Amador ledger., 1906-12-28
TEACHERS INSTITUTE
Full Minutes of Gathering in Suffer Creek,
Dec. II, t8 and 19.

to order Dy Supt. Gordon at 30 a m. Monday.
After selection of music by the committee
those present answered to roll call. Mrs Sweesy
the fist instructor, and her talk on Inter
pretatIon of song'' was listened to with intense
interest and profit. In teaching the song "My
Hearts ir the Highlands to the teachers, Mrs
Sweesy demonstrated her point of teaching the
words aud history of writer and conditions under
which the words written, before teaching
the tune.
Mr. hens followed with a talk on 'What con-
stltutes good writing" After giving brief his
tory of writing from time of Spencer to the pre-
sent day of medal Writing, Mr. Kent went on to
say that writing was unsatisfactory under the
first two systems and the cause in each
quite naturally laid to the system
The cause was not here, however. They failed
primarily on account of a lack of method, and
surely the other systems have failed, just
surely will the medal fail unless the teaching
force acquaints itself with good method.
To quote Mr. Kent 81 do not wish to appear
defending the vertical, but had some good
method been used in presenting 1t, there would
not now be the general rush for the medal.
Publishers have announced from time to time
that they have discovered the exact slant at which
pupils should write No teacher has yet been
able to secure any one slant for all her pupils.
People IN actual lite do not use any one slant
why then strive for something cannot accom-
plish, and which would be of little value even if
possible? Keep the slant within such degrees
as will produce Iegbility. and let each pupil
find his own particular slant. No writing is
good matter how faithfully the copy may be
reproduced, unless it is written rapidly with a
free easy movement, and without strain on the
child's body. Muscular movement properly
controlled is the only method that has ever
produced good writings. Watch your black
board work. What must the child think of the
teacher who uses correct form and neatness in
the writing lesson and thei shows it counts for
nothing in actual work?''
After recess of a few minutes Dr. Winship
addressed the Institute on the subject: ''The
Latest and Best in Educatlon.' ~ He stated that
the universal purpose and plan was to get the
latest and best and that there was less chang
ing back'' than ever before. 1.-The fellow shout
ing Whoa is out of date. Also that more pro-
gress had been made during the last six years
than in the previous sixty. He further stated
that in the rural schools the teacher had the
best opportunity of developing personality in
children. The school should develop the per
sonality of the child just the county should
develop that of the teacher, and the teacher
should not give up urtiI the best personality had
been developed.
The afternoon session called to order at
l p. m Music was dispensed with, and Mr..
Jones of the San Francisco Normal was intro
duced, dwelling upon 1.-The Aim and Content of
Arithmetic for the Public Schools Quoting
Mr.. Jones: ''ro do effective work in any sub
Ject, the teacher must know for what end she is
teaching the subject. She must also know what
part each portion of the subject plays in the
attainment of these ends. Until we have settled
what the goods are for which a subject is taught,
we cannot settle such important questions as the
content to be studied, the method to be followed
in presenting the subject, and the allotment of
time for the subject. The business of the com
mon school is to teach the essentials of the COM
mon braEches. The aim of the work in arith-
metic should be made the mastery of the essent-
ials of this subject. These are the fundamental
operations with integers, with simple common
and decimal fractions, including simple per
cents, and the ability to apply these operations
ID The solution OF practical problems of COM
mon experience. Our texts and our courses of
study are loaded with much that is non essential
"hlch has been handed down to through
tradition and has been retained because of a
supposed value in training the reasoning faculty
Our new psychology and our observation con-
vlnces Us that power to reason in all things does
not grow out of the power to reason in matters
1naI dle drltnIneGlca'. we must pruue off the
non essentials. and teach the essentials more
thoroughly: We are not getting the results de-
sired in that which is essential
The following topics should either be eIiminat
ed entirely or reduced very considerably:
a. Work with the metric system.
b. Work IN compound denominate numbers
c. Work with Roman numerals
d. The treatment of longitude and time
e. Exercises geometrical figures
Mrs. Sweesy next gave very lively and pro-
htable demonstration lesson with the fourth
grade on 1.-The Development of Rhythm
Mr.. Kent followed with another profitable
lesson, with the same grade in writing.
Alter short recess, DIR. Winships talked on
School as Public Investment His request
that the Institute rise and sing ''AmerIca'' was
responded to heartily. lie gave a very interest
Ing lecture, and showed that schools of all kinds
we're profitable investment Institute then
adjourned until 30.
In the evening DR.. Wnship talked to large
audience on the subject of ''Boys'' Ibis was
listened to very attentively and greatly appre-
clated by the audience lie said in part "More
has been done for wayward boys and their re-
clamatlon IN the last six years than in the sixty
years previous. For the first time In modern
times the legislatures and courts and the schools
are working harmoniously and effectively for the
saving of the dangerous youthful element The
greatest single line of improvement is the intro
Tnra .E H.