The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-15
ENDS
ITS WORK TODAY
Feature of Yesterday Was Mrs.
Phillips Lecture
SCHOOLS To OPEN MONDAY
Superintendent J. II. Phillips Delivers
General Address This Morning,
Pointing the Way for the
Years School Work.

The feature of the second day of the
teachers institute held at the High school
building yesterday was the lecture of
Mrs. j. II. Phillips on Some Phases Of
Primary Work" The last days exercises
begin this morning at $3.50. At Il o'clock
Dr. Phillips will give a general lecture
and the instruction to the teachers class
es as to grades and subjects will be the
same as Friday
Ali the public schools Of Birmingham
open Monday and the institute WAS de-
signed as a preparation Tor the work Of
The new year.
Mrs. Phillips lecture yesterday was
from II to y o'clock. Illustrative of the
necessity for the modern teacher to con-
tlnually work to keep abreast of the
times. She recalled the co1loquy between
Alice In Wonderland and the Fairy Queen
when Alice asked, why Is 1t in this
wonderful country when we run and run
and run we don't get anywhere? Now in
the country where / came from when we
run and run and run we get some
where" The queen replied, oh, that Is
very simple In this country we have to
run and run and run to stay here"
so 1t is" said Mrs. Phillips. with
the modern primary teacher. She has to
run to keep up With progress"
Constant Preparation.
Mrs. Phillips emphasized not only the
need on the part of the modern teacher
for constant preparation for work but
also the necessity for her to do her best
each day-not Simply for doing a thing
passably but doing ones level best. In
part she said: Doing ones best in each
emergency is always ones best prepara-
ton for the future. The teacher that
does less than her best is always verg-
ing on deterioration and failure. What
has the primary teacher done during
vacation to make herself better teacher
for next year? What have you done to
enable yourselves to guide the child more
wisely and surely along the path of moral
and spiritual. beauty? What have you
done TO make yourselves more capable,
strong and efficient-more sympathetic
anG richer In spiritual insight and out
Hook?
1.-THE answers to these questions will be
varied. Some have attended the summer
institutes and have studied their methods
of teaching Some have listened to secu-
lar lectures that have proven an inspira-
ton to higher and better life. Sons
have visited the seashore and have gotten
the peace and rest needed by the weary
soul from the ceaseless dashlng of the
waves upon the beach. Some have VISITED
the mountains and have wldened the hori-
zun Of their spiritual vision and have felt
the uplift of lofty ideals. Whatever the
manner Of your vacation may have been 1t
Is well to ask the question, to what ex-
tent have you been helped to become a
better and truer teacher of children.
IF ba eohnO1 tests the
soul qualities of the true teacher. 1t
tests the patience of the teacher. But
the virtue of patience is often exagger-
ated This virtue has been so emphasized
in it's relation to the teacher until some
people are prepared to find In the teacher
not the bouyant, hopeful, cheerful person.
alty, but rather picture resembling that
of the man with the hoe. There are times
wherein patience in dealing with children
becomes virtue.
Learn Ways of Others.
The young primary teacher may pre-
pare herself by learning the ways of 9TH
ers, by talking with other teachers and at
all times responding to every appropriate
for self expression, whether
that expression be in itself weak or strong,
a failure or a success. Then again the
teacher should be reader of school jour
her difficult pathway. She should Guilt
vate the habit of cultivating criticism
that criticism which is impersonal and
most helpful in revealing to us our own
weaknesses. The teacher who Is forever
on the defensive and resents every diff
ficulty and criticism as a personal affront
can never attain a high standard in the
school room.
again, the teacher should examine her
aafh n1o of1H g
question, Have any definite and specific
or is my teaching accidental and
Self analysis and self exami-
are essential to progress. Let us
turn the searchlght upon our own school
room methods I'VE should ever be recep-
tive to lessons taught us by our associates
in school room work and also by children
themselves.
MANY of the best lessons that the
teacher receives come from children un-
der instruction. We should learn by not
only our own failures to improve our
selves, but we should also learn to make
our best efforts the stepping stones to
better Instead of making step
ping stones of our dead selves, we should
make stepping stones of our best selves
to higher things The experiences of the
school room, both failures and successes.
may become epoch making In the de-
Velopment of the teachers life"
In closing Mrs. Phillips paid a beauti-
full tribute to the memory of Miss Mary
r. Catalan. late principal Of the Powell
school, and gave an interesting illustra-
ton of that teachers helpfulness to
young teacher. Mrs. Phillips illuminates
her points as she proceeds by humorous
and pathetic incidents from her own act
ual experiences In the school room The
lecture throughout was regarded as the
most interesting and helpful that has been
delivered to the teachers of R1>ning-
ham.
NOTICE.