Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-10-24
A Registration of 1,Os7 at the An
nual Meeting of the Vermont
State Teachers Ass n.
SCHOOL WORK DISCUSSED
Educators from Others Statcs Rr,np
Helpful suggestions to Green
Mountain Teachers - SCHOOL,
minister's Enjoy n Banauet-
SchooImistresses' Club.


Teachers association convention opened
Friday morning in the high school
and the attendance was even larger than
on Thursday. II was announced from
the platform in the assembly room dur
Ing the morning session that teachers to
the number of loo had registered up to
II o'clock, and during the afternoon the
number was Increased to 1857, max
ing the convention the largest, and
most successful in history Of
the day began in the assembly hall at Q
o'clock. and was opened by the Rev. G.
W. Brown, d. D., pastor of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church. with devotional
exercises. The hall was filled to the
doors but there was room for all, as
many spent the time in visiting the ex-
hibits on the upper floor
ANDREW w. EDISON.
The principal address of the morning
program was made by the Hon. Andrew
schools. New YORK city, who selected for
his subject Special Problems. Special
Classes. Special Instruction." In begin
ming his remarks Mr.. Edison said that he
was a Vermontcr and was glad OF it,
vacation time when it was good to get
back to the green hills, the nearest to
heaven on this earth. He then present.
el to the teachers the subject of dealing
with special classes OF children in the
schools. The Old method of dealing with
the mass and not with the Individual. he
said, has passed away and it now be-
comes a matter of dealing directly with
Oh ip1i
Every child. he continued. should have
all the education of which his nature
is capable. regardless of the cost To the
State, and while it might cost more to
give special attention to the few who
We're submerged, so to speak, it would
pay in the end. Teachers should attend
most carefully to three points: First
train the child 20 be happy and enjoy
life; second teach him to be self-rcspcc-
tive and to wish to do the right thing
at the right time; and. lastly. t. be self
supporting. Tho teacher has then placed
the child on tho road to success
Mr. Edison divided the children who
need special help into three classes
those who are naturally backward the
truants, and the class who are mental
ly defective. This first class. he said.
should be carefully looked after and
| should be encouraged by the teachers.
who should study the home surroundings
or the child. Many pupils drift away
from the schools because of Indifference
on 'he part Of IN" teacher. These spec
| Ia pupils should he grouped and given
special attention. No teacher can get
results out of class of As or 20 pupils.
Then there Is tho truant class. the bow
VINO doesn't like to go to school, but
would rather he on the street. ofte,
the speaker said this class make the best
citizens If they can he Interested in the
work of the school in some novel way.
Truancy sometimes follows poor teach
ing. where the teacher has not been can
able OF interesting the pupils in the
work Mr. Edison cited special instances
of cases where truant boys had been
| brought back into school by being given
some special work outside of the classes
and he urged the teachers to study this
! branch of the work Another class which
| Is found especially in the CITY schools
| Is the mentally defective class those who
are a littl below par in their me,ta,
| makeup. This class Is cspeciaI,v hard
to deal with as there are MANY thrrps
which may go to cause this condition
/ But no child ia hopeless unless he Is horn
an idiot, and there are remedies for nj,
! these cases
! To remedy these conditions. Mr.
| Edison advocated n radical change in
the methods of the present day teach
| ing. First he urged the teachers tn re-.
cosnize conditions as they find them
and they are to he found cverewhcre
In every city school. Then they should
be given large sunny rooms with
| plenty of air, accessible to tn. nlav-
ground and the street. The day is near
at hand, he said, when the old straight
| backed desk and seats will not occupy
| the whole of the school room. The mod =
| ern room VIII be one-third desks and
seats. ore-third work benches. where
| the children may find ompIoyn,ont FOR
| thcir hands, and one-third n vacant
| space for exercises and MAY. FINALLY.
| the schools must have the special tea :
cher. the ideal teacher, who POSSESSES
| the following qualifications; an even
and sunny temperament, infinite pa
tience intense human sympathy, quie,
| tones, resourcefulness, tact, faith in
educational work, and ability to deal
independently and with good Judge
ment with the conditions as they, are
! found. In closing. Mr., Edison said he
believed that the future would see
much more Industrial work in the
schools, and that educators were fast
learning that in dealing with the
hands they were dealing with the
mind.
GENEkAL CONFERENCE.
One of the most important factors of
the morrdng program was the general
conference fohowing the address by Mr.
Edison, conducted by Mason s. Stone OF
Montpelier, state superintendent OF
education. This conference consisted OF
| reports from the field, brought in by the
new district superintendents of two or
more towns, e. l.. Haynes of Readsboro
being the only superintendent absent
! While these reports were much alike
In many respects, there were several new
and interesting points brought out by
the different speakers. who confined their
remarks to three minutes. and gave ac-
! counts OF the various conditions of the
districts under their supervision. All were
| enthuslas @ In their praise of the new
system of supervisors. and stated that
the system was being looked upon with
much favor in the rural districts and by