The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1904-04-16
EDUCATIONAL BUREAU
Under Direction Of KATE MARKHAM POWER.

should study the subject. Nothing
will so contribute to the pleasure of
your own work and so improve the
conscious of the fact that you under
stand well the implements with which
| you work.
| You should also read school maya
zines and professional works; every
teacher in the State should take the
course of study outlined by the de-
partment Of education of the Univer-
sity for institute conductors. Every
| teacher should also keep informed on
current events; advantage should be
taken OF the interest Of the children
when aroused in these subjects.
g. Join with your fellow teachers
| in doing organized work. There should
be an active teachers association IN
| each county These associations
should take up systematic course OF
study and not give UP the entire time
! to reading essays and making
speeches by it's members, based on
their own experiences. The expe-
riences of rural teachers In Missis-
! sippi are not to any great extent diff
| ferent teacher should not only avail
himself of the experiences of his fell
| low teachers, reared and working
pretty much under the same condi-
tions as himself, but he should make
! the experiences of all the great teach
ers of the world and of all time his.
Courses of study should be adopted
and the teachers should prepare them
selves on the text before the time Of
discussion at the meeting.
| The teachers at their county meet
ings should discuss questions apper>
tanning to the profession. Every effort
should be made to develop true pro-
fessional spirit. 1t is our fault that
the teacher is the butt of every joke.
/ True teachers should be considered
as entirely distinct from fake teach
ers; a true teacher should have no pro-
: fessional dealings with a dishonest
teacher. A teacher who would cheat
on an examination should have only
the contempt of every honest teacher.
Remember that the benefit you re-
ceive from a teachers organization
will depend upon what you put into it.
i A teachers meeting is always a
bore to the teacher who contributes
nothing to it.
3, During vacation every teacher In
the State should attend a normal or
institute. The sentiment in some coun-
ties against county institutes is re-
, Election on the teachers of that
county It is unthinkable that the
teachers of a county can meet to-
gether for. week or more and receive
no benefits from such intercourse.
Such people are not teachers, though
they draw money from the school
treasury that should be paid for
teaching 1t is with an institute as
with county association; teacher
gets out of it in proportion to what
he puts in.
;. 4. Teachers should do what they
can in educating public sentiment cor
rectly on school questions. An in-
formed teacher will leave a commun-
ity with higher conception of what
1t means to educate and with greater
willingness to do its part in making
its school a success. The educating
properly of their children is parents
greatest earthly duty, yet how many
subordinate this duty to almost ali
other considerations.
One of the very best ways to edu
cate the people on this question is to
make your school house a center of
culture and refinement A desolate
room and barren grounds, without ex
pense, can be transformed into most
refining influences by teacher of the
proper spirit.
5. l want to appeal to every teacher
to think of the great responsibility
that he has assumed in becoming a
teacher; you can not help being most
potent influence in determining the
character of the children under you.
Can you afford to be careless in this
great work? You are not only work
ing for time, but for eternity You
are also determining your own char
acter by the manner in which you
work 1t is law of our being that
we become as we do. 1t matters not
how unpleasant your surroundings
are, or how meagre your salary may
be, it is possible for you to do a great
work and to get the satisfaction that
always comes as a result of having
performed duty well.
You are in the greatest work in
which humanity can engage, and you
should not be ashamed of it. The work
of true teacher tends to the develop
ment of a noble life. Let us not go
about this work as though we were
scourged to it, but let us feel that
ours is high mission, on the success
| OF which will depend the future pros
perity and happiness of our beloved
State Respectfully,
H. L. WHITFIELD,
State Superintendent Education.