The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-05-03

CONFERENCE
Teachers Association Adopt
ed Highly Complimentary
Resolutions
PROGRAM WAS BEST
IN ITS HISTORY

Excellent Addresses and Papers Given
Yesterday-Graded School Children
Gave Interesting Demonstration in
Arithmetic
The closing session of the teachers
conference of Southeastern Vermont
opened yesterday at O'Clock with an
audience that filed the high school
room. +. II. Dorsey of Ludlow presid-
ed and the exercises opened by the
pupils of the Chase street primary
school rendering a group of songs.
Mason ;. Stone, gave an able ad-
dress on Relation of the Rural School
to the Community. He referred TO the
constant changes in educational meth
DDS and asserted that discipline is not
the chief end in education, but that
excellent results may be obtained by
culture through service. From person
al observation he stated that applied
knowledge, not book knowledge, is
necessary for practicability He advo-
Gated social gatherings in the rural
f districts as it promotes general inter
+ est, not only in school work but all
public matters. The special ability of
.
cultivated to prepare him for life
work. lie also referred TO the loss Of
population in many Vermont towns
using as an illustration Guilford,
which shows a decrease in each census
for nearly century. lie believes that
much can bc accomplished in social
izing the rural communities by prop
erlv trained teachers who are willing
to take up the work: much can be
done i'm that line by making per
soual visits among the parents Of the
children. Much difficulty j. expert
feneed in securing teachers on account
of the small salaries and the great
problem at present in Vermont is the
Rural school.
John g. Thompson, principal of the
state normal school Of FItchburg
Mass. gave an excellent address on
Educational Ideals and Standards. He
referred to ideals and standards as
fundamentals in public school work
and defined the ideal as always ap-
preaching, never reaching the stand
ards as real things accomplished. Stan
dards Of the highest type are obtained
By taking advantage Of others eX-
perienees he said that marked
changes had taken place regarding
standards within the last 30 or even
20 years, making special reference to
the character of literature and pOpu-
lar music Education according 70
nature Is developed by one : surround
d iugs; for example, a person surround
ed by good literature viii acquire a
taste for high class reading, etc. The
speaker disapproved having a pupil
devote his time TO things which will
not materially benefit him; he should
, give him time to higher functions
necessary 10 perfect himself for cor
rectly and mechanically expressing
his ideas The standard equipment In
schools necessarily varies on account
of the pupils. teachers and location,
that is. a city school requires different
materials than a rural school.
I Following the addresses three con
. ferpnces were held One, on high
school mathematics. was conducted by
! Principal e. /. Mekusic Of Chester.
= and included a paper, Methods Of
4 Teaching Geometry. and the Parts
\ I-pon Which Special Stress should be
!. Laid ~ Principal 4. f. futtle, Bel
lows Falls high school, and paper
What the High School should Expect
n Mathematical Training From Those
Who Enter from the Grades. 10y Prinei
nal +. 1. Bugbee, Black River acad
: emy, Ludlow.
q At conference on Arithmetic u
the Grades an excellent demonstration
az the GRAY method of teaching arIth
!. metie was given by pupils Of the see
! ond aud third grades, taught by Miss
% Aiarv Croker and Miss Inez Akeiey
= Both classes have had the work TIVE
n wears. a. the first grade did not begit
- uptiI last wear This is the onl.
re- Vermont school 70 have adopted tn
st method. and general approval was ex
lv pressed by the demonstration giNei
lv in both the written and oral work
The pupils who participated were Mar
iorie Pier. Ruth FrederieksOn, Franz
Yaunezewski, Paul Nelson, Eleano
Manlev and Eddie Mauley, second
grade: Howard Rice, jr, Lester Hey
wood. Philip Wheeler, Lueila kggles
a ton. Mildred Greenwood, Dorothei
Vanderveer, Lyman Adams and Mar
u celia Rollin. third grade.
a. At "A conference on Rural Schools
~ Supt. Percy H. Blake of Chester
rs chairman, A paper on Rural sanitatio
h. was given bv Dr. II. %. HOlton of thi
,m town. of the state board Of health
he Archibald G. Hurd, y. NJ. 6. a. sec
le. retarv for Windsor county, gave
as paper on Play at Recess aud Moor
rt- and a paper on Economy Of Time wa
no given by Supt. Carroll ii. Drown Q
ly, Wallingford.
he That the teachers we're pleased wit