Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-07-16

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has been enacted In recent years. lie
urge1 that the school year be lenEt hencd.
that school houses be made more at
tractivc that library Of some kind be
provided, and that courses of study be
strengthened by adapting them to local
conditions Mr. Watson advocated three
periods-tho primary. the intermediate
and the advanced in place OF the nine
grades. and outlined the work for the
several divisions
Following the presentation f the papers.
the subjects were taken up and dis
cussed at some length by several Of those
present
NORMAL SCHOOLS.
The subject of this conference was
The Normal Schools Are Urged to
Prepare Teachers to Give instruction
In Agriculture. Home Economics and
Manual Training To What Extent
Should We Meet This Dcmand?"
The question was considered from
the standpoint of the State department
by Hon. Payson Smith, state superin-
tendent or Maine. Mr.. Smith said the
public schools should take possession.
Of industrial education and mould it
to the needs of the schools. We
should not go too far with this indus
trial idea. We>ouCht not to expect tho
school to give all of the experiences
that the pupils are to meet with in
life. We should give them sound
fundamental training ana leave some
thing to common sense. Normal
schools should represent moro than
l,o, c1, no "a, 81 >oI
leadership of the States wherein they
are located. Normal schools should
stand for professional training and
should open the eyer of their pupils
to the necessity of manual training
The teaching force should he mis-
sionary force In the advancement Of
manual training.
The question was taken up from the
standpoint of the normal school prin-
| cipal by Principal Arthur G. Royden
Of Rrilgewater. Mass. He said the
normal schools should seize hold Of this
industrial movement and work it out.
! II is a part of a larger movement to
bring educational systems nearer to
the life of the people. We must train
| pupils in the normal schools SO that
as teachers they will study the att
tude Of children towards industry. We
must start by arousinE tn, interest of
| tho children and eliminate In indus
| trial effort on their part. Actual
constructiv, work is what ia desired.
We must change our nature study work
so IT will land somewhere. The speak
or empha sized the importance of ccono-
| MIXING materials in the constructive
work done in school.
The question What Can tho Normal
School DO to Help Teachers Who Are
| in Active Service" had been assigned
to Principal Charles II. Morrill, of RAN
dolph, but he was called away from
the city by death in his family and a
consideration of tn question was
omitted.
SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
History in the High school" was
the first subject considered in tho sec
ton meeting devoted to secondary
schools. The speaker was Principal
Walter II. Cushing of Framingham,
Mass. Principal Robert ]. Sisk of Au-
burn. Me. presided at the meeting.
Mr.. Gushing said the aim of teach
ing history should be the acquis-
|
of related co-ordinated facts. go ac-
| CURED as TO give tho greatest possible
training. partly cultural and partly
disciplinary The first thing that the
tea her has TO do with Is the text book
and In recent years splendid body
of textbooks in all fields of history
| has been published and II would seem
to be high time that the pendulum
of a greater use OF single text for
all in the class. The lesson should he
thoroughly learned from the text book
with much drill upon the essential
facts not emitting considerable num-
Der Of dates. The speaker commended
oral instruction saying that If it is a
fundamental principle Of teaching that
the teacher should not talk too much
1t Is equally important that at the
| right time and in the right way he
should talk enough. The importance
of collateral reading and map work
was also touched Ipon. The last word
as the first must be the teacher. Civ
en- an enthusiastic. inspiring. progress
sive teacher and questions of method
will take care of themselves; prob
lens of fields of study will vanish
Miss NJ. Catherine Manly. Hope stree
high school, Providence, r. l., gave
paper on THE English Teachers Oppor
tuniW." Miss Manly deplored tho post
ton Of English instruction In the higl
schools, Little Of literature is given thu
pupils. who for the most part drilled onl,
in rhetoric and essay writing. getting thu
letter without the spirit, She also de
plored the criticism so universally made
by the colleges that students come t.
them deficient both In knowledge an'
appreciation Of literature. The import
ance Of the study of literature she sale
could not be overes timated If one woul'
but pause to reflect that next to physica
phenomena II Is the greatest medium
through which God speaks to man. sh,
sketched briefly the mission which tn,
great poets from early times down I,
l H. hox ,nA b4,. -,