Daily Kennebec journal., 1917-02-12
Kennebec County Teachers
Important Convention


vention opened in this city at 1890
Friday morning in the assembly room
at the High school building with
about 200 teachers in attendance. The
meeting was called to order by Pres-
dent Cobb and prayer was offered by
Rev. Charles F. Robinson of the Tenn
pie street Congregational church. A
committee was appointed to bring in
nominations at the afternoon meeting
and the convention then adjourned to
the department sessions. These were
held in various rooms in the High
schools.
The department of rural schools was
presided over by Supt T. W. Nc
Quaide of Mt. Vernon. Good School
Keeping" was discussed by A. J. AL
Ian, State agent for rural education.
MIR. Allen went into details on what
constituted good work in the rural
schools and his address was followed
with the closest attention by those
present. Miss Florence NJ. Hale. State
agent for rural education, spoke on the
subject, Some Commonplace Things
lin Commonplace Schools" Miss Hale
discussed the common difficulties of
the teacher in a most interesting and
instructive way. Following the two ad
dresses there was a discussion of the
things brought out in them and both
Mr.. Allan and Miss Hale answered
battery of questions, and there was "a
rcneral discussion among the teach
CTs present.
The department of elementary
schools met in two divisions, the first
including Grades /, III and III was pre-
{ sided over by Miss Ethel NJ. Knight of
Watervile and the speakers discussed
the courses of study in the various de-
partments on which they have been
working. They We're Supt. L. A. Dexter,
"BeginningS in Nature Study" Supt.
r. l.. West, Rockland, primary Lam
guage." Following this there was a
, discussion of the courses of study as
outlined by these speakers.
= The teachers of Grades ", V. VI and
= VII met with Miss Myra L. Black of
Gardiner as chairman. The following
4 courses of study were discussed in this
: meeting. History, Supt. John c. Nor
4 rill Machas; arithmetic, Supt.
f Charles \. Perkins, Watervile: ply
y siology and hygiene, Supt. Herbert J.
$ Chase, Gardiner. These courses of
f study were also thoroughly discussed
1 by the teachers present
. The third meeting consisted of the
$ teachers of the secondary schools and
r upper grammar grades in joint round
t table conference of which the leader was
j. W Taylor State agent for secondary
!, education. The topics for discussion
- were:
h 1-Teaching pupils to study.
p (a) Teaching the individual.
4 Cur .oh f1n
2-PhysicaL education.
K taD What may the schools do in the
a matter of practical physical educa-
| ton?
-, % unifying and extending instruc-
d 3-The Junior High school.
ta) Its organization.
OBJ Its currcula.
Discussion opened by Supt. W. ID. Full
Ter, Old Town.
4-Commercial courses
Is the course meeting the needs of the
; boys and girls who do not seek cler-
a ical positions?
=, How may the demands of practical
II business and store service be met?
5 Especial subjects: Making content anu
i method continuous.
(a) Mathematics, a reorganiZed course
II through the upper grades and at
: least the first two High school years.
d tb) Cooperation of all teachers in
, making English instruction effective.
A syllabus for six years.
: (c) Foreign languages by the dlrect
n method.
n al Science relating the first two High
school courses to grade work in ge-
ography and in nature study.
All these subjects were given close at
tention and the remarks on them showed
, that A great deal of careful study had
II been given by the teachers to these de-
. partments of their work.
10
;, teachers adjourned for dinner many OF
q them going to the Methodist church,
=, where a fine dinner was served by the Ia
; dies They also took advantage of the
;. opportunty to visit some of Waterville's s
= fine stores.
II The afternoon session was called to
Q order promptly at the Metnodlst
: church by President Cobb and was
r opened by song given by the South
I Grammar school Glee Club. Miss Mil
, dred Stockbridge, instructor of nnu-
:, sic in the Waterville Public school,
! leading Prayer Swas offered by Rev.
! John F. Thurston of the Getchell
=. street Free Baptist church.
+ Pre- sident Cobb then introduced
n Prin. John G.. Thompson Of the Fitch
burg Normal school, who spoke on
= the subject. How To Tell Teacher
: from n Schoolma am Mr. Thompson
opened his address by paying a tribute
to jeremiah Burke. a former superin
: tendert of the Waterville public
schools: said that a teachers career
was the greatest in the world, but to
he a teacher n man or woman must
enter the profession with heart and
soul He said that his subject included
men as we'll as women. because there
were as many men school ma'ams as
there were women schoolma'a ans. Il
am going to violate every principle Of
teaching and begin by defining terms
which is the most difficult of all things
to do When have defined the differ
ence between a teacher and a school
ma am. I do not know as the rest of
my address will be necessary, it will
be so clear aud concise. A teacher is
Lantern Seer. Paddle, Ginger, Calali-
zer A schoolma am Is a dispersonator,
spirit remover. paralizer. Robert Louis
Stevenson writes that when a boy he
with other boys was accustomed to
light n lantern and button it under