Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-11-20
ECHOES FROM THE school
ROOM.
BY PHIL. o. soPHER.

As the experienced mariner by skill
fully shifting his sails can steer his ship
into desired port in the face of a per-
verse wind, so can a skillful teacher by
artfully shaping her methods to exist
ing adverse circumstances win over a
whole community to her way of think
ing as did that plucky little teacher the
"bit wumman" in Jean Mitchell s
school, But she must be sensible and
practical, and above all human She
must work along moderate lines. She
must not be too eager to Introduce
innovations or remove the ancient
landmarks. She must accept condi-
tons as they are and ever bear in mind
that the district and the fullness thereof
belongs to the people. 1t is natural for
them to adhere to their customs and
methods of thinking. One generation
of schoolma'am is three years. Three
into thirty goes ten times. 1t will take
ten generations of Yankee school
ma ans together with the best efforts
of the superintendent to effect any
considerable reform in the educational
status of the rural school. OF course in
the city where the people have not so
much to say in the matter it is different.
There educational reform, so to speak
is not infrequently thrust upon them
as matter of experiment by some over
jealous educational patentee who in the
interests of suffering humanity has in
vented some natural system" by
which children are fed reform with a
spoon something after the fashion
portrayed by Dickens in his famous
novel.
Take the system of "dramatizing"
reading lessons, for instance. 1t is
remarkable to note what extremes
nature will lead to in this respect if
left unlimited sway. Also the natural
system" of writing. What beautiful
natural scrawl it develops in the child
if nature is allowed to assert itself.
But to return to our subject, the
teacher must show a disposition to
work. Nothing inspires confidence
quicker or places the teacher in better
standing in community than for the
rural folk to see the smoke arising from
the chimney of the schoolhouse at an
early hour. Build up. Be construc-
tive as well as instructive. Replace
that broken pane with new light
without calling meeting of the board.
Even a schoolma' am can do this. Oil
the rusty hinges on the doors and keep
things moving without too much fric-
ton. Get in line with the children
They are moving and growing. Keep
going and growing with them.
Progress is made on the march. Don't
stop to preach sermon on moral
reform or block the w2y with peda-
gogical perpendicular. Adjust the in
dividuals to the column as you proceed.
Talk as you walk. Be enterprising.
Get cosmopolitan swing on you.
Cultivate an air of progress and in
Don't stick on conven-
1t is oftentimes etiquette to
etiquette. Don't ride a
hobby 1t may throw you. Get into
the lumber wagon with the. farmer
He may even let you hold the lines.
Then you have him going right. In
education as we'll as in politics when
the people place confidence in you and
trust to your intelligence and business
methods it is easy to work out desired
reforms. But don't get too far away
from the people When your light
begins to scintillate too high above
their heads they will take shot at it
and you will fall with your light into
the sea of oblivion. Too many teachers
try to carry things by force instead of
reason. They are running the school
this year, but next year they will find
to their sorrow, that the school is run
ming them. In order to be winner
you must be sticker, but don't let the
district absorb you.