The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-04-20
SPELLING IN CITY
SCHOOLS IS THEME
Superintendent Christensen
Talks of This Branch
of Education.
BETTER TAUGHT THAN EVER
BEFORE, HIS DECLARATION
Believes Teachers Better Quail
fled Than Ever for
Their Work.

CITY Superintendent OF Schools Christensen.
speaking Of the matter OF spelling. or rather,
OF tho manner in which 6pelinS ia being
taught In the schools OF Salt Lake OF tho Pree-
ent time, discussed the matter as follows Wltn
q representative OF The Tribune Thur1dayi
Spelling ia better taught than eyer before.
II teachers are not better oualined Tor tneh
up to their opportunities. The world is InoT-
Ing and It 10 TO be hoped that the PUBIC
ssheos are moving win u rs.,a1 MOTT STpa 1nsH the
world forward they are not tuhlnns tneir
mission. This oasts no reneonon on the many
excellent teachers OF olden deyn; merely
assumes that those of tho present have not
lived and labored In vain
For Longer Period.
Spelling is taught for longer period OF
time than ever before. At the middle or ms
spelling Tho course of study prescribes for
this period O spelling book, Primary WORD
Lessons. To the second hnlt OF the hEst Sens
proxirnstely four hundred words Inc souIno In
adds When q new word is given, tho spell.
ing should always follow the recognition OF
thorough work. This clasa OF work from the
in every class OF the grammar grades
Modern Speller Next.
After tho primary text book hns been
completed, an advanced teIt. Inc nTHelu In,,
Speller is taken up and nnishea; aho toI0"- @
ing this course a part OF Reeds Word Lessons.
In which word analysis gets careful stten,
ton is studied. The good old blue backed
speiicr. for which we have such aneetonate
rruard. did not supply half many wordn
as these texts. and moro than that. the worus
found in 1t were not carefully selected nor
wero they SO systematically arranged ana
grouped. Tho present plan eonserHes energy
and intensi0es effort. -,
I'm addition TO the work from the spelling
hook the course OF study requires IN e'e.y
grade that pupils be held responsible for inc
spelling OF all ordinary words found In the
work prescribed in tho various subjects
Improvement Is Noted.
1T Will be commonly admitted. believe,
succeeded somewhat better thnn thoiT predo-
eessors This is TO be noted particularly In
TIC choice OF words and In their arrangement
both OF which determining elements In any
good spelling book l.,
1T will be noted then that The Snort Is
to have a pupil spell his own Nocaoulary-al
81 the worda he can In writing or sPehks
ing Further. the school has endcnvored 10
have him through patient and systematic ap-
pIlcation for eight years form habit OF cor
rect spelling AG his vocabulary increases
cftsr h. leaves school this habit is likely also
10 grow He has formed habit OF looking In
tcntly at new words and no consequently Wis.
ualizes them with reasonable accuracy In most
cases Written spelling exercises nave this
Why They Misspell.
DO pupils misspell wordS7 or course they
do Perfect spellors are rare. l have known
hut ono pupil In my experience who never
missed a word. He WAS ypcscuer. The
printing Office perfected him In his work. and
the school gave oil the assistance IT, could
Unfortunately: English is not phonetic Ian
Complicated and without any systematic basis
In speaking OF tho quality OF spelling, adults
frequently fnll into the error OF judging from
their own standards. 1t 10 not TO DO expected
that q child spell che words In tho Eo-
cubuary OF an educated man OF thlrty ~
At the age OF 30 ho may be able 10 do 80 fairly
we'll Yes q successful examination In spell
ing is prerequisite for admission To high
school