The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1908-06-18
Geography Without a Text Book.

admirable papers read at the recent
meeting of the Somerset County
Teachers Association at North Arson
and we are glad to extend its use
fulness by giving it a place in our
columns. The author is Miss Edna
Cornforth of this place, who has
taught in the Academy building.
1t is hardly necessary to state to this
audience of teachers that the chief pur
pose of studying geography without
uniform text is to develope in the
pupil the desire and the power to
search, not in a book, but in books
for information both pleasing and
profitable; to lead him to find out
for himself that no one writer, how
ever gifted, can present all sides OF
topic to awaken his interest but
induce him to withhold his final
Judgment until, "ln the mouths of
two or three witnesses all these
things have been established"
Some one has said, 1.-THE educated
man is the man who knows where to
find what he does not know In a
year at Geography without text
book, especially in the neighbor-
hood Of a good reference library,
one is sure to take long strides In
learning where to find what he does
not know. Those who have found
this way have made the work
success.
Some of you will ask, "How about
the district where there is no pubic
library and where the private libra
ries are painfully small.o From per-
sonal experience l know something
about that district and il you will per-
NIT me to tell what has been done
with library, will try to tell what
think can be done without one.
First, before school opened, the
teacher, who, by the way, was new to
this sort of work and not without her
misgivings, went through the pubic
library, looked up Poole's Index for
accounts of Maine with which subject
the work was to begin and made
list of books and magazine articles
which would be of use. She also
made friends with the Librarian and
was told that some teachers sent
eighteen or twenty pupils at a time
to look up one subject, and she
promised to go and do not likewise.
She was determined to arouse in
the pupils an interest, yes an eager
curiosity in books of travels, &C
counts of places, people, customs,
laws, products, general information,
political as well as physical geogra-
ply.
1t was gratifying to learn the first
week that the pupils OF the Ninth
Grade in Skowhegan could approach
an encyclopedia without manitesting
any signs of fear. Several seemed to
be on friendly terms, even, with the
volumes. | gave notice that a map
of Maine would be the first geography
lesson. To give them an idea of the
way in which their reports were TO
be found and written l made the
first two or three reports myself,
from Nelson Dingley's article on
Maine in the New England Maya
zine. n. S., vol. 4, page 647. The
authors name suggested a few
questions on Names famous men and
women. The pupils were crestfallen
not to know the names OF some OF the
list, but elated and eager to recognize
the names many Of whom they had
heard.
The first few weeks, found it
necessary to read or talk very slow
ly, repeating much, and often calling
on some member to spell word for
class mate in doubt. 1t did not
take long, however, for them to
learn the art of listening and writing.
| tried to use words familiar to them
and sometimes added TO the days
spelling lesson words likely to prove
troublesome. To my surprise | found
the lecture system an excellent
attention drill. Even the careless
pupils became alert and attentive.
The subject matter appealed to them.
They could go home at night and re-
tail TO the family bits OF information
about Maine history or politics.
Sometimes they could attract the
attention of father or visitors. Many
boys enjoy posing as dispensers of
wisdom. These boys of the Academy
school did. In the study of Maine
they manifested that surprised
curiosity we experience when we
discover new and interesting traits
in an old acquaintance. Hands
began to bon up here and there, their
owners volunteered stray bits of
information about various corners of
Maine which they had visited or
knew about. Newspaper clippings
began to arrive. Later we arranged
set of envelopes to receive clip
pings on Maine industries, Maine
celebrities, and, as we took up Japan
and the Philippines, departments in
those countries. When these clip
pings were not too long they were
read Sometimes the proud bene-
factor himself was called upon to
read his own clipping.
One day some one brought in a
postal card OF Old Fort Halifax. In
two weeks the walls of the Ninth
Grade room were well decorated with
strings of postal cards of Maine sum-
mer resorts, industries, places of
historic or industrial interest. Often,
at recess time or noon, they would
gather around the cards. One would
say, That's mine. | brought that
one" Another, "Machias! where's
the map? l want to look up that
place"
One of the first papers by the
pupils was an account of Benedict
Arnold's trip up the Kennebec.
Stories that father or grandfather
told were eagerly repeated off hand,
on the spur of the moment. |
praised the telling, and encouraged
the free expressions of their ideas.
Even tho | had to correct mistakes
in grammar now and then, explain
ing why the errors were errors, or
perhaps calling on them to explain.
! urged them to talk and think on
their feet; and tho at first they
books assigned to them, later, of