The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-07

of teachers employed. The institute will
be divided into four sections, one COM
posed of the Birmingham city teachers
and divided according to the grades
taught, one composed of high school
teachers, one of principals and SUPER
visors and one of the county teachers.
The last named will follow more close
ly the regular institute plan, as it is held
for the rural teachers who have several
grades or even the entire seven grades.
The teachers of Bessemer, Boyles, from
dale, Leeds, Warrior and other strictly
graded schools, will attend the department
of city teachers in which special instruc-
tion for each grade is given separately,
and those who are employed in one-teach-
er or two-teacher schools will take the
work of the general session or county de-
partment During the week the Septem-
Der meeting of the Jefferson County
Teachers association will be held for the
purpose of organizing and launching its
work for the winter.
A very acceptable example of what may
be done by systematic planning and by
following the new methods of teaching, is
given by the work of a teacher In a
neighboring state. She had rural school
of seven grades with an average enroll
ment of rs pupils. Had she been less
progressive or had she possessed less tact
and sympathy, she would have toiled
through six or seven hours of daily reci-
tations, letting the pupils learn what they
might from her divided attention, leaving
those not reciting to employ themselves
in whatever way they chose. Instead of
that she combined, alternated, economical
and systematized, until she reduced the
number of daily recitations to %, so that
her work in recitations might be intensive,
rather than extensive. She succeeded in
meeting all requirements of the course
of study, and taught the school in such
way that the pupils were benefited and
developed far more than many who We're
members of smaller classes. She seated
the pupils IN rows according to their
grades and used the same seating during
recitatlons. She designated the older
pupils in turn to help the younger chill
dren during their study periods, to dis
tribute their drawing and writing mate
rials, to Keep the time, and to warn her
by a tap of call bell at the time for
classes to change, SO that she might give
her undivided attention to the class re-
citing. Each day she posted a daily pro-
gramme showing the occupation work
for the day, so that each child might un-
derstand what he was to do during each
period. She found time for ventilating
the room and giving physical exercises.
She found time for ventilating the room
and giving physical exercises. She had all
VI tHS iccildtiOIS VI Tie younger Cn1lu1e0
in the morning and dismissed them at
noon SO that they were relieved from
many and long intervals between their
recitations and so that she had the after
noon TO devote to the more advanced
grades She encouraged the boys to bring
tools from their homes and to set up a
little work shop where they might spend
time that otherwise would have been
wasted. When lessons had been prepared
t1a hOVS allowed n rIr in, tai,
shop, and during the year they learned
to make a number of useful articles She
required each child to have two sharpened
pencils ready each morning and she kept
an emergency box ff pencils so that no
time would be lost IN sharpening pencils
Her greatest profile n was that of embrace
ing an unusually large scope. Other
teachers are finding their principal need
is libraries and other school equipment
or else the adaptability to do without
them. Some find that actual results in
progress are what are wanted in the COM
munity where they teach, and others
that harmony and order are the most
| necessary factors. 1t is for the purpose
of preparing the teachers to meet any
and all of these demands and many
others that the county Institutes are
| held.