talk on "The
Recitation" the principal thought
was a quotation from DR.. Arnold, the
great teacher at Rugby, who said: Il
always prepare my lessons in ad-
vance, because want my pupils to
drink from running stream instead
of a stagnant pool" The quotation
strongly impressed upon the minds of
the teachers the Importance of pre-
pairing themselves for their daily |
work. He had much to say on the
art Of questioning, and sought to
the fact that when class |
tails to give the proper attention, the
teacher and not the pupils are usually |
to blame. In his talk on "Oppor-
tunlties of the Rural Teacher" he |
urged all teachers who hesitate to ad-
nit that they are teaching in the
country schools to remember that they
are teaching 81 per cent of the success |
full business men Of the coming |
generation.
President Ressler had Geography"
for his subject, and the manner in
which it was presented was highly
instructive to all. His talk was full |
of practical ideas, and the teachers
will go back to their schools better
prepared to teach this important
branch Of study than ever before. |
Professor Rice spoke on Arithmetic"
and Methods"
A large crowd filled the courtroom
Wednesday evening to hear Superin-
in Human Progress" The talk was
entertaining, and was highly appre-
ciated. A good musical program was
rendered. Miss Elizabeth NJ. Pollock |
favored the audience with reading
that won for her many compliments |
ana hearty encore.
Owing to the important election news
and the heavy demands Of advertisers
upon our space, we shall not attempt
to give complete account of the pro-
ceedings of the institute this week,
but will give it the attention it de-
serves in another issue. The institute
proper will close this afternoon with
an address by Superintendent Acker-
man.
The school officers institute will be.
held tomorrow. An interesting pro-
gram has been prepared, and a large
attendance is expected. Thomas w. |
Brunk, G. w. Myer and S. L. Stewart
are among the directors who will
speak, and Superintendents Acker-
man and Starr will take part in the