TEACHING sal AS A CAREER FOR lljJNIVERSITY MEN 5 ^gi ^■S J^. c/. FIND LAY THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES Ex Lihris SIR MICHAEL SADLER ACQUIRED 1948 WITH THE HELP OF ALUMNI OF THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION ^v \ r/-ii %^ TEACHING AS A CAREER FOR UNIVERSITY M E N TEACHING AS A CAREER FOR UNIVERSITY MEN BY J. J. FINDLAY, M.A. LATE SCHOLAR OF WADHAM COLLEGE, OXFORD AND RECENTLY HEADMASTER OF QUEEN's COLLEGE, TAUNTON WITH A PREFATORY NOTE ARTHUR SIDGWICK, M.A. FELLOW AND TUTOR OF CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE, OXFORD AND LATE ASSISTANT-MASTER AT RUGBY SCHOOL RIVINGTONS WATERLOO PLACE, LONDON MDCCCLXXXIX L6 PREFATORY NOTE I AM glad to be able, at the request of my friend Mr. J. J. Findlay, to invite the attention of those who are interested in the training of teachers at first-grade schools to the thoughts and suggestions which he offers in the following pages. Like many others who are acquainted with the working of our public schools, I have long been of opinion that some systematic course of training is much needed for those who aspire to become teachers in them. Until this need is more generally recognized, and opportunities are placed within the reach of the average student of obtaining this instruction, it is, I think, a useful work to put down on paper, as Mr. Findlay has done, such views and suggestions as may lead young teachers to feel the desirability of study- ing more closely the theory of their professional work, and may help them to do something towards training themselves. A. SIDGWICK. OXFOUD, August, 1888. PREFACE I HAVE attempted to write out in the following paper such words as I myself should have been glad to read before I went down, four years ago, to take a mastership. I have a very recent" recollection of my own insufficiency for the work of teaching when I began it, and I have had, perhaps, special opportunities of learning the opinions both of men who apply for master- ships, and of men who are now employed in teaching. I believe that both in the Universities and in schools there is a readiness to welcome efforts in favour of progress and reform ; and it is in that belief that I have ventured to print this paper. J. J. FINDLAY. I. — The Nature of a School-master's "Work. A MASTER is not a kind of hotel-keeper, making his living by the profits of board and lodging ; nor a professional athlete, spending the best years of his life in the play-field ; nor even a crammer, coaching the youth of England in the art of passing examinations. All these are necessary parts of his business, to which he must pay due attention in their place ; but the misfortune is that one or the other of these is so often put in the place of his essential and proper duty, and hence the whole issue is confused. It The founda- tion pnn- may be well, therefore, at the outset, to give a *^'p^® clear conception of the proper aim of a school- master's work. He is a guide, a teacher of children. He is not a teacher of subjects, of classics or mathematics, but of boys. His final purpose is not to impart the knowledge, but to develop the intelligence ; and not that mainly, B 2 Essay on Education. but rather to develop the character, the habit of following right principle in daily conduct.^ He will be eao-er enoucrh about school orames, and will be glad if he himself is an athlete, and able to take his share in the cricket-field ; but all the while his thoughts will be running in a deeper groove. He will know that the value of school games is at least doubled by their being made at the same time an element in discipline and morals ; and he will be keenly alive to the dangers of what is called "athleticism," of the excessive devotion to idle play in every rank of English society, but most of all among men who have been educated in the great public schools. He will, in fact, undertake the employ- ment of teaching with the definite purpose of assisting to raise the tone of society in the generation that is coming, upon whom he will lay his hand in the world of school, before they play their part in the world outside. Now, while this conception of a master's work is not new, it must be admitted that it is not familiar to the majority of school-masters, and certainly it is very unfamiliar to under-graduates * Read Stanley's " Life of Arnold," chap. iii. Nature of the Work. 3 who have nothing to guide them beyond the recollection of their own school-days. Here and there a distinguished head-master may be found who teaches and practices on such a principle ; and no doubt, in many schools, men may be found who are following the example : but the criticized. majority of masters will certainly not favour this view, while many will even be prepared to challenge it. They will say, especially if they are only teachers in a day-school, that they do not stand in loco parentis, and cannot be ex- pected to