The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1907-06-13
The Effect of Language Study upon
the Speech of the Pupil.

Somerset Educational and School Su-
perintendent's Association at Fair
field, by Miss Lura M. Wakefield of
the Maine Central Institute of Pitts
field. At the request of many of the
hearers we give it a place in our
columns:
am requested to give a diagnosis
of the case and TO suggest the rene
dy. The diagnosis is not difficult
symptoms are SO evident that the
''tactus eruditus" Is not necessary.
The remedy-"Who shall decide
when doctors disagree2o am sure
we are agreed that one of the great
est objects of language study is to
enable the pupil to speak the English
language correctly. Do all of your
pupils fulfil this requirement. If you
answer, "Yes,p / shall be glad to re-
serve my talk for a company of
teachers who are less successful.
Let us see what the conditions ac-
tually are in the average rural school.
The teacher puts forth his best en-
deavors to teach the English Ian
guage, and yet the result is far from
satisfactory. Even if he persists and
secures correct speech during recita-
tions, grammatical sentences sound
strained and unnatural and their ut
terance gives the year old boy as
much pain as his Sunday collar. Why
is this so? Because the moment the
boy is beyond the teachers sight, he
is sure to say, II haint, y ''he don't, "
~ done it. 81 seem" 'drownded, :"
"attackeded,n 'git rid Of 81 set
down" 'I be-" and other expressions
that make us shudder. He does not
use his recitation vocabulary often
enough to become familiar with it.
He ridicules his sister for putting on
''airs" and saying, "Isn't." "Ain't"
is good enough for him. 1t is true
that girls do not present such dis
couraging problem as boys. 1t is
with language as with manners. A
youngster, who was reprimanded for
not showing his manners at home. in
self defense replied: "Why, you
can't expect Teller to be under all
that strain all the time Most boys
have two vocabularies as well as two
sets of manners.
Is this the fault of the boy? No, we
should not condemn the boy nor his
teacher wholly. His parents in nine
cases out of ten are the chief offend
ers. They will tear down in an hour
by careless conversation in the boys
presence what the teacher has built
up during the day; and, of course,
what father and mother say is all
right. Children are natural imita-
tors, and, as a rule, the children of
parents who speak correctly do not
trouble the teacher. Carelessness on
the part of parents is the greatest
barrier to the teachers success in
language work; yet, we as teachers
must not consider ourselves entirely
blameless as we note the ill results
of our work.
We find that language study in the
best of graded schools is not above
criticism | quote from Lucy Mac
Queen, critic visitor of New York
and Boston schools. II confess l
have been charmed with the clever
language methods of the teachers and
the bright, animated Rotations OF
the pupils; but one thing was neg
lected in all these schools-namely,
the teaching of English. Language
there was plenty or and to spare.
Good, pure, sweet-toned English,
however, was conspicuous by its alb
StnC6. iS d nldl PCal w bthNiiCio
she says, "And above all, teach Eng
lish hereafter and not language"
Teachers in secondary schools are
blaming rural and grade teachers for
ill-prepared English students. Rec
ords show that there is greater de-
ficiency in this department than in
any other. AS a teacher in a sec
ondary school, | should like to as
semble the previous teachers of some
of my students and show them the
results of their work. Doubtless, in
a few years, some college professor
would be glad to display before me
similar array. George P. Baker, Pro
lessor of English at Harvard Univer-
sity, calls the careless language of
college students "Travelers' English"
to correspond with Travellers
French" and Travellers German"
The great question now is, "How
can we remedy the existing evils?'
1t seems to me that prevailing cause
of unsatisfactory results in language
rs we'll as in all other work of the
rural school is the constant change of
teachers, many of whom are not pre-
pared for their work. There are
many teachers in these schools who
do not insist that pupils, who dislike
grammar, shall pursue that subject.
This neglect may lesson the teachers
work, but the result is class of stu
dents, who are not acquainted with
their mother tongue. Imagine the
effect on the pupils training when he
has twenty different teachers before
his entrance to high school. Yet,
this is not an extreme case. This
difficulty, however, will be overcome
when the standard of teachers is
raised, and when salaries 80 increase
that the teacher will remain for
year at least in the same school.
Some teachers Gin remote regions
outside of Somerset County need to
make their own language worthy of
imitation; but, since this does not ap-
ply to us, we will consider other
methods Of securing the desired re-
suit.
Let US not be guilty of combining
language study to the period assigned
to it, or even to the school room. Ii
the teacher is tactful the pupils will
be glad to have even their playground
slang criticized. Make every lesson
language lesson as far as the cor
rection of bad English is concerned.
In teaching primary children Ian
guage lessons may often take the form
of games, so combining work and
play that the child unconsciously
learns correct pronunciation and ex-
preston. Ordinarily, If the primary
teacher is painstaking, upper grade