maps, well and pump, scraper at the door, shovel, scuttle, poker, hatchet, etc. These are all necessary articles, and by some study the list can be enlarged. All of these should be furnished by the Trustee. Teacher in District No. 6.-Give the Institute a complete drill on this map. Draw a map and give the rule for the same. In this exercise it will be wise to go into details somewhat, and make the exercise thorough. Teacher in District No. 7.-This exercise should be complete, giving divisions, number, name, location of each bone, the uses of bones in general, and their chemical composition. Explain sesamoid and Wormian bones. Send in outlines for publication. Teacher in District No. 8.-Drill the Institute in this subject, and let the members do considerable of the work on the board. Divide the settlements both as to date and nationality. Have your subject so well learned that there will be no need of heṣitating in your work. Teacher in District No. 9.-An excellent subject for a short oration. Consult works on Political Economy. Chapter 13, page 385 of "Thompson's Social Science and National Economy," and page 360 of Wickersham's School Economy" for information on this subject. Send a copy of oration to this office. Teacher in District No. 10.-There are so many treatises, articles, etc., discussing the subject of your essay, that we feel that it is scarcely necessary to make any suggestions to you concerning it. On page 322 of "Wickersham's School Economy" you will find a few suggestions, but they are by no means complete. The Evening Session.-Many townships throughout the State now hold an evening session of their Institute. They discuss educational topics, and quite often the parents participate in the ex ercises. Select reading, essays, orations, dialogues, toasts and music, enliven the occasion and the exercises close with a pleasant social or promenade. Where the teachers are so situated there can be much pleasure and good derived from these entertain ments. TEACHING PRIMARY GEOGRAPHY. All earnest, devoted and diligent teachers devise plans of organization, ways of discipiline, means of government, and methods of nstruction which are adapted to the circumstances in which they are placed. This class of teachers is the most diligent in searching out the plans, ways, means and methods of others, and the most earnest in comparing them with their own. Among the many difficult things each teacher has to do, or, at least, ought to do, is to teach his primary pupils geogragphy. The pupils intended by the word primary are those who are not old enough to use a book on the subject; pupils who have just commenced to read, write and use the chart and slate. Pupils of this age are to be taught orally, that is by some method of teaching which will create in them a desire for knowledge of the surface of the earth and the relative position of places. The following is the best method of which the writer has any knowledge: Suppose you have a class of six, eight or ten little boys and girls. Perhaps not more than one of the number will know the cardinal points. Teach the class these directions by the use of the nearest objects. Take the school-house for the first object of study. If the end in which the door is placed is north, the other end is south, the right-hand one is east and the left-hand one is west. Dwell upon this until each one in the class fully understands the directions north, south, east and west as they refer to the school house. In the second place take objects in the room. Let it be something after this manner: In what direction is the north end of the room from the stove? is the south end from the stove? is the east side from the stove? is the west side from the stove? Then take other objects in the room. As for example: In what direction is Jane's desk from John's? In what direction is Jane's desk from Mary's? In what direction is Jane's desk from Peter's? In what direction is Jane's desk from James'? This, also, is to be continued and repeated until all understand fully and clearly the thing you are trying to teach. The teacher is to guard himself in two directions. If you commence with the desk of Jane let that be the point of reference until you have taken the desk of each member of the class. Take next the desk of Mary as the one with which all the others are compared. Then the desk of Peter, of James, of Joseph, of Stella and of all in the class. This insures interest on the part of all the class and prevents any one from saying that one pupil is not noticed and cared for as much as another. The other thing is equally important. To illustrate: Suppose the question is this: In what direction is Jane's desk from John's? The question is given to Mary. She replies, north. The answer may be correct in so far as direction is concerned, and yet the teacher ought to go farther for the sake of teaching Mary how to build a sentence. Teach her and all the members of the class to answer in full, round sentences. "Jane's desk is north from John's desk." By this method the teacher has the opportunity to teach how to make a correct sentence, to teach correct pronunciation, to teach the use of proper words, to teach emphasis and inflection in giving the sentence. We have now before us enough of material for three o' four weeks' work. In another number we will carry this same method out of the school-house into the yard, district, township, county, State and United States. JJ. A. BEATTIE. SOME OF THE DUTIES OF TEACHERS. It is in mind to present a few thoughts for the consideration of teachers. Every year brings into the educational field new teachers