Evening star., 1920-03-12
PROFESSIONALLY
TO 0E. |. THURST0N
1,400 Teachers Join in Trib.
ute Today at Opening of
Institute.

Ernest l.. Thurston. superintendent
of schools, received an ovation from
1.400 teachers attending the institute in
Central High School auditorium today.
a spontaneous expression of loyalty
and sympathy, it began as Mr. Thurs
ton approached the platform. and
swellcd suddenly in volume. When he
reached the rostrum the audience
rose and cheered him loudly for two
minutes.
He was unable to speak for lit
tie time afterward. Then he began
Il am utterly overwhe I'm ed but
! another roar of applause smothered
his voice. Presently Mr. Thurston
! was able to say: Il had expected to
F.; give you word of greeting but you
hav" ia ken it away from me. ! had
! expected to speak briefly about the
! teachers work and their aspirations.
but now ] am not equal to the task.
l cannot express my feelings"
Shortly afterward the superintend
ent hurried away to attend the school
! investigation hearing at the Capitol
When he stopped at mis- Office in tho
Franklin School later Mr.. Thurston
| found there further expression o.
the regard in which his teaching corp!
huge bouquet which bore this note
/ An expression OF the appreciation
and confidence of YOUR teachers
Speakers at Institute.
| There We're five speakers on ;hc in
stitute program: Henry Louis Smith
| president of Washington and Lee Uni.
versity. whose subject was 'Thf
Teacher's Personality" DR.: NJ. ",
O'Shea of Wisconsin University, who's.
subject was Everyday Traits of HUI
man Nature: Lotus D. Coffman, Min
| nesota University. who spoke on "'Ths
| Old and New Points of View in Edu-
| cation" and William c. Bagley. Co
| Red Letter Lessons" Mr.. Smith ant
! Or. O'Shea spose at the morning ses.
sion. A. T. Stuart. supervisor of in.
| termediate instruction. presided.
The gist of MIR. Smiths address was
! that a teacher. to be successful mus,
have a warm heart. steel back bone
vision that gives enthusiasm and in
spiration and the habit of constant
| intellectual growth. The day of the
| merely mechonical school teacher is
! about over. he declared. THE cold
hearted routine drillmaster will never
satisfy the demands of modern
schoolroom. "A magnetic. compelling
! inspiring personality. with it's intui-
tive. inevitable. irresistible leadership
| is today the crowning jewel of our
| profession"
Talked as Psychologist.
DR.. OShea talked as an experiment
tai psychologist. He used a number
of charts and made his points by ex-
perimenting on his audience. Empha-
sis was placed on the value of sug-
gestion and illusion in the instruction
of children. In the practical expe
rience of -" the speaker said I'VE
have to take things as a whole. fusing
details. avoiding in many places the
analytical details. and go ahead to-
ward realization of the central idea"
1t was declared by DR.. O'Shea that
there is no subject taught in our col
leges in which there is SO much waste
of time and energy as the teaching of
foreign languages, because under pres
ent methods students become lost in a
maze of technical detail. He vigorous.
ly supported the statement of Mr..
Smith that personality counts much
more than any other factor in success
full teaching.
Colored teachers held their section
of the institute at the Miner Normal
School. They heard the same speakers
that those at Central heard. with sew
eral colored speakers besides.
There were no round-table discus
sions or conferences at today's meet
ing. This phase of the program was
postponed until later in the month.