Norwich bulletin., 1915-05-01

Edward J. Graham, superintendent of the Norwich public schools, was elected president of the Eastern Con nectieut Teachers association at the 39th annual meeting held Friday in the Broadway Congregational church. every seat in the church be- ing taken. The public schools about the city were closed all day, that the teachers might{be present at the con vention. The new system of calling for two conventions at the same time, one in this city and the other in Put nam, proved very, practical.
 Business Session.
 At 10 o'clock the morning session was called to order by Vice President J. Graham, while President R. K. Bennett called/the Putnam meeting to order at the/same time. The min utes Of the last meeting were read by Secretary w. A. Anson of New London and the report was accepted. The re- port Of zhe nominating committee, E. J. Graham, chairman, E. R. Warner of J. L. Chapman of Central Village and J. 4. Backus of Putnam. was presented by Chairman Graham and was accepted. The secretary was empowered to cast one vote for the following officers, who were declared elected:
 President - Edward J. Graham, Norwich.
 Vice President - E. A. Case, Willf- mentic
 Secretary and Treasurer John B. Stanton. Norwich.
 Executive Committee = c. V. Jen- nings, New London; Albert s. Ames. Danielson; Russell H. Bellows, North Grosvenordale.
 Miss Mekonkey of Springfield.
 The first address of the morning was delivered by Miss Bertha M. McKon- key, Assistant superintendent of schools, Springfield, Mass. Her sub Miss McKonkey said our concern as teachers is with live, vital things, with the spirit not the bones of a dead past. There is much talk in these days about motivating the work of the school, and this is but another way of insisting that the schools shall be brought into close touch with life and that teachers shall come out from be- hind their desks in order to work and play in hearty human fashion with the pupils that they are to educate.
 A delightful spirit of comradeship between teacher and pupils marks the representative modern American school Many of our public school teachers are practical psychologists who have made a careful and sympa- thetic study of the human problem They are good comrades, but they nevertheless hold pupils unf1inchingly to certain definite standards. These teachers know that with children, as with those of us who are fully grown, the chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do the best we can.''
 Current Events Through Geography.
 Geography as an Interpretation oi Current Events was the topic of the address delivered by Robert M. Brown of the state normal school, Providence R. I. He said geography has two phases, one of them background which is practically identical with the background of many other branches ot learning, history, economies, commerce and so on, and second phase which is g study of relationships or responses The first of these, often called place geography, is rapidly being reduced to a minimum basis and in some lists published by school authorities there are less than four hundred names or the globe which are supposed to be the stock in trade of every pupil ir the grades. The learning of these re- quires but relatively short portion oi geography, so that the major share o1 the time can be devoted to geography proper. to which the name dynamic z eography is applied.
 Generalizations concerning climate are sufficient for many lands, but where an interpretation of average conditions can be made a much more accurate knowledge is obtained. Flu ropean climates are frequently toC freely generalized. The difficulty o too few reports or of too scientific statements can be overcome by the