do so ; that while a master ought, of course, to be a man of high character, yet, in practice, his business is similar to that of men in other professions : he has to give instruction, and to give it with success, and that is all. If he cares to do anything more for boys, either for their souls or for their bodies, let him do so, but this is not in the contract, and certainly cannot be demanded of the ordinary master. This criticism has at least one advantage — that it represents the actual state of things, and lowers the demand made by our work upon us. Nevertheless we must only the more earnestly insist that such a view is wrono\ because it is 4 Essay on Ediication. deficient. However highly we may rate the vahie of school lessons, there is a higher, a ha]'der task for the master to fulfil ; and he cannot evade his responsibility. It may be urged that this higher view of a master's work is, after all, pretty much what we all hold as the ideal conception, — very like the ideals of the other professions ; that no doubt all teaching has its influence on character, and, if the teacher is a man of quick sympathies, he will have a special influence over his boys. But, it will be said, these difiicult questions of personal influence cannot be discussed in detail, and must be left to take their course and to develop unconsciously. You cannot teach habits of conduct as you teach Latin declensions. Perfectly true, we reply; nor can you teach Latin prose as you teach declensions; but you can teach both if you are qualified ; and you can train character also, if you are qualified, and if The need for you devotc youTself to it. It is surely of im- a high aim, for a definite portauce for a man who intends to teach, that purpose. -■■ he should definitely aim at the best and highest work that can fall to his lot, and, more than that, should study the mind and the ways of Nature of the Work. 5 children, so that he may be able to exert himself rightly for their benefit. Yet another objection. It will be asked whether this very high and very necessary work had not better be left to those who have special gifts for it, i.e. to masters who take orders. Is not this work to be done in school- chapel, or in close connection with religious instruction ? The very importance and difficulty of the task leads some men to shrink from it, and to prefer to hand it over to others. But to Religious in- struction not admit this plea would invalidate the whole f J "J^e^^sw argument ; for the training which a boy should receive in character and in religious principle does not come mainly from direct instruction in chapel or in Bible lessons. School sermons and Scripture teaching are indeed of the highest value, and ought to take a large place in guiding the life of a good school; but they are useless by themselves. The work of training character is chiefly done in the intercourse between master and boy, in their close contact day by day ; in the motives and manners, unseen and unfelt, which go to make up the tone and style of the whole society. The master studies his boys ; he learns 6 Essay on Education. their habits, knows their weaknesses ; and so he can deal with them, can cause all that is evil to die within them, and all that is good to grow up and flourish. To despise or to dispense with religious teaching would be not only an impiety, but a mistake ; nevertheless, relio-ious teachino- will never, hy itself, create high tone and noble character. Form- It is in recognition of this principle that a masters and set-masters. (Jefinite positiou lias been assigned, in many schools, to the " Form " master, as distinguished from the " Set " master. The latter usually teaches only one branch — science, mathematics, or modern languages : but the form-master confines his work to one form, and, in theory at least, accepts a responsibility for training his class in character ; and he usually, for this reason, takes charge of the Scripture teaching in his form, whether he is in orders or not. The final And now let us follow out our principle in aim in school instruction, another direction, and inquire what is the proper purpose and end of school lessons. Since the whole purpose of school life is to achieve a train- ing, in character and in intelligence, the true teacher will not be satisfied with imparting Nature of the Work. 7 knowledge, or with securing " results " in exami- nations. He will, of course, recognize these neces- sities, and will bow to them, so far as he honestly can. He will admit that his boys must go through the ordinary curriculum, and be qualified to pass examination tests, but he will never allow his real purpose to be thrust aside by such demands. He will set himself to train the facul- ties of boys, to develop the understanding, to cultivate the imagination, to create taste, to strengthen the memory, and he will then be able to leave his pupils with confidence in