Page images
PDF
EPUB

great work of the people. It has been aptly stated here to-day, I think, that the carrying out of any of the suggested plans for securing better results in our methods of instruction, depends more upon the teacher than upon anything else. This is true. Let us look at the teacher's duties. His first grand duty, as it seems to me, should be to study children-not to the exclusion of books, or science, or anything of the kind; but the teacher must understand the moral, intellectual and physical nature of the child as well as he understands the problems in arithmetic, if he expects to accomplish anything. Then, again, he must understand the harmony between intellectual and moral nourishment, if you please. I believe it is entirely possible to teach morality and the sciences-to teach all that is necessary-in the same connection. I believe there is no antagonism in the right development of the faculties. In other words, the very best methods of training the child's intellect, is the very best method of training him in morals, and the very best training, for the child physically, all things considered, is the very best training intellectually, so there can be no antagonism. There is no necessity of making a child sick to make him moral, or to interfere with his intellectual growth for the development of his moral nature.

I will refer to another point-the drawing of a line of distinction between moral and religious training. I am glad this was touched upon by Pres. Fairchild. I am at a loss to know how we can secure these moral results by the proper motives, the highest motive-love to God-without recognizing the great fact that man is a religious being. How can we do it? I tell you, my friends, if we try to do otherwise, we shall fail to accomplish the work laid upon us. The education of man commences with his heart, and works outward and not inward. If you secure purity of heart and motive, you secure the good of the moral and intellectual nature.

The first duty, I think, is to see that proper principles are implanted in the child's heart. We are to attend to this with as much care as to the intellectual instruction of the child to take as much pains as we do to teach him arithmetic or grammar or geography; and, as my friend Cowdery says, let time be taken to secure this moral development. It is of more importance than anything else. There is a time in the history of every child when this moral or religious culture ought to be attended to, and as we seek for time in which to attend to object lessons, or for any other particular kind of instruction, so we should seek for that best time to plant moral and religious truths in the child's heart.

I believe, as has been said, that we may just as well look for results in this direction as in any other. Let us use all the means God has given us to develop and cultivate the minds and hearts of the children, and let us do it in a symmetrical way. (Applause.)

GEORGE S. ORMSBY: Mr. Chairman, I have been a member of this Association for perhaps ten years, and I believe I have never ventured to speak on the floor of the house. I have been fearful, sir, I should not be able to make my voice heard; more fearful that I should not treat the subjects under discussion in a way worthy of them. But I wish to say a few words on the question of having set times for moral instruction. We have set times for instruction in arithmetic, geography, and other studies, shall we have a set time for moral instruction? It has been suggested that we may have a time, say twice a week, and that five minutes in some part of the day be devoted to some particular subject, such as profanity, kindness to animals, etc. Now would it not be well for us all to adopt the principle that there shall be a time set apart for this work? If we set apart no time, if we determine that this work of moral instruction shall be a mere accidental matter, the time for it may never come. What is the most appropriate time for moral instruction? What time should be set apart for it? It may be well to consider what we mean by moral instruction. It has

been suggested here that no line can be drawn between religious and moral instruction, that no line definitely marks the bounds of one or the other. Religious instruction certainly includes moral instruction; but when we say moral instruction we do not know, perhaps, just what we mean. Now the most appropriate time to be set apart for religious instruction is the first five minutes, or the first fifteen minutes of each day. This is a better time than the close of school. If the teacher is a Christian, and is in sympathy with the truth which he desires to impress upon others, the few minutes thus employed will exert a decided influence on the remaining part of the day's work.

The question has been raised respecting the motives that should influence the child. In this we have no better rule than that found in the inspired volume. Jesus said, "Suffer little children to come unto me." If the teacher feels that the little child should come unto him, he will be successful in his moral instructions. The same principles, the same truths that influence the man, will influence the child. They may not be presented in the same form, but the same truths must be presented. The same Teacher said to the older ones, "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden."

Now as to special subjects. I am inclined to think that these subjects should grow out of the circumstances. The teacher has with him at all times a community of children, good and bad, lovely and vicious. He has examples of profanity. If he have his eyes open, he will find texts to preach from. Whatever he sees wrong in

this community, is a matter for him to consider at the proper time-not at the time it is committed, but the next day.

It has been suggested that the Bible is not a good book to read in the schools as a work of elocution. I am inclined to think so. But the precepts of the Bible ought to be read every morning. The good results will certainly follow.