who, of course, have to learn how to teach. There is no teachers' school that can even give these teachers the lessons of experi ence which they learn in the school room. The teacher must learn how to impart his knowledge of the text-books to the children; how to bring his feelings and thoughts into sympathy and communion with theirs; and above all things how to govern them. Observation has led me to believe that the majority of teachers teach for the dollars and not from a sense of duty or life-work. Is it not the duty of every one who thinks of becoming an instructor of the young to think much and meditate long whether he is fitted in any sense for the labor which is incumbent on every teacher? None should think of teaching who has not fully acquainted him. self with all the branches to be taught. He should be master of every difficult problem in arithmetic, and every hard sentence in grammar. But it is needless to speak of this duty, for the law compels all to understand the eight branches before attempting to teach them. Indeed we hold that a teacher's knowledge of books (though indispensable) is not his greatest qualification. He who can parse. every word in his grammar, and analyze every sentence readily, would find himself in a bad plight before a class of beginners if he could not bring himself down to the plane on which they stand, and enter fully into their thoughts and feelings. He must remember when he stood at the same place, and he must realize how dark ev ery step was to him and how difficult it was for him to master the different parts of speech. The great secret in teaching and the firs and paramount duty of teachers is to study the children. Teach ers often say they cannot control the "bad" boys in their schools; that they give them constant trouble. It is not the purpose to make any suggestions in this article on that subject; but it does seem to me that in nine such cases out of every ten, the teacher is to blame, not for the rudeness of the boys, but the failure to bring them to subjection. No teacher should allow boys or girls to go to school to him one month without knowing how to approach them, both to win their good-will and to bring them into obedience to his rules without a harsh word, and above all, without the rod. "The day of small things" is too often forgotten by those who prepare to in struct the little urchins. It is true that the children must do their own studying; but they must be taught how to study to accomplish the most in the shortest time. While the children are being taught how to study, how to think, the teacher must not forget to make the thing studied interesting to them. He should make the boys and girls feel that it is for their own good that they go to school, and that their greatest happiness in life lies in their full development of mind, soul and body. That the more their minds are expanded the stronger they will become. A lack of proper instruction, on the part of the teacher of these things, has made many a boy hate the school-room. The school-room should be made a place of delight, a place eagerly sought by every child in the district. If the teacher enthuses the children with an ardent desire for knowledge, he will have no trouble in teaching them and in governing them. Teachers awaken yourselves to the great responsibilities which responsibilities which are resting upon you. Remember that you are responsible, to some extent for the misery or happiness, for the success or failure of those who are instructed at your hands in the school-room. W. H. KERN. FAYETTEVILLE, IND., October 29, 1880. EXAMINATION DEPARTMENT. QUESTIONS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF TEACHERS, FOR OCTOBER. 2. Is there any difference between a space in height and a space in width of the small letters? If so, what is it? 2 pts.. 5 each. 4. Analyze the small w according to your method of teaching. The gems of knowledge from the mind's plum'd wing," 10. 10. 1 to 50. Let the penmanship of the candidate as shown in the answers to the above questions be marked 1 to 50, according to the judgment of the Superintendent. 1. SPELLING. What five different letters or combinations of letters may be used to represent the sound of u in burn? 10. 2. Give the rule for doubling the final consonant of a word on receiving a suffix beginning with a vowel. Illustrate each part of the rule. 10. 3. Of what value is the spelling-book as a text-book for schools? 10. Indicate the sounds of the following letters by us of the proper diacritical marks:-Height; aisle; people; guard; goal. Spell 20 words pronounced by the examiner. 3. 5 1. READING. 10. 60. 10. To what extent should pupils learn to read by imitation? 2. State the reasons for requiring every pupil to be able to pronounce every word in the sentence or paragraph at sight, before he is called upon to read it. 10. 3. 4. What is the general principle by which we determine where the emphasis shall be placed in reading? 10. Make out a list of questions which might be written upon the blackboard to aid the pupil in the preparation of reading the following lesson: THE OLD CLOCK ON THE STAIR. Tall poplar trees their shadows throw; An ancient time-piece says to all:- Never--forever!" Half way up the stairs it stands, And points and beckons with its hands; From its case of massive oak, Like a Monk, who, under his eloak, Crosses himself, and sighs,-alas! With sorrowiul voice to all who pass! Forever-never! Never--torever!" 10. 5. State in your own words the thought expressed in the seco id s.anza. 10. 6. The candidate should read a selection, upon which he may grade from 1 to 50. |