the hands of examiners. To all outward appearance, he may be teaching like others — he will be giving lessons in classics or mathematics, in preparation for certificates, or for scholarships, or for the army ; but his method and spirit will be wholly different, and the educational result cannot fail to differ likewise. The examination system has been of excellent service. It has created a new race of school- masters, who work and work hard. It has done destructive work — it has abolished abuses. It has given public opinion some kind of a standard by which to estimate school efficiency. But now 8 Essay on Education. we want constructive work. We have learnt how to make boys pass examinations ; we now want Theexami- to learn how to train their faculties. We are nation system only thankful to the examiner, but there are limits to a partial benefit. his usefuluess ; and although he can find us out when we are idle, he cannot give us what we are now seeking — methods and principles of instruc- tion. Let there be no mistake as to the issue here. For the present, most schools and nearly all parents are satisfied with that they call " results ; " if the boys pass examinations and win honours, the school jDrospers. Nevertheless it is a mistake to aim at results ; they may be the accompaniment of teaching, but they may not, they must not, be the purpose of teaching. The only hope for true education in the class-room lies in a clear distinction between these two. It is only by keeping a firm hold upon this principle that we can thread our way through the perplexities and temptations that surround the master's desk. He has to teach all that his predecessors used to teach, and a world of subjects beside. He has to settle the rival claims of science and of literature, of Latin and of French ; and in each of these he has to select his Nature of the VVo7-k. g own out of the many methods of instruction. He cannot possibly save himself, he cannot Teachers must be possibly rise to be any thins; better than the masters, and r J JO not slaves. examiners' slave, unless he resolutely determines that he will teach school-6o?/.s, not school-6ooA;s ; that he will make the school-books and their writers bow to his will and assist him in his purpose, which stands out clear before him at all times, the one object — to train his boys in habits of rio-ht thinkinfj and ricjht living^. But the class-room is not the only province in which a master finds opportunity of influence. He has accepted a responsibility which cannot be easily limited, especially if he is placed, as so many English masters are, in a boarding- school. He has taken charge, for weeks and The occupa- tion of school months at a time, of the whole life of children, ^e""*"*- and he has therefore to consider the organization of school in every department; the occupation of a boy's leisure hours is his concern, equally with the hours of instruction. Thus he is con- fronted with problems and with difiiculties which will require all the patience, the wit, and the human sympathy of which he is capable. His boys are of a complex nature ; their tastes 10 Essay on Education. and demands — leoitimate tastes and leoitimate demands — are boundless, and he has to meet them. In fact, he has to deal with the great problem of the occupation of school leisure,'^ a problem of which at present only the fringe has been approached. In some schools nothing at all is done in this direction ; in many, attention is limited to the routine organization of school o-ames. An earnest master will not be content with this ; he will turn to literature, to science, to music and to other arts — to any instrument, indeed, which may serve in worthily occupying a boy's attention. And yet, although he make daily and ceaseless efforts to perform this task, he will feel even then that the problem of the occupation of school leisure is only partially solved. II. — Appeenticeship. It will possibly have struck the reader by this time that a man can scarcely be expected to do all this "off-hand." Well, no; on the whole, ' Vide Cotterill's " Suggested Keforms in Public Schools," p. (IG) below. Apprenticeship. 1 1 decidedly not. Of course it is still the custom for a man to take his degree one week, and to take full ch£(,rge of a form the next; and it is probable that the custom Avill not cease until about the end of this century. Sooner or later, however, it will cease ; sooner or later public opinion will require men to begin with appren- ticeship, and masters will admit the need of it. At present, the great majority of masters, head- proper train- ing not to masters most of all, ridicule the idea of trainings, te had at ^ present. They talk of a " genius " for teaching, of " born teachers;" and they congratulate themselves upon their birthright ! But the future of higher education does not rest entirely in their hands, and he who wishes to work for the future