THE BEST METHOD OF CONDUCTING COUNTY EXAMINATIONS
OF TEACHERS.*

BY J. C. HARTZLER, CRESTLINE, OHIO.

In preparing this report, I took the liberty first to make a few suggestions, not strictly connected with the theme given me, believing that if they are properly heeded, many inconveniences attending county examinations may be obviated. Permit me to promise you, in the outset, that I shall not weary you with a long report.

1. When shall we examine? In many counties in Ohio, weekly meetings for the examination of teachers are held in two series-one in the spring, the other in the fall of the year. With such an arrangement, schools with short winter terms, commencing after the fall meetings have passed, are often discommoded; and I have known districts deprived of their winter schools for the want of licensed teachers then not elsewhere engaged. Short winter terms are frequently commenced as late as November or December; therefore, meetings should be held as late as December. Spring terms are sometimes commenced as early as February, others as late as June. The time for which certificates

* A Report read before the Ohio Teachers' Association, July 7th, 1870.

are granted, often terminates before the term closes, and the law requiring that the time of services be covered by the time of the certificate, it seems necessary that there should be at least one meeting in each month of the year. This would diminish those unwieldy classes of candidates under the former arrangement at the beginning of the spring and fall meetings. Teachers frequently resign, or are excused from further duty at a time when the schools ought not to be discontinued. In such cases, teachers having no certificates are sometimes employed to teach out the unexpired time. It therefore seems necessary either to ante date or hold special meetings, both of which are to be avoided. In short, then, to obviate many inconveniences, and to accommodate school boards as they should be, the following arrangement of the time for holding the meetings is suggested, namely, that at least one meeting be held in each month of the year, and that the months of March, April, and May, September, October, and November, have two meetings each.

2. Where shall we examine? In some counties no special rooms are set apart for the meetings of the county board. Court-rooms, auditors' offices, and, in some places, dark, small, and otherwise inconvenient rooms are used. The floors of these rooms, at examinations, are too frequently covered with puddles of saliva, well darkened with the extract of tobacco, to render them otherwise than most unpleasant to candidates, especially to ladies, and even to gentlemen of only ordinary cleanliness. I have known school boards who refused to open the doors of their school-rooms to examiners for the reasons just given. Where the accommodations are not suitable, special rooms, furnished with special reference to holding these meetings, should be petitioned for to the county commissioners. Such rooms should be furnished with single desks, placed at sufficient distances apart, to prevent improper communications between candidates. To this should be added, ample blackboard surface, together with a secretary's desk for the safety of books and papers. This brings me to The Best Method of Conducting County Examinations.

To guard the threshold of our common schools against the admission of improperly qualified teachers, is a duty of too great moment to be performed with indiffereuce. In our common schools, in which so large a per cent. of our youth receive all the book instruction they ever get, there should be found as teachers wise legislators, scholars, good men. Leaving the school room, many youth go out into the busy thoroughfares of life, and, in many instances from necessity, and, at an early age, attempt to stem the tide alone. Whatever may have been the instructions received in the school-room, such instructions are now to be brought into practical bearing, and will tell either for or against those who imparted them. Too long have examiners sat with folded arms, whilst the hours of their work were passing. Too long have they listened to the pleadings of feigned poverty and ill health on the part of the candidate (both of which are good evidences of laziness), and, failing to detect these disguises, or overleaping their bounds, they have permitted those to enter the school-room who were wholly unworthy. Let us bear in mind, that, in no capacity, either public or private, can favoritism do greater injustice to the community, than in that of the examiner; and let us see that we do our duty well, impartially, and without fear or favor.

By examining the State School Commissioner's last report, it will be seen that there 25,557 applications for certificates, of which number 5,919, or about 23 per cent., were rejected. The highest per cent. of rejections in any one county, was 57; the lowest, 00. This shows that, in no department of our school work, are there so great a want of uniformity and so little system, as in that of county examinations. This, I think, is largely owing to inefficiency and lifelessness on the part of examiners, who were probably appointed through political or other selfish motives, and who have neither now nor ever will have at heart the real good of our schools. In counties in which the probate judges are affected with this weakness in the back bone, let the teachers and live educational men see that the judges are promptly and properly advised as to who should be appointed whenever vacancies occur, and let none but live teachers be so recommended.

