Gloucester County Democrat., 1909-04-22
GLOUCESTER COUNTY SCHOOL TEACHERS ASSOCIATION.
Last and Most Interesting Session Of
the School Year.
A PROGRAM OF HOME TALENT.

Gloucester County Teachers Associa-
tion for the school year of 1908-09 was
held in the Court House, this city, last
Saturday, the sessions beginning at
$50 and 1.30.
The opening exercises comprised
singing, responsive scripture reading
and prayer.
President Steelman, who presided
at both sessions, requested teachers
to send to him names of pupils who
| had been neither absent nor tardy
during the year, and a certificate
would be forwarded them direct from
his office.
The first paper read was by Miss
! Mana e. Haupt, principal of the Clay
ton schools on the subject of Spelling
in the Public Schools"
During the discussion that followed
President Steelmman referred to hav-
ing given five words in general use
and of the failure of large percen-
tage of the pupils to spell them cor
rectly. The words are: Prairie, neces-
sary, balloon, until, which.
Prof. Dixon said he gave the words
to Woodbury. pupils and SO per cent.
spelled all correctly and a small per-
centage missed one. We don't spell
all correctly" he added, but do spell
some correctly. We have spelling in
all the grades, written and oral He
thought the old system of standing up
and spelling down was valuable prac-
| tice.
| Prof Tharp thought that pronun-
citation should form part of the oral
and written exercise.
President Steeman advised that the
| duty of the teacher goes beyond as
| signing the lesson, the uses of the
word are important.
! Miss Bugbee, of Williamstown, in
reply to question by the President,
said she marked for spelling in all
! lessons, and the average suffers for
misspelled words in all written les
sons.
The next paper was by Miss Eva L.
Marsh, of Williamstown
| PRIMARY DEVICES.
| miss Eva L. Marsh, Williamstown.l ]
Iii the education of little children,
it is impossible for us as teachers to
confine ourselves to reading, writing
and arithmetic. We are dealing with
living spirits, which must be brought
/ by most wonderful and mysterious
way, (wherein we may be the agents,
/ but never principals to trust,to think,
to hope. and then to know.
The school is a panorama to the
child, it is continually giving him i'm
preston, creating in him desires and
wants. The first instinct of the child
1 is to do or make, and the greatest pun
/ sf~1,, 1at hA inf fo+n nj i'm,
is to force him into inactivity On
the other hand the greatest pleasure
| that can be given him is to allow him
| the freedom of using his energy. The
/ child is active and should have field
for his activity. His play combined
with certain duties make his life more
harmonious, balanced-not mere
taking or a mere receiving. Our var
i ious devices provide an outlet for his
| ever-increasing and restless faculties.
/ We need Devices
To arouse interest, that all-absorb-
ing and basic principle of education.
To stimulate Imagination, and no
one questions the position imagination
holds.
| taught that these are the doors of in
i tSl llfseiiC6. &
AS an aid to discipline.
The love of activity is the great in
stinct which urges on our nature to
development. Body, mind and moral
1 feeling all owe their growth to exer-
else. The child's life from the first
is one of unceasing, spontaneous ac-
/ tivity. Hence a childs play should
not be curbed but guided into the
4 IL. al hof xrrt1 1,11fr har
per the ever widening scope of his ac-
tivities. There is nothing perhaps
in which both parents and teachers
are more unreasonable than in ex-
pecting children to be quiet and sub
6ued when they have not gone to the
trouble of providing suitable occupa-
tion for them.
But one device will not suffice for
all children. One thing appeals to
a certain kind of child, another to a
different kind, and little of each to
all, that is to say every child uncon-
sciously absorbs, more or less of
everything new that is put before him.
Children's minds are easily tired and
the interest flags. and a new thing,
appealing to a different set of facul-
ties, must be given to re-awaken that
interest.
The detached letters of the slpha-
bet mean nothing to the baby mind,
but when combined in words desig-
mating objecting objects they become
Important The word cat means
much to the child. combined with a
picture means more, cutting the pic
ture out means still more, the free
cutting means most Then the child S
impressions has been expressed thro'
the muscles of the hand and arm, the
1 brain has still another conception, the
mental image of cat has been streng
/ thened. The child has become a
creator" Through the various devices,
used by live teacher so bright a
Hight has been thrown on the subject
| that the blindest may see and compre-
hend
! Yet you say. Il have tried so many
things, / am Interested, have done
all that know, and yet there are
lthose who do not learn" Perhaps