Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-12-05
TEACHERS CONVENTION.

Der I'd, beginning at ten O'Clock a. m
After choosing temporary officers the
following program was carried out:
M,s;o ! Lead Kindly Light.
Inc Sailors Song ...............
........."......Training School Chorus
Reading in the Rural Schools ........
............................... Miss Bohrer
Some. Points in Teaching Geogra-
l. phy...... .........- Prin. o. E. Wells
Something in Agriculture. .........
..:............. ..........Prin. L. b. Johns
Glass Exercise in Reading .............
.................Miss G. Wawrzyniak
Necessity of Organized Effort.
..............."............. .Supt. Farrell
oong .........- ....................Assoc
The main point emphasized in the
talk by Miss Bohrer was that unknown
words are the chief obstacle to progress
in reading and therefore more time
should be spent with children of all
reading classes, to acquaint them with
words and word groups. 1t was de-
clared worse than lost time for teach
er to hold book and listen to the fu-
neral wall produced by monotonous
succession of words, which teachers
designate as reading. Only the thral-
dom of years could induce them to APP
ply that term to such an inane perform
ance. 1t was also made clear and no
less important that these word drills
should be given at some time before
the child was set to prepare his lesson,
preferably the day before the unknown
words were to be used, that he might
not suffer the disadvantage of pro-
nouncing word wrongly six or eight
times during his preparation. She
further declared that there was no time
or place in good school for teacher
to 20 about the room telling words.
That time should be added to the reci-
tation period and the words mastered
during those periods.
In his talk on geography, Mr.. Wells
declared that memorizing of the book
must be stopped. If children were ever
to learn the essentials of geography
they must be taught to interpret the
geographic symbols presented on a
map, viz: the meaning of lines denot-
ing coast rivers, the coloring which in
dicates the topography of the country
They must study the industrial maps
showing areas of greatest production,
the maps which deal with wind ard
water currents and heat belts; this
work will be of greater benefit than
any number of pages of text. Pictures
must be carefully attended to as large
part of geography is learned from them
The teacher must draw and require
pupils TO draw. She must try to secure
the best maps published, avoiding the
expensive case full of maps much less
preferable to those that can be used
separately.
Under the subject, Something in
Agriculture, Mr.. Johns made many
suggestions as to what might be done
in simple and inexpensive way He
gave short lesson typical of what the
teacher might accomplish with a small
microscope and little skill in drawing.
He presented few facts about moths,
grasshoppers and potato-bugs which
must of necessity be known in order to
destroy them successfully. He spoke
of the mounting of beautiful specimens
of butterflies as factor in making the
subject attractive. Pamphlets were
distributed containing useful hints on
teaching agriculture, also brief outlines
of soils, plants, and animals, and some
thing of canning and pruning to sup
plement the textbook
The Misses Benedict and Gallagher
favored the association with duet and
responded to an encore. After this,
Miss Wawrzyniak gave a class exercise
in reading, using as her.class, fourteen
children from the Lincoln school. The
work was well done. The children
were active and willing and reflected
great credit upon their regular teacher,
Miss Reed
At the close of the meeting, Supt. Far
rell made some very fitting remarks
regarding the interest which ought to
be aroused among all and the conse-
quent activity of teachers, even in re-
mote parts of the county. In this way
only would it be possible to develop
the professional side of the teacher and
continually elevate the work to high
er plane. Professional and class spirit
was emphasized by one of the associa
ton as a necessary possession of every
live teacher, and especially a posses
sion of those teachers who are directly
indebted to the tax payers of Marathon
county for professional training in the
county training school. A very good
beginning was made on SATURDAY., yet
it is hoped that still more life and +; Jirit
will be increasingly manifest in the
meetings held in the future 1t
is also hoped that the management
of these meetings will be largely
assumed by the rural teachers
themselves, thus relieving the superin
tendent of many duties which are over
whelming in county of the size of
Marathon, if left to one person. A
spirit of indifference on the part of
teachers has no place in these meet
ings, but the fact that such a spirit does
here and there exist furnishes one
more humble proof that the words OF
the immortal Shakespeare were written
for all time and for all people,
"But It's common proof
That lowliness is young ambitions ladder.
Whereto the climber upward turns his face;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds. scorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend"
Such an indifference is unpatriotic in
a teacher who has accepted, as was
before mentioned, the generosity of her
state and county in providing further
means for larger mental, professional,
and spiritual development.
The people have come to appreciate
the general common sense, intelligence,
and ability of the Training school
Il VI L H.. IL