The object of county examinations should be two-fold: first, to test the qualifications of teachers; and, second, to render them such advice and instruction at a proper time, as shall tend to lift the school-work out of the old groove in which it has so long been moving. Let us look at what may be regarded as auxiliary in testing the qualifications.

There are those who can talk fluently, and can set up a pretty fair show verbally, but who seem to know little or nothing practically about the proper use of capital letters, punctuation, spelling, business forms, or any of the manipu lations on blackboard, slate, or paper. There are those, on the other hand, who have been drilled in these particulars until they are adepts: but who, if examined only by oral questions, would do themselves great injustice. Hence every candidate should have a fair trial at both oral and written questions, and these should be prepared with much care by the examiners, and with special reference to testing the qualifications of candidates. Puzzles are inexcusable, and no examiner, possessing ordinary judgment and common sense, will ever use them.

Probably no branch, or division of a branch, will enable the examiner to range so widely and judge so accurately in his work as that of definitions. One of Ohio's most distinguished scholars, the author of a valuable work, remarked once at a county examination, that he could test with tolerable accuracy the qualifications of a teacher, through no other means than that of definitions. This, he continued, he could do by selecting his words from the different branches in which the candidate was to be examined, sufficient in range and number to render him the desired information; and yet that this process of examining would not be as tedious as the one ordinarily used. A want of discrimination in general, but especially in the proper use of words, is, I think, by this means most easily brought to light. To show how vague and barren some candidates are in this respect, I have inserted several words with their definitions as given by as many different candidates, which, though selected, are fair samples of scores of words sometimes given at a single examination. Booty received the following definitions: "A sum paid"; "to diminish"; a sum"; "a payment". Augment, "to take from "; to accept." Primeval "the original evil". Serpentine, "curly braid". Royal, "good"; "superior"; "high"; "mellow "—" therefore (a note at the bottom of the page), a

[ocr errors]

royal apple is a mellow apple". Dictate, "to speak loud"; "to tell a falsehood"; "to tell around"; to guess". Omnipotent was defined by one, "holy", by a second, "high", by a third, "great"; by a fourth, "God"; and a fifth, possessing perhaps as fine a discrimination as either of them, defined it “Jesus Christ."

Every experienced examiner well knows that but a brief interview with a candidate, and a few glances at a manuscript, are sufficient to enable him to grade the candidate with tolerable accuracy, so far as it relates to his scholarship; but not so with what is generally comprehended under the head of theory. Answers to the latter may be committed from such authors as Page, Wickersham, Hart, and others, and repeated parrot-like to the examiner, or written off for his after examination; whilst the practical qualifications may be as foreign to the theory given as darkness is to light.

I have met candidates whose exterior seemed pleasing, conversational powers good, eyes apparently flashing, walk seemingly upright, mouth and breath free from tobacco, and yet who were utterly shiftless in the school-room. On the other hand, I have met those whose demeanor was quiet, who seemed not a little dull at times, and whose manuscripts were not a little marked after they had passed through the examiner's hands; yet who exhibited more tact before their classes, and seemed to infuse more life into their pupils through their fingers' ends in an hour, than the former could accomplish through the combined powers of both body and mind in a fortnight.

The maxim that "As is the teacher, so is the school", being generally credited, and I think it will hold good in every case in which the teacher has had sufficient time for introduction, it seems that visiting schools would render the best possible means of judging of what is comprehended under the head of theory. Visits by the examiners should be made without previous notice to the schools; for we American teachers are said to parade the best side and to screen its defects; are a little too sensitive of blame and too greedy of praise. Where none but live educational men or teachers are appointed examiners, considerable visiting is generally done, acquaintance between the examiners and teachers of a county formed, and the theory and practice pretty accurately ascertained.

Candidates ought to be questioned with reference to the history of their education, the number and extent of the branches studied, the general plan of the school system of the State, and the works on theory and practice they have read. Such and kindred questions will often call forth items of valuable information to the examiner. In the case of a candidate with no experience, the examiner should regard none of his duties more important and binding that that of rendering the young candidate advices pertaining to his anticipated work. Hints relative to the first day's business, especially the organization of the school, will prove valuable information to the young candidate, and should be freely but carefully given.

But I promised not to weary you. I have given but a dim out-line of the examiner's duty, and will have to pass it over as it is, to his better judgment, for further finish. I most earnestly recommend that examiners regard their duty as two-fold: first, to test candidates' qualifications, practical, as far as

« PreviousContinue »