The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-08-10
NUMBER %
The Teachers Aim.
Communicates

De01 FfttO20 Teachers Of G0yyett
CouHtyc As the time for the schools TO
open is rapidly approaching. it is
orderly and timely that we consider
a few things which make tor our com
| fort and success.
First of all we must have an aim
a worthy, laudable aim.
An aimless effort is a worthless one.
and an aimless life, like a shin with
out a rudder is liable to be lost upon
the sea of time and destined to final
destruction amid the treacherous
reefs of death. But the person who
has for his polar star a proper aim
in the sky of hope always succeeds.
1t is not the purpose Of this article
to criticise our frailties in the school
room; but designed rather to speak
to US encouragingly along certain
lines which tend to magnify our pro
tession and eliminate in the good of
the children under our care, and thus
| tighten the work of the teachers and
result in greater good to the pupils.
There are two errors into which We
are liable to fall. They are unnoticed
by the half teacher you know there
are whole teachers; one half teachers.
one third teachers, etc, to zero teach
ers) but to the wide awake teacher
they are obvious and painful.
The first is keeping school" with
no intention of good to the pupils.
looking only to our own interest. and
thus miss the good both to ourselves
and them; for we help ourselves by
helping others and harm ourselves bv
harming others.
The second error is to be anxious to
advance the pupils, but get the
pedantic notion that we must i'm
press the school and the entire com
munitY that we are finely educated.
and that We can see through and un-
| derstand fourthirds of all that books
contain. This is one of the avenues
to that fatal error of dong for the
pupil what he should do for himself,
thus cheating the pupil out of his
real opportunity for mental growth.
| This mistake upon our path as teach.
ers is fundamental and far-reaching.
/ once knew father who seldom
harnessed a horse or drove a team.
hence the boys did the works in
his absence and by so doing became
partially informed in farm work.
The mother invariably did the bread
making, dishwashing, etc, and the
girls grew up to know but little about
household duties. Thus the bows re-
c9iyed a better preparation for life
than the girl, but both father and
mother erred in the training of their
children, the father by not directing
the efforts of the boys, and the mother
/ bv not having the girls do at least
part of the work under her supervi-
sion.
The teacher, like the dutiful parent.
must have deep rooted anxiety for
the child's good and advancement,
put him to work with a kindly over
sigh to direct, encourage and stimu-
late him to efforts in developing and
organizing his mental. physical and
moral powers.
That school is a success whose
pupils are busy along proper lines,
and that teacher is doubly successful
who has trained his pupils to organize
and control their efforts in acquiring
knowledge and skill to became useful
in life.
The teachers aim, therefore, should
be the pupils good.
Whatever else teacher may be or
do, he is failure unless he has made
his pupils better, stronger, happier
and purer.
! OF course, the teacher must under
stand the branches to be taught, but
he should study the classwork and
the pupils more.
Remember that ones success as
teacher should not be measured by
what he knows but by what he can
get his pupils to know and do.
May each teacher strive to make
his school great center from which
shall emanate much and lasting good
during the session which is to open
in September.
J. c.. BEAHM.
EEAccident, August 5, 1905.