The Winchester news. [volume] (Winchester, Ky.) 1908-19??, 1912-01-13
PEOPLES FORUM
THE RURAL TEACHER

! cided TO jot down a few of my OBJ
servaticns. and some of the teach
er's pleasures and aniieipations.
Few teachers, when they begin
their work. have any idea of the ma
ture and disposition of children.
Think Of the young teacher enter
ing the average country school uSu
ally in strange neighborhood. She
i, greeted by a score of youn. hope
| fuls vino are all anxious TO know
something of the new teacher. Ev-
cry pupil Is wondering if she will be
as good to them as the teacher was
last year. She hears whispers from
every side: "She looks a little like
| Miss Kate. Gee. | don't want he
to get mad at me: bet she get;
Billy Smith fore three days Ir
| the midst of this confusion. we viii
I take look Mt the house and ground,
from the outside. One shutter off
another hanging by one hinge, hal
the blick of the hue. bad rent il
the roof and four panes of elas-
broken. weeds so high and thick tina
should the children try to play. Their.
would be danger of tangling Their
feet and getting a tumble they would
never forget. i =
Finally $50 o'clock is announced.
the house called to order. and til,
trustee (if he is there) called upoI
Tor talk and if he can be prevail
ed upon gives the pupils few word,
of advice, and promises the teach
or the house shall be repaired. il
usually says, ~ did not want TIL
place but they elected me, and I an
going to do my duty,"-but whal
IS his idea of dutyl Next school
Ike house is in tile same condition
only worse. lie then gives the fol
mer trustee a rounding up and take
his seat well satisfied with his GOO
home thrusts. 80 "'f'-'i'
| Now lets take an inventory of III
apparatus with which the teaehe
must work. \ map of the Unite,
States SO badly dilapidated that it +.
difficult to make out a single name
about forty square feet of the wal
painted black about twenty year
! ago fer Il blackboard and so fa
from the floor the children must tip
toe to reach it; an old stove: Il broom
with a broken handle: a leaky waite
bucket. and hole in the dipper. Ye
she is expected to teach a goo.
school. isAi
/ am proud to say. though, TIL:
this condition is rapidly improving
New houses with all outbuldings ar'
being built and equipped and tin
yards fenced. One hundred an,
twenty days with, oh! any wher,
from three to forty noisy. michiev
Gus school children sounds tougl
does it not! Well it is, if that is al
you can see. But there is more
it. We must know something o.
children. We must ascertain jus
what interests each child. There j.
a general class with many excep
items. We will take this class first
just as flower buds. blooms and i.
finally developed into something
that is beautiful to behold. a child.
mind develops into a something tina.
we can behold, hear and feel. There
is invariably class that is very
slow at the beginning. Sometime.
this is no fault Of the teacher. Or
the whole. however. I am inclined to
believe that The teacher has failed to
find the bent of the childish mind
Ole teacher. observing a very abb
sorbing love of horses in one of hel
pupils, directed his mind along that
line and he became enc of the great
est horse trainers ard fnanciers III
the whole country.
One likes the farm. another the
store and sometimes pupil has the
ambition to become teacher. Find
what interests child and use this
for beginning gradually adding