will do well to place himself in sympathy with the forward movement, with the men who established the Education Society, and the Teachers' Guild, and who more recently endeavoured to found a Training Colleo-e for Higher-Grade School-masters. Information will at this point be more service- able than argument. Although the Finsbury Training College has been abandoned, it will still be easy for a man who wishes to study the 12 Essay on Education. himself in training ? theory and art of teaching to do a great deal towards qualifying himself for useful work. Indeed it may be questioned whether distinct training colleges, excellent and indispensable as they are for elementary teachers, are necessary for University men. A large part of the study in the elementary training colleges is devoted to the acquirement of scholarship, which- an Oxford or Cambridge graduate has already acquired. What can a A man who has read for an honours degree, and man do for • who has thus learnt liow to get up a subject, can very well read for himself the accessible books on education, and can prepare for the Cambridge Teachers' Syndicate Examination, and if, along with this, he obtains entrance as a master into a public school of high standing, he will secure for himself a tolerable form of apprenticeship, although, no doubt, very incomplete and super- ficial. There must be a bes'innine; somewhere ; and, until the great head-masters seriously take up the cause of training, and dismiss the " born- teacher " theory, young masters must do what they can for themselves. Here let us make clear, in a word or two, what we mean by training for ix. school-master. Training explained, Apprentices J lip. 1 3 We mean exactly what is meant by training for a doctor. There is the science and the art, the theory and the practice. A man is not a teacher simply because he has read psychology and the theory of education; but an efficient teacher ought to know something of these. Nor is a man certain to succeed because he listens to teaching, and tries to acquire method by imita- tion and by the correction of faults. But practice and study under the guidance of older and more experienced men are invaluable, and young masters ought to be able to obtain these. A doctor requires not only some rudiments of By analogy with other general culture and an advanced knowledge of p'"°^'^^^'°°^- medicine and surgery, but also some hospital practice and apprenticeship under qualified men. And obviously a teacher requires the same apprenticeship. Here and there a trained teacher may prove to be incompetent; but his case will not affect the argument. Medical students sometimes prove to be very indifferent doctors ; nevertheless we believe in medical study, and decline to resort to quacks. We are simply demanding for higher-grade teaching what is being demanded on similar 14 Essay on Education. lines for every profession and business, and it is idle for men to fold their arms and to exclaim that the former days were better than these. Teaching is being badly done — in past days was done still worse. The calling of a school-master will never rise to the dignit}'- of a profession until it is organized and protected and advanced on lines similar to those adopted in the profes- sions allied to it. It is scarcely worth while as yet to discuss in detail any scheme or system for higher-grade training. We have yet to convince the public, and masters themselves, that training is neces- sary. I may, however, in a word or two, indicate my own opinion as to the method most likely to prove efficient. A complete apprenticeship requires, first, a study, from books or lectures, of the science and art of education; secondly^ practice in teaching under supervision and direction from experienced men ; thirdly, ac- quaintance, by residence and intimate associa- A plan for tiou with the life of an active school. To training pos- sible in tlie achieve these objects there mio-ht be or2:anized, near luture. '' o o ' in connection with a large school, a training department, under the charge either of the head- Apprenticeship. 1 5 master or of an experienced assistant-master. A young graduate desiring to teach would not at once be appointed to responsible work, but, for a year or so, would be engaged at a nominal salary, would teach under direction for a portion of his time, and for the rest of the day would study, probably with a view to the Cambridge or other teachers' examination. It would certainly be possible to initiate some arrange- ment of this kind in a large school with little disturbance to routine, if masters of reputation could be found willing to assist in the work of training. And, possibly, we are nearer the realization of some such plan than might be supposed. There are at least two very promis- ing " signs " of change. There is, in all the best schools, a willingness, often quite an eagerness, to give and to receive assistance in order to improve higher-grade teaching; and there is also, in such schools, a deep dissatisfaction with the present situation, especially in the matter of training young masters. For the present, however, men must rely upon themselves, and if they cannot gain the assistance of older men, they can learn much from reading. 