The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1904-05-18

Summer before last 1 secured q
two-months summer school right
through July and August Eosg
Don't mention 1t. Now, the provok-
edness about the school In East
Texas is, that part of the term has
to be taught In the winter and just
az the children are in good way
for learning they begin to drop out,
to clear land, plough, ETC., preparing
the ground for the that inevitable
cotton crop that seems like 1t must
be grown In spite of fate and the
boil weevil. Then after the crops
are planted and laid by the child
rem are at liberty to improve their
minds again whilg there is nothing
more important 90 to occupy their
attention. This is why you find me
teaching during the two hottest sum
mer months. Well, know 1t takes
two months to get the average school
in good running order, and as that
was the. full length of my term l set
|
pills the most in the least possible
time. l decided that to teach
one subject thoroughly and
well wss better than to try
and go through the book.
Knowing that arithmetic 10 a strong
point with the average man and
woman and after carefully consider
ing the subject 10 hand and review
ing the pupils | decided 10 put In
some good solid work on fractions.
SO selecting class of boys and
girls any where from 10 to Is, and
those understanding long division,
cancellation and something OF fac
toring | rolled up my sleeves and
went to work. Now I'm the great
est advocate in the world of the OBJ
ject method In teaching anything
| when it's not overdone.l | wanted
something tangible, something /
could see and handle and explain by
which / could prove the truths | ex-
pected to tell my pupils. Not hav-
ing the paraphernalia at hand of
which .the up-to-date city school
boasts for teaching things, set my
wits to work To invent a substitute.
Cuttiug pieces of paper into parts
was too littery and too childish for
those big overgrown boys. A happy
thought struck me. Taking a string
and a piece of crayon / wouldn't
try 10 teach without crayon
drew a circle on the blackboard land
asked what 1t was;
"A ring" some one answered.
"a circle" some one else replied.
mo, said /" it's pie, nice Gus
sard, an egg custard-a at least we will
pretend II is Do you children ever
pretend, or play like" or make
out like" in your plays.
| eyes IN, yes'm,'' came the answer
from every part of the class, and
dull eyes frightened, hands went
up, indifferent, listless faces, gave
wav to keen, intelligent, expectant
counteuances. Interest was deep
ening.
"Well," said /. we will call this
pie" and drew q line aud cut IL
through the center. what did /
do" / asked. "Cut the pie into two
pieces, was the answer.
But, Mr.. Editor, | can't 20 into
details. IL would take q column IN
the Daily Light two months to tell
all 1 that told that class. halved
the cir-I mean the pie-then foarth-
ed it, and eighthed 1t. | thirded
pie, then divided IL into stxths and
twelfths. went slowly didn't
want 10 get into deep water. didn't
want to get out of sight Of Que
thing unit they we're being
taught to divide. | showed them
how two-foarths and four-eighths
were equal 90 one-half | proved 10
them that two -sixths and three
ninths are equal to one-third.
showed them that five-eights of a
pie was preferable to one. half and
so on aud so forth. | Taught them
all this with out saying IA word
about numerators or denominators,
and this il enough for this week.
Mrs. Il. r. BUTLER.
t,... "a.