The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-12-17
Hill was read and unanimously
adopted without amendment, as fol-

We, the teachers of San uan county,
for the mutual benefits derived there
from, do resolve ourselves into an organ
ization to be known as 1.-THE San Juan
County Teachers Association" The reg
ulations of said association shall be as
follows:
L. Each and every teacher of San Juan
county shall be deemed a member of this
organization and shall be expected to be
present at all meetings.
III. The officers Of said association
shall consist ofa president and secre-
tary whose terms of Office shall be for one
school year, and who shall perform du-
ties as usually devolve upon such officers.
These officers to be elected by q majority
vote Of all members present.
IL. The chief object Of said organiza-
ton shall be discussion of such subjects
on reading as are advised by the State
Board of Education, and other such SUBJ
iects as tho members themselves deem fit
to discuss.
Nv. A committee of two shall be ap-
pointed by the president at each meeting
to arrange the program for the following
meeting.
v. The first regular meeting shall be
held the second Friday in February, 1905,
and meeting every seven weeks there
after. Three of these meetings shall be
held each year on San Juan, one on Orcas
and one on Lopez island.
Mrs. Buxton was made ex-Officio
chairman and Miss Sweeney was
elected secretary. Miss Sweeney and
Mr.. Hill have been appointed to pre-
pare the program for the next meet
ing.
The county superintendent next
presented at considerable length the
merits of certain chart which is be-
ing sold in the county. An excited
discussion followed One declared
the chart was not worth 81; another
admitted it might be worth more,
but that the price charged for it was
exorbitant, while those whose di-
rectors had purchased the series in
sisted that it was worth the $47 so
paid.
Miss Williams, speaking on pri-
mary reading, criticized the adopted
text and recommended, instead, an
other, with which she had been able
to secure much better results. Miss
Sharp followed, speaking from the
standpoint of advanced reading:
Reading is mainly thought getting.
Pupils must continually acquire new
words. Natural reading will follow
clear understanding. Secure proper
emphasis by questions, rather than
by imitation. An object of reading
should be to inspire love for good
literature. AS the hour was late
these papers were not discussed.
Mr.. Joubert then spoke on 'What
the Eighth Grade Diploma Should
Stand For?" Itshould stand, he said,
for all the state examinations require
and some things more: The pupil
should be able to write good legible
hand at the rate of at least twenty
words minute; he learned form the
first two years in school, and that
left six in which to acquire speed.
He should read considerably more
history than the texts contain. The
habit of looking up new words in the
dictionary should be formed. Mental
arithmetic should not be neglected,
though the state does not examine in
it. In geography memory map-work
should be emphasized; Minnesota
pupil not proficient in this cannot
pass that states examination.
Mrs. McLachlan followed with a
thoughtful, scholarly paper on "The
Teachers Influence and, as the
teachers listened to her clear, calm
words and quiet emphasis, they must
have felt, not only that she "prac-
ticed what she preached" but that
character-b building was, after all, the
teachers most important and pleas
antest task.
1t was now nearly eleven o'clock,
and at Mr.. Hills own request his
paper, Leading Pupils into the
Genuine Enjoyment of Good Books"
was postponed to the February meet
ing. The teachers then spent pleas
ant half hour in the social enjoyment
of ice cream and cake, provided by
Mrs. Buxton, and on separating ex-
pressed themselves as highly pleased
with the success of this meeting and
confident that much good would ac-
crue to them and to the county from
the future meetings of s'The San
Juan County Teachers Association. :"
o%1 ho tn ~