1 6 Essay on Education. The following list of books does not pretend to be exhaustive, but it will, at any rate, serve its purpose to awaken interest in the work of teaching. First of all, there are a few books which a man may well read before he goes down from the University. The Cambridge Pitt Press has printed lectures^ delivered for the References Teachers' Syndicate. Of these, notice one by to books. Mr. Arthur Sidgwick, on " Stimulus," ^ and one by Dr. Poole of the Modern School, Bedford, on "Form Management." The late head-master of Uppingham, Mr. Thring, published two books, ^ which may well be read at the same time ; and to these may be added D'Arcy Thompson's " Day Dreams of a Schoolmaster,"* and Cotterill's " Suo-ofested Reforms in Public Schools." ^ The value of these books lies in their power of stimulus. They will create a feeling of unrest and of anxiety to know more. They will * " Practice of Education ; General Aims of the Teacher." Pitt Press, Cambridge. " A second Cambridge lecture, "On Form Discipline," has been published by Rivingtons. ' " Education and School : Theory and Practice of Teach- ing." Macmillan. * Published in Edinburgh — now out of print. * William Blackwood and Sons. Appren ticesJi ip. 1 7 convince the young school-master that his degree is not wholly sufficient as an equipment for the conduct of a school. There is much in these books, at any rate in the last three, of which he may not approve ; but as long as they succeed in disturbing the conscience, or in exciting hope, they will have done their work Kead once, they will be read again, and on each occasion with higher appreciation of their worth. Beyond reading these books a man can do very little, under present conditions, until he has taken his degree, and has actually com- menced work in a school. If, however, logic The study of lofcic and and psychology do not come within his Uni- psychology. versity course, he ought, by some means or other, to acquaint himself with the elements of these before he takes a mastership. It will be scarcely worth while to argue at any length the claims of mental science as a study suitable for teachers. Those who really believe that there is a science and art of teaching will readily admit the value of mental science. The teacher has to train the mind, the character of children; surely he will be assisted by some acquaintance with the laws of mind as observed c 1 8 Essay on Education. in children. No doubt there are many excellent teachers who are ignorant of psychology ; there are also many excellent preachers who are ignorant of theology : what is perhaps required at present, beyond the rest, is that young masters shall be able to think for themselves, to criticize and judge the various methods of teaching and dealing with children; and the study of mental science will bring their judg- ment to the right focus. There are, fortunately, two books at hand which will supply what is required, in a convenient form, Bain's " Educa- tion as a Science," ^ and the " Handbook of Psychology," written expressly for teachers, by Professor Sully .^ In ])roceeding to mention books 'relating to specific subjects of instruction, it must be ob- served that we are not much concerned with sixth-form teaching in classics or mathematics. Such work is, in the highest degree, important, but it is more allied to University teaching, and in most of the best schools it has been, and is, fairly well done. We rather have in view the ' International Scientific Series. Kegau Paul and Co. ^ Longmans, Green and Co. Apprenticeship. 19 main work in schools, from the junior school to the fifth form. In the sixth form of a good school the boys are already students, and are prepared to profit by the teaching even of a master who is only a scholar, and has little sympathy or faculty for expression. But younger boys are entirely Younger boys more dependent upon their master ; they must look ^'^^^"^\'J^ to him for the formation of habits of thought as ''^'"^^^'"y^- well as for the actual acquirement of knowledge. A man cannot teach well in any part of a school without training; but he may be able to pass muster with older boys, and yet be entirely at a loss in the presence of younger children. Languages. — It is gradually coming to be accepted that the principles of language-teaching are the same for ancient and for modern lan- guages. The literature of the subject is scanty, but is well worth reading. The books referred to above, especially those by Thring, D'Arcy Thompson, and Cotterill (chap, vii.), take the first place. They will teach a man many things ; above all, they will serve to expound the one great principle — that the grammar must be learnt from the language, and not the language from the grammar. The " Essays on a Liberal Educa- classics. 