Ella L Kelly Teaching Notebook

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The work of the good teacher is to make pupils recite, think, classify and arrange. Science is knowledge reduced to order. Educate means to draw or lead out and strengthen the faculties of the mind. A person is well educated when the faculties of the mind are well trained; when he can judge, reason and remember. Train pupils that all knowledge can be used. Much school work is not education. Begin to have pupils use every part of knowledge. If we do not use it we will lose it. The best way to learn to do a thing is to do it. Result of training is skill. Skill is accuracy and rapidity.

We want more training. Train pupils to do something. Have them see and hear every thing. Give them the power to use knowledge and they will soon get it. Make ones work do good. Let it make us enjoy cheerful, happy, healthful work. Now as ever it is ones own work that makes us scholars. The teacher that gets the most work out of us is best. What we fail in doing benefits

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know by the jingle.

Geography and History is a matter of memory. It is to be taught and learned.

In Mathematics there is no use of memory except for abstract numbers, tables and denominate numbers. There is no need of having the fly leaves of Arithmetics and Algebra covered with examples and statements. That is laziness. If you ever understood it you have no use for it more. Work examples with pen and ink. It will make one careful. If one can rub out easily one will be careless. Mathematics is a matter of understanding reason, logic.

Language is a discrimination. One must feel what a word does in a sentence. The old system made it memory. Hunt out words, compare one class of words with another showing differences. A new word represents a new thought. The study of language is the best

training for the mind. Language is mental growth, culture. It gives a more general culture. Latin and Greek are the very best mental studies in the world. The best minds are those which have been through the mill. One that does not learn one other language than his own does not know his own. All the foregoing studies are splendid disciplines for the mind. Great changes must be made in teaching by putting away memory studies.

The study of Natural Science makes us careful observers. This study is now used where there used to be more time devoted to the dead languages and higher Mathematics. Natural Science is practical and makes us earn our bread and butter.

Drawing and Writing require a training of certain muscles of the arm. Reading and Music requires the training of the muscles of the voice.