The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-12-11

whose classroom manner are both
carefully calculated and procured by
lengthy course of study and training,
comes as near to doing machine.like
work as a human being can come.
Teachers formed in this mould are, in
evitably, one like another, their cul-
ture and their attainments are alike,
and, whatever of individual personal
tty they may have had in the begin.
ming of their school life, atrophies, dis
appears, and is replaced by a built
up. artificial creation of some puntlit
in school of pedagogy.
1t is long wnile since Plato dealt
with personality in teaching in frag-
ment from the Theages.
Il made some progress" he makes
Aristedes say,-"I made some prog
ress, if was but in the same house
where you were. though not in the
same room. When could be in the
same room advanced still more, and
whenever you spoke insensibly found
myself improve. Yet more when l
had my eyes upon you than when l
looked another way. But this progress
was incomparably greater when 1 sat
near you and touched you, whereas
now this habit is utterly vanished"
1t is almost impossible that person
atty should develop and increase un-
der regimen where no account is
taken of it, and where the objective
is dull Journalism, that makes those
who are subjected to it, think alike,
and feel alike, and even in their
physical features, bear a resemblance
to each other. In the personality of
our religious teachers, we have an as
set which we must in no way imperil
A Christian culture, the product of a
religious rule of life, is a personal cul-
ture,-the culture of an individual per-
sonality. Religious orders, and re-
ligious associations, choose among
personalities those to whom their rule
of life is fitted. Postulants and novices
are observed carefully, some are taken
and some are refused, and they are
accepted or rejected as their native
equipment of personality lends itself
to the religious rule or does not SO
lend itself. The religious rule takes
the native equipment Of men and wom-
en- and carries it along in logical
development to that fulness of which
each is capable. Culture of this kind
is not matter for the inquisition Of
a board of school examiners, though
it is manifestly of the greatest value
in an educational system. But it will
differ with different communities, and
even with different individuals in the
same community. To standardize it,
as anything like demands upon it for
examination purposes would tend to
do, is to take the first step towards
it's destruction.
But there are certain things that are
| properly matters of inquisition by
diocesan board. There is an essential
minimum of scholarship that must be
demanded of teachers if they are to
be permitted to work in classrooms.
To deny that any standard is neces-
sary In school system, is Of piece
in unwisdom with the statement that
everything ought to be standardized.
A board of examiners has right to
exact from teachers an easy familiar
ity with the class-matter which they
undertake to teach, knowledge of
the essentials of classroom manage
ment, of the control Of great groups
of children. and of certain set and es-
tablished principles Of pedagogy. l
believe, too, that it should satisfy it.
self that teachers are acquainted,
though not necessarily in agreement,
with the important current literature
that deals with their professional
work.
The ultimate test of the efficiency
of q teacher, is the effectiveness of
her teaching. To quarrel with meth
DDS in classroom in which excellent
work is evident on all sides, is q
fatuous employment, and may be left
to those whose love Of method Of ped. !
axoRical theory. and of standardiza.