20 Essay on Education. tion," ^ edited by Archdeacon Farrar when a Harrow master, are worth perusal. They are largely controversial, and a little out of date, but they are of great interest, especially as indi- cating the current of opinion during the last thirty years. For the rest one must diligently ferret out the hints given in prefaces and intro- ductions to school-books, such as, e.g., Welch and Duffield's " Selections from Csesar." ^ In this way an observant man will soon be able to work out for himself a method to guide his teaching. Modern Languages. — On the whole, the course of instruction in the elements of all foreiofn languages should be the same ; still there are special considerations which need study in con- nection with French and German. The litera- ture of modern-language teaching is abundant, and the "methods " of infallible and speedy instruction are overwhelming in number, from Ollendorff to Prendergast. Most of these books contain something that is worth noticing, and the more a master observes the better. The 1 Published by Parker, Oxford. Now out of priut. - Maciiiillau's " Elementary Classics." Apprenticeship. 2 1 defect of such patent processes seems to be that they are so rigid and so exclusive. A teacher gets hold of one idea — one principle of teaching, and builds up his system thereupon, quite re- gardless of other principles equally important. Special notice, however, is due to two lectures^ given at Cambridge, for the Teachers' Syndicate, by Mr. Colbeck, of Harrow. It should be added, that any one who wishes to teach French or German respectably ought to take the trouble to go abroad in vacation as often as possible. Even if he only teaches lower or middle forms, the cultivation of accent and of familiar speech is essential. And if in his foreign travels he can gain some insight into foreign methods of in- struction, he may learn lessons which will possibly be of greater service to him than even his study of the language. Mathematics. — In mathematics, more than Mathe- matics. in any other subject, one learns everything by witnessing good teaching ; and if a master has not the opportunity of seeing such work in a higher-grade school, let him visit a good 1 " The Teaching of Modern Languages," C. Colbeck. Pitt Press, Cambridge. 22 Essay on Education. elementary school, where arithmetic and algebra are taught by masters whose income bears a direct proportion to their success in "results." For reading, there is Sonnenschein and Fitch's " Science of Arithmetic," and the latest text- books in arithmetic and algebra, Lock, Pendle- bury, Hall and Knight, etc., — books much more suitable for the master than for use by a class. Geometry has been much discussed, and some of the editions of Euclid will be of service, to which may be added the work of the Geo- metrical Association, which has now resulted in the publication of a new text-book of elementary Geometry. ^ Natural Science. — Here the field for reading- is abundant enough, but somewhat bewildering. The press and the public are applauding science to the skies — often with very little idea of what they are seeking to achieve. Meanwhile, school- masters, and school-boys also, are, as a rule, indifferent ; the former are bothered, the latter are amused. Unquestionably science, if well taught, affords an excellent mental training ; however, it is usually ill taught, and then it is ' " Syllabus of Plane Geometry." Macmillau. Apprenticeship. 23 the worst possible subject that a boy can touch. Whoever intends therefore to teach science, must either learn his art with great diligence, or he must expect his science to be treated with contempt, not only by his pupils, but by his colleao'ues. Lano-uao^es and mathematics have their tradition, their settled place in schools : science as yet is only now working out its method ; and it will only succeed in finding acceptance when the teachers of science know what they are about. So long as boys are to be mistaught, they may as well go on with Greek and Latin. Here again, as in the teach- ing of elementary mathematics, a master may learn some valuable lessons if he will go and watch the work of good teachers in successful elementary schools. But even in the elementary schools, whose work is controlled by the ex- amination of the Science and Art Department, there is much room for imj^rovement; and the cause of education throughout the country will be greatly indebted to any man who will earnestly set about the reform of science in- struction. Two lectures, no botany and geology, delivered before the College of Preceptors, by 24 Essay on Education. Mr. Wilson (now head-master of Clifton), may be read with profit, There