Program of New-York State Normal School.

October 20, 1845, and onward.

Time.

Exercises.

Teachers.

9 A. M. to 9.30 CHAPEL EXERCISES, &C. IN LECTURE ROOM.

Wednesday is devoted to Penmanship, Composition, Declamation, "SubLectures," Lectures, and General Exercises

Models not to be copied.-Teacher must think.-Interruptions.

If I have devoted considerable space to this subject, it is because I deem it of very great importance to the teacher's success. With one other remark I dismiss it. These models are not given to be servilely copied. They are given to illustrate the great principle. The circumstances of schools will be found to vary so widely, that no model, however perfect in itself, would answer for all. The teacher must exercise his own ingenuity and judgment to meet his own wants; and in general it may be remarked that where a teacher has not the skill to adapt his own plans to his own circum stances, he can hardly be expected to succeed in carry ing out the plans of another.

SECTION II.-INTERRUPTIONS.

In every school consisting of pupils of different ages and circumstances, there will be more or less of interruption to the general order and employment of the school. Some of the pupils have never been trained to system at home; perhaps most of them may have been positively taught to disregard it at school. At any rate, "it must needs be," in this particular, " that offenses come." Nor should the teacher lose his patience though he should be often disturbed by the thoughtlessness of his pupils. He should expect it as a matter of course, and exercise his ingenuity as far as possible to prevent it. It may well be one of his sources of enjoyment to witness an improvement in the habits of his pupils in regard to system.

A scene from nature.-Business accumulates.-A crisis.

These interruptions proceed from various causes,such as soliciting leave to speak, or to go out; asking for some assistance in learning lessons, or for leave to drink, or to stand by the fire; requesting the teacher to mend pens, or to set copies; disorderly conduct in pupils, making it necessary, in his judgment, to administer reproof or punishment in the midst of other duties, -and sometimes the vociferous and impatient making of complaints by one scholar against another.

How many times I have seen a teacher involved in indescribable perplexity, while trying to perform the duty of instruction, and to "get through" in time While hearing a grammar lesson, a scholar brings up his atlas to have some place pointed out which he had upon one trial failed to find. The teacher turning to look for the place, is addressed with "Please mend my pen," from another quarter. Having the knife in hand, as if such things were to be expected, the obliging teacher takes the pen, and holding it between his eyes and the atlas, endeavors to shape its nib and to discover the city at the same glance. "Jane keeps a pinching me,"―vociferates a little girl who is seated behind the class. Jane, Jane," says the teacher, turning away from both the nib and the city, "Jane, come to me instantly." Jane with the guilty fingers thrust far into her mouth makes her way sideling towards the teacher. "May I go out ?"-says John, who is thinking only of his own convenience. "No, no❞—answers the teacher, a little pettishly, as if conscious that in a crisis like this, a request simply to

A pail of water.-A juncture and a conjunction !-A truce.

breathe more freely is scarcely justifiable. "Please, sir, let me and Charles go out and get a pail of water." This is said by a little shrewd-looking, round-faced, light-haired boy, who has learned how to select his time, and to place the emphasis upon the "please, sir.” The teacher by this time being considerably fretted by such an accumulation of business on his hands, very naturally thinks of the refreshment contained in a pail of cool water, and very good-naturedly answers the little urchin in the affirmative, who most likely is by this time more than half way out of the door, so confident is he of success. Just at this juncture a considerate-looking miss in the class earnestly appeals to the teacher, to know if the word next but three to the last, was not a common noun, though called a conjunction ! This reminds the teacher that several words have been parsed without his notice, and he asks the class to stop there." Glancing at his watch, he discovers that he has gone three minutes beyond the time for recess, and he relieves himself by saying, "boys may go out." This grants a truce to all parties. The pen goes back unmended; the atlas with its sought city undiscovered; John "goes out" now by common law, taking to himself the credit of this happy release, as he asked only to remind the master that it was time for recess; Jane takes both thumb and finger from her precious little mouth, and smiling seats herself by the side of her late challenger, who is by this time more than half repentant of her own impatience; the shrewd-looking urchin and his companion return with the refreshing pail of water,

66

Sunshine again.-Lancaster's motto.-System.

-the boys and girls gather round to obtain the first draught, while the little chubby-faced lad comes for ward, clothed in smiles, with a cup filled with the cooling liquid on purpose for the master; the boon is accepted, the perplexed brow becomes placid, and all is sunshine again. This is not a very extravagant picture of the interruptions in a district school. Those who have been brought up in such a school, will recognise the fidelity of the likeness, as it has been drawn from nature.

Now whoever has any knowledge of human nature, and of school teaching, will at once see that this is all wrong. It is a law of our being, that we can do well but one thing at a time. He who attempts more, must do what he attempts but very imperfectly. There was a great deal of wisdom embodied in that motto which used to be placed in the old Lancasterian schools; "A

TIME FOR EVERY THING, AND EVERY THING IN ITS

TIME." It should be one of the mottoes of every teacher. In the construction of the plan or program for the day's duties, great care should be taken to provide for all these little things. If whispering is to be allowed at all in school, let it come into one of the intervals between recitations. If assistance in getting lessons is to be asked and rendered, let it be done at a time assigned for the special purpose.

As far as possible, except in extreme cases, let the discipline be attended to at the time of general exercise, or some other period assigned to it, so that there shall not be a ludicrous mixture of punish