The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-10-15
TEACHERS ARE
AT RUTLAND
State Association Opened
Session To-day
A WELCOME TO THE CITY
The Convention Will Have Meetings of
the schOOlmasters and the School.
mistress cclubs as Side
Issues.
A WELCOME TO THE CITY

Rutland, Oct. 15.-The 5oth annual
convention Of the Vermont State Teach.
crs' association began at the Congrega
tional church here this afternoon with
a good opening attendance. The con
vention will last until Saturday noon,
the sessions being held at the church
and the new Dana school building. The
social features Of the program include
n concert by David Bispham, baritone,
this evening, and the reception to tine
Schoolmistress' club and annual ban.
quet Of the Schoolmasters' club Friday
from $3.50 until 1880 o'clock. LELAND
Powers gives a recital Friday evening
The delegates were welcomed to the
city this afternoon by Mayor Henry O.
Carpenter and prin. Philip X. Leayen
worth Of the Castleton normal school
responded for the visitors After music
by the church organist. Harry f. Stat
ford, the address of the afternoon was
given by Gertrude Edmund, A. b.. su.
pervisor of the normal training school,
lowell, Mass.
She said in part. "The most important
function of the professional school is
to inspire to train the teacher with
some natural ability and TO it her into
her appropriate place in the school. The
principal should not only be the execu-
tive, disciplinary and executive mead
but ii is the principal who gives moral
tone to the school. who should be the
fountain head Of inspiration. If the
principal takes a broad wholesome view
of school life, this spirit win usually
permate the school.
"The highest function in education
lies in getting pupils to like doing the
things which are good to do and to dis.
like the things which are not good To
project into the life work the element
~ play, which is another name for low
ing ones work, is the great aim to be
sought. No person has ever done any
great work in the world without It's
having been a labor Of love. do not
believe the professional has moral
right to graduate teachers who do net
have strong attraction for teaching
and genuine love for children and
young epople.
what we want 10 consider in
teacher before scholarship, before col
lege training, before normal training,
and even before good manners, is the
spirit the yigor, the sound character,
the bright and cheerful views OF life
that make the man or woman n ray Of
sunshine in the school room.
"To stimulate and direct energy and
impulse. to arouse and develop the
woral elements, to get into sympathy
with the children. to get q strong hold
of their life. and develop the moral
character so that it becomes self poised
and self controlled is far more than
ability to give good lessons.
Cone of the strongest tests of good
teaching is to create an atmosphere an
attitude toward morality and intelec
tuality SO that when an impertinent
pupil comes III, he must change to get
into harmony fhe teacher often gets
no credit for this.
"The successful teacher governs
largely through suggestion and by di
rect appeal to the child's better nature /
We have loHg known that the first thing |
Is to remove the fatal inhibition Of fear
and self consciousness. and to give to !
the child confidence in himself, the |
IDEAL condition she wishes to create. |
Through the spirit of play ner sugges-
tion becomes permanent motives.
"Wc are beginning to see that edu- |
cation Is a life process for everyane |
and that the training Of the teacher
IS likewise a life process. the superin-
tendent, the principal, must continue
The work of the professional school |
They should be wise critics as well as
strong executives. The aim Of true
is not to praise, not to cem-
pliment, not to condemn but to inspire. |
"The question regarding education is
no longer what it does for us, but what
through us does it for the world. Ed
leation is not simply question of
cnger memorized larger vocabnlaries,
but Of broader interests and keener
Education is doing it's full
iuties. not when it sets as apart from
he world, but when it binds us the
more closely to tine worlds great in
.erests and needs. For men. as for
women. there is no greater happiness
han the harmonious exercise Of all our
aculties and no human Joy as great as
,he social and intellectual service of
,ur kind"