Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-04-16
RAYMOND MAKES
SUGGESTIONS TO
SCHOOL TEACHERS

George s Raymond. inspector gen
eral of the department of public in
structiCn, is sending out a circular
letter to all supervising principals and
teachers in the public schools in
which he makes numerous suggeS-
tons in regard to their work.
The following is taken from the
letter:
The spirit in your schools is an
essential prerequisite and it is felt
rather than seen. This essential
means harmony, good will, team work.
good order and system from all. The
school atmosphere is resultant from
this fraternal spirit Of earnest AMI
faithful work. Is your resultant 100
per cent? Ninth inning enthusiasm
is not to be mistaken for continuous
and earnest school spirit.
How is the housekeeping at your
school? Is each principal, each teach
er. and each pupil good housekeep-
er?
How is each attendance record
what room is keeping the school rec
ord low? The average for the terri
tory is 90 per cent How much bet
ter can each of your teachers show?
Is each register neat, in ink. COM
plete. and free from inaccuracies?
How is the written work corrected
and cared for? This is one import
ant test of the teachers efficiency in
getting results from the pupils.
Pre- paration. No work is ever well
done that is not carefully planned.
Does each plan hook contain a time
table? How are the daily lesson plans
being written? Do they show sub
ject-matter carefully detailed with
an aim and purpose and a correla-
ton with the previous days work?
Do yCur teachers write a plan feel
ing that 1t is departmental task, a
waste If time. or to oblige some au-
thority? Or do they feel the need Of
such a directing force and such an
assistance? Are those daily plans the
result of thought or the product Of
mechanical repetition?
The Recitation. This is the place
where the teacher is put to the test
of teaching. testing and drilling the
pupils. Are the recitations thought
provoking? Is the subiect-matter of
value or do you question it all? How
was the method used? Was it appro-
pirate to the subiect-matter? Was the
teaching thoughtful and was the les
son developed fully? Was it we'll IL
lustrated? Was the blackboard or
material of any sort used? Was the
testing successful in getting the pupils
to do large share of the work? Bv
many questions or few? Was skill
shown in guiding the thought of the
pupils along the correct lines? Was
Judgment shown in assigning the next
lessen? How was the drilling to fix
principles and facts conducted? Was
the drilling sharp, rapid, and incisive?
How is each period in the program?
The proper length and at the proper
time? Is arithmetic at time when
the waves of fatigue are at the high
est?
How about the pupils habits of
study? Are the pupils memorizing
or are they developing mentally? Are
the pupils working on real, vital prob
lens in which they take an interest or
is school work flat. stale, desultory
and Improbable? If the school work
is not vital and full of interest. what
is the matter? Hardly with the pu-
pills, unless the moral condition in the
community is very bad
"Are your teachers in a rut doing
perfunctory. routine work? Are the
pupils entering the higher grades we'll
prepared? Is promotion for no better
reason than that pupils have been in
school a year?
The pupils are forming habits In
school that they will find of more i'm.
nortance than acquiring knowledge.
What kind of habits are your pupils
forming? Are you intoxicating prin-
ciples of service, courtesy, respect,
work. system, and self-control in your
pupils? Are your pupils learning how
to use, library books so as to appre-
ciate the value Of good literature?
Are they learning to do well those
things they undertake?
"You are the school doctor. You
must diagnose each individual school
disease, fracture, or trouble and find
the seat of the poor efficiency and
prescribe better way. Your duty
is to keep the school in good health.
Are any of your schools fit for guar.
antine? T."
81 am sending this letter to super.
vising principals and principals in the
hope that it may of service to them
and their assistants. II indicates lines
of investigation that you may well
follow in your visits Copies should
be distributed to teachers and the
many fonipe dian1Ycooda Praaf,y ond
frankly on your tours and at your
meetings" - -.