The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-03-03
DEAF AND Dumb CHILDREN
QUICK To LEARN LESSONS
Small Class in West Houghton
School Show Much Progress
in Their Studies.
TEACHING METHODS PECULIAR
TELEPHONE SOUTH 10

At the Douglass Houghton school In
Houghton there is a small room on the
second floor i'm which each school day
there convenes what is probably the
smallest and certainly one of the most
unique classes in any school of the
copper country. There are but -four
children in the entire class, their ages
ranging from six years old TO three
times that age. and one OF the strang-
est things about the class Is the fact
that the two younger members are
seemingly making the fastest progress
i'm the class studies.
Three of the children are girls ana
the other a very bright boy OF ten
Although the class is very small, no
one who knows great good that Is be-
ing accomplished in that little room
viii find any fault with the fact that
it requires the entire time of one
teacher to conduct the course Of study
and none of the other teachers in the
school are willing IA change places
with the one who presides over the
scholastic destinies Of the four mem-
bers OF the odd class.
Making the Dumb Speak.
II was the privilege Of n representa-
tive of the News 10 visit the school
during a recitation. the main subje Il
of which happened TO be during" The
manner of teaching this little class is
necessarily much at varience with that
employed in the ordinary school-roon
because the four pupils are deaf and.
having been deaf from infancy or IT
least from a time before they could
possibly learn the art of articulation,
they are also dumb In spite Of this
serious handicap. members Of the little
class are now enabled to understand
much that is said TO them and. what
is more remarkable. they can say al
most anything that they "see" or feel
said. for they "see" the words as they
are formed upon the lips Of the speaker
or feel" them by placing the tips Of
the fingers upon the throat of the per-
son speaking.
Miss Helen NJ. Gebhart, the teacher
of this little class, came TO Houghton
and assumed the work here at the be-
ginning OF the school year proceeding
the present one and, considering the
fact that her pupils had never had any
real instruction before. the results are
much to her credit. It is the purpose
OF Miss Gebhart TO instruct her pupils
i'm things which will make most for
their usefulness to themselves and TO
others in the world and for this rea-
son she instructs them along practical
lines.
Methods Used in Teaching.
When the News representative en-
tered the classroom the other day.
Miss Gebhart had just written upon
the board the word during" and then
proceeded to enlighten the children re-
garding the Sound Of the word. it's
meaning. words SYNONYMOUS with it.
and IL use. illustrated the latter by
several sentences containing the word,
which each OF the children were made
to read through Then each one was
required to frame a sentence contain
ing the new WORD, write the sentence
upon the board and then read IT,
Another and very interesting part
Of the lesson was little drill i'm
weights. one of the pupils was called
to a table bearing a small pair Of
scales. weights Of various denomina-
tions and a pail Of sand. This pupil
poured an amount Of sand into the
scoop OF the scales and placed enough
weights on the platform TO balance
the sand and al the same time another
was asked By the teacher. How much
does the sand weigh" and required to
repeat the question and write it upon
the board. The other pupil then called
off the weight Of the sand and wrote {
i'm the form OF a sentence upon the
board, afterward reading the Sc tence.
being very careful TO properly annun-
ciate each syllable. In this manner the
children are being taught the tables
Of weights and measures. how to
write and say them. their relative val
ucs and their practical uses.
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