The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1921-10-29
County Institute
Most Successful
County Superintendent w,
o. Cummings Conducts
Intensive Course


ed any Stevens County Teachers In
stitute, were present at the annual
Stevens County Teachers Institute
held in Colville last week. In point
of numbers, interest and enthu-
siasm the past meeting was one of
the best teachers conventions yet
held in this city.
much credit for the success of the
institute is due the teachers of the
Colville city Schools" said w. O..
Cummings, county superintendent,
"for the manner in which they help
ed to entertain the visiting teachers.
Too much praise cannot be given
the people of the city for their aid
in helping to make the stay of the
visiting teachers pleasant"
The opening session was called to
order Wednesday by County Super
intendent Cummings. Rev. J. M.
Huggins pronounced the invocation.
The forenoon was spent in the dis
cussion of the work and the aims
of the Washington Educational Asso-
citation, led by Arthur l.. Marsh of
Seattle. The affairs of the county
association were the subject of a
discussion led by Superintendent G..
schools. Community singing led by
Miss Grace Holman, supervisor OF
music in the Spokane schools, with
Miss Eva Mills at the piano fea-
tured the different sessions.
The afternoon sessions were de-
voted to one address by one member
of the institute faculty, followed by
sectional meetings of the primary,
the rural and grades and the high
school teachers. Miss Josephine
Fitzgerald of Cheney, whose work in
the teaching of reading has been so
helpful to the teachers in previous
Colville institutes, was present on
Wednesday and Thursday with many
good suggestions in that line of
work.
A male quartet of institute
teachers was formed, the members
being R. A. Coleman of Ford, Cor
nell VanderMeer of Kettle Falls,
George Denman of Bossburg and W.
F. Millay of Fairview and this fea-
ture added much to the enjoyment
of the institute.
On Thursday morning, the invoca-
ton was given by Rev. C. f. Whit
ten, followed by an address by Presi-
dent Black, of the Ellensburg nor
NAL school, who spoke of rural
school problems as related to rural
welfare. Professor Curtis Merriman
of the Cheney state normal was
another speaker of the forenoon
whose subject was the relation of
directors to teachers of rural schools.
His address was provocative of much
comment, as he insisted that direc-
tors should visit the school several
times a year instead of only once,
or more likely, not at all during the
year and then pose as being compe-
tent to hire or "fire" the teacher.
Many directors are perfectly in
competent to discharge their duties
intelligently and to judge of the
quality of teachers work but such
conditions cannot be cured at pres
ent and must be endured. On the
other side of the question, the
speaker declared in no uncertain
terms that teachers should at least
give value received for the salaries
they are paid. He condemned the
practices of some so-called teachers
who spend the recesses and noon in
termissions in reading novels and
magazines instead of supervising the
school grounds and playing with the
pupils. He also said that any
teacher who lost control of his tenn
per OF resorted to the use of biting
sarcastic remarks at the expense OF
any of his pupils has no business in
the schoolroom and should be dis
charged at once. No teacher should
hasten away from the district on
Friday evening and remain away un-
til Sunday evening but that she
should help in the Sunday school
and in all other social activities for
the advancement of the community
interests and welfare.
On Friday morning, the institute
1cnnfinuad IN next naRel