is a good deal of literature on science-teaching of a miscellaneous character, but little of it bears directly on the conditions of higher-grade teaching. Much may be learnt by a careful study of the style of popular lectures. The Manchester series of lectures may be mentioned ; to these add popular writers on science — Mrs. Buckley, Proc- tor, and others ; and notice the public in- terest associated with technical education as a sio;n of the times. English Subjects : Geography, History, Litera- ture. — These have been, and ai'e, the happy hunting-ground of the crammer. The examina- tions offer themselves to his art with the greatest facility, and they are the only subjects in which good teaching does not "pay." A good classical or mathematical master will get high places for his boys in examination lists ; a good teacher of the English subjects will be fortunate if his teaching does not hinder them from passing. Hence many good teachers avoid English as much as possible, and, generally, disbelieve in its value as an instrument of Apprenticeship. 2$ education. The fact is, the English subjects have, as yet, received little recognition at the Universities, and what interest does exist in these studies is philological rather than literary. Hence both school-masters and examiners come to this work lacking the proper scholarly equip- ment, and the result cannot fail to be unsatis- factory. However, a better time is coming, and before lono- it will be understood that litera- ture, and the subjects allied to it, can create a genuine interest and delight in the minds of children, and can also afford an effective training. Geikie's " Geography for Teachers ; " ^ " Methods of Teaching and Studying History ; " ^ Bowen's "Studies in English";^ Abbott and Seeley's " English Lessons for English People ; " ■^ Bain's " On teaching English," ^ may be suggested as a few amonoj a large number of books which will be of service. It is high time that teachers attempted to handle these important subjects in a better fashion than has been common ' MacmiUan. ^ " Pedagogic Library." Ginn, Heath aud Co., Boston, U.S.A. * Kegan Paul and Co. * Seeley, Jackson and Halliday. * Longmans, Green and Co. 26 Essay on Education. hitherto. Indeed, this work may be regarded as of the first importance to many schools. For we are setting aside classics as an instru- ment of literary culture, and have not yet found anything to supply their jDlace. True, they never were so employed to any large ex- tent ; but at any rate they were supposed to provide — and in the hands of able teachers did, and still do, provide — a real culture, intellectual and moral. How are the modern schools and the secondary schools to fill this gap ? We must look for aid to the poetry and prose of our own tongue, and we may find therein an instrument of culture ready to our hand, and serviceable, not only for scholars, but for children of the humblest capacity. The best work in literary instruction is at present being done by the Extension Lectures, and their methods will repay careful study (see below, p. 41). Kinder- More General Boohs. — The methods of Kinder- garten teaching. gartcu iustruction are of delightful interest, and are worth close attention. Masters are not often brought into contact with the teaching of very young children ; but a study of the views of Froebel and Pestalozzi is a study of ideas and ApprenticesJiip. 27 principles which should govern instruction of every kind. No special books need be recom- mended ; the writings of Miss Shirreff and others are very accessible. A great deal of valuable writing — on all Educational newspapers. departments of school work — has been con- tributed to the educational newspapers, the Educational Times and the, Journal of Educa- tion. A set of bound volumes of these would be a useful addition to a school-master's library. Many of the papers, lectures, reports of con- ferences, etc., contained in them cannot be obtained in any other form. The " Lectures on Teaching," ^ given by Mr. Fitch's " Lectures." Fitch at Cambridge, for the Teachers' Training- Syndicate, ought to be in the hands of every higher-grade teacher, and should be thoroughly mastered. They are by no means exhaustive, and Mr. Fitch writes with no special acquaintance with the requirements of higher-grade schools ; but the book is in every way useful, and at present it is the only book which covers the ground, dis- cussing all the subjects of school instruction. No master can fail to profit by reading one or Pitt Press, Cambridge. 28 Essay on Education. Elementary- the other of the standard books on "Method" school manuals. -written for the use of elementary teachers, such as, for example, Gladman's " School Method," ^ or the National Society's "Manual."^ These are of direct service in the teaching of writing, spelling, reading, arithmetic, and so forth, — matters a little contemptible, no doubt, