New-York tribune., 1905-06-03
THE TRAINED TEACHER.
She Should HaUc Fiue Special
Qualifications.

In ne course Of eadress to the graduates of
the School Of Pedagogy OF New-York University
5esterdsy afternoon. What May Be Expected
from the Trained Teacher" Superintendent Max
vel characterized the victories of the Japanese
srruy and navy -the greatest triumph Of educa-
tcn In the history of the world"
lr. maxwell had instanced physical training as
tae first Of five things that the public the parents
end the school board had right to expect of every
thoroughly trained teacher, meaning by that not
only the ability to lead gymnastics but the power
to direct athletics. tp play games with little chill
tren and 10 teach manual training-"although that
IS an absurdly ungrammatical term" he added
the greatest demonstration the world has ever
had OF the value OF manual training It has re-
ceived In the victories OF the japanese at Nukden
and IN the Strait Of Korea On the one side. 1t
saw a great, extended nation. its people sunk In
ignorance ana superstition. and allowing its chill
dren to grow up unframed, and on the other q
small, compact people. which, within generation
has developed the most wonderful system Of edu-
cation.
Il was examining their course Of study recently.
From the very first day child enters school it is
taught to eye and hand. and that training is
maintained to the last When the day Of storm and
stress and the is called arms. drilling
becomes easy. because boy each soldier was
taught to straight and his hands inten-
gently"
DR.. Maxwell told his teacher audience that with
their training they ought to feel that their employ
sides physical training, the plain teacher should
include four essentials in her equpment-child
study, appreciation Of the great teachers, proper
selection Of topics and the ethics Of the teaching
profession.
Child study" he remarked. has been brought
into disrepute because Of the way 1t has been
tituted- Questionnaires without number have been
sent and oil sorts Of conclusions deduced from
the answers-to my mind, to very little purpose.
But there is way in which every teacher
should be devotee OF child study. She should use
st become trained naturalist in children.
How is ii the physicians of the Board of Health
have discovered SO many defective children In the
public schools? Why, the teachers were not OBJ
servers The poor eyes and ears had been there all
along, only the teachers hadn't seen them.
And children's eInotions-they are far more I'M
portant observe than their intellectual powers.
II IS wonderful how much discipline in class de-
pends the powers of observation in a teacher!
''I have seen teachers who seemed to depend for
their discipline imposing their Will on the class
dominating 1t. They could seem TO see what
every else could see-Ihat the pupils were IN a
state rebellion because of it, and that IT is i'm
possible to teach things to people who are re-
PEELED by you.
DR.. Maxwell said to have been teacher twenty
years meant nothing nowadays. Too often It
means only that one has got into ruts. Thomas
Davidson said he never allowed himself to form
habits. Well, there are good habits-like being
punctUal-that should form, of course, but I
think his structure does hold true of intellectual
habits. We should beware Of forming habits Of
thinking and looking al things. so that we find 1t
sgnpossible to think or feel in any other way"