The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-01-10
The Spelling Contest for the Com
mon Schools of WAYNE County.

COTuld, hdHSdS.
The Spelling Contest for the Com
mon Schools of Wayne County.
In order to revive a special in
terest in the subject of spelling, a
contest has been planned for the
Common Schools of Wayne county.
Without a doubt the old-fashioned
Spelling Matches" that were in
vogue about twenty years ago, pos
sessed a great deal of merit. They
aroused an unusual interest not only
among the pupils but also among the
patrons of the public schools. 1t is
within recollection of the writer that
the little country school rooms in
several counties of the state were
crowded with people three or four
times every school year to cheer
the pupils of their home school to
victory IN contest with a neighbor-
ing school. The pupils made
strenuous effort to master the prac-
tical spelling books and considered it
great compliment to be proficient
in this subject. Pupils poured over
their spelling words by the hour in
the evening.
We won't stop to discuss the ques-
tion whether the pupils in the pub
lie schools now are better or poorer
spoilers than they were in the
schools twenty or even fifteen years
ago. The vital question is Can we
arouse more interest in this subject
by a special effort on the part of
the teacher?" What can we do to
arouse more interest? 1t is COM
paratively easy to teach spelling or
any other subject for that matter if
the pupils are interested. 1t is not
so easy to secure this interest and
maintain it for any length of time
To secure and maintain the concen-
trated efforts of all the pupils in
school requires the efforts of wise,
skillful and well trained teacher. If
competition is the life of trade, can it
not also be made the life of school
work?
Not long ago the writer stayed at
a boarding house over night with
several travelling men. In the morn
ing it rained and the roads were in
a bad condition. One of the travel
ing men 'phoned for a rig to start
out. The landlord tried in vain to
persuade him not to go during such
a storm, but to wait for better
weather. Not at ALL" replied the
agent. IF l wait until the sun
shines, the other fellow will have ar
rived there first and make the sales"
1t is human nature to take things
easy If there is no competition. 1t
is also human nature to work hard
under pressure. 1t is not we'll for
us occasionally to find out that
somebody else in another district is
doing just a little better work than
we are doing in our own district?
Can we have a better plan to size
ourselves up with others than by
well regulated and planned district
and county contests? The High
school literary contest of the county
has already done a great deal of good
in stimulating the pupils to better
efforts, and it was a contest of
which we are proud.
Two distinct contests have been
planned, written contest and an
oral contest. A committee of thirty
teachers have been appointed, one
from each school district. The per-
sons whose names appear below are
requested to act as members of this
committee. Every member of this
committee is requested to send fifty
spelling words to a committee of
critics whose names will be sent to
the district committee. These words
are to be forwarded to the critics in
order as soon as the
members are notified. The critics
Will select the words from these lists
for the contest. The editors of the
county papers have kindly consented
to give us a small space in their
papers for the publication of the
words for the contest, in lessons of
twenty-five words each. The coun-
ty papers reach nearly every family
in our county. This will no doubt be
the method of bringing the list of
words before the public.
One of the duties of the critics is |
to furnish each paper with the
words. 1t will be necessary also for /
them to prevent words from appear |
ing twice in the list. This list of
words will be made the basis of the |
work for the contest. Those words |
are not to displaCe the regular spell |
ing lessons, or spoilers used in the |
schools at present, but the teachers |
are requested to aid the pupils in !.
the preparation of the words in |
manner best suited to their individ- |
ual schools. The success of this con- |
test will depend largely upon the en-
thusiam with which the teachers |
enter in the work. The aim, OF |
course, is to improve our spelling. |
On this we surely ought all to be in |
terested.
When the entire list of words will |
have appeared in the county papers,
every teacher In the common schools |
OF the county, except teachers in the !
grades, Is to select the two