Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-03-11
PERSONALITY Isl
GREATEST ADJ
Success Of a School Teacher
Largely Depends on 1t
Says A. E. Winship.
Is THE VITAL ELEMENT
Instructive Address by Bos-
ton Man to Perth Amboy
Teachers Assn Yesterday.

That personality in teaching Is the
criterion on which hangs the success
of a public school teacher was vivid
ly, ably, instructively and interest
ingly explained before the members
Of the Perth Amboy Teachers Asso-
citation by A. e. Winship, of Boston,
at the high school auditorium yester-
day afternoon. THAT personal ele-
ment is the vital element. | want
to call your attention to that side of
your school work." he said. Prac-
tically every teacher in the city was
present, besides many visitors.
After being introduced by Super
intendent s. e. Shull, the speaker
stated that he really had two speech
es to make. He wanted to correct
some erroneous statements that have
been recently made concerning the
public schools. The first was the
statement, The public schools have
been momentous failure" He
thought that such a statement show
ed that the person making same
knew nothing whereof he spoke.
"Only seven per cent. of the chill
dren in elementary schools reach the
high school" was another statement
which the speaker took time to re-
pudiate. This does not mean any
thing" he said. He compared 1t to
saying that there Is only one bushel
of corn raised to every acre of the
United States because the number of
bushels equal the number OF acres.
He pointed out the injustice to the
corn raising states to make such an
assertion. He explained the discrep-
any in the number that reach high
school compared with those that en-
ter the elementary schools by citing
the millions of colored students and
rural pupils who have practically no
chance to go to high school.
Another allegation that he COR
rected was the statement that of the
100000 students of school age in
are In schools. The speaker said
that it was unfair to take the num-
Der of children between five and
twenty-one as those of school age,
and that OF those between six and
fourteen, the legal school age, there
are 100000 in sch ools, so that
the schools have really 100000
more than the number you might ex-
pect considering the law relative to
the school age.
Getting to his main subject, which
he declared to be The Personal
Element in Teaching he said: at
is the personality that counts. It is
the personal element in the long run
that signifies in teaching. 1t is the
chief factor in our education Of to-
day"
Though go much of the time Is
taken up with new subjects and new
methods, the speaker declared that
personality in instruction should re-
ceive its justly important place in
the work. I'VE are spending so
much of our time. and rightly 30. In
teaching arithmetic and all those
other studies, but they are only in
cidental to our real mission he
said.
Personality, he declared, exists in
communities as we'll as In individ-
uals. at is insistent, 1t holds good,
1t stays BY" he said. In speaking Of
the personality OF cities he mention
ed the railroad center as the charac-
teristlc Of Chicago, and Boston g
characteristics he described In being
a market for wool and copper. He
said: Every city that has strength
has its personality. America will
have to develop a personality. which
she has not yet developed. The
great mission Of the schools Is to
develop that personality"
In speaking OF the tact and diplo-
macy teachers need In dealing with
their pupils he told OF an incident
concerning his friend, "Ras" Wilson.
who described man once In these
words: "He is man that can domi-
nate, but does not domineer."
Il do not try to domineer." said
the speaker, but ] do try to domi-
nate. 1t is SO easy for us to domi-
neer, but we must not let that
microbe get into our system. We
must learn how to dominate and not
domineer. Make your spirit so noble
and beautiful that your scholars will
appreciate it,
He thought the keynote of a
teachers success lay in his ability to
dominate and lead the pupil but still
not domineer over him. He added:
"If we would not say anything about
discipline until we know the boy is
in rythmical harmony with us our
dominance over him would be more
assured. We have to take time to
do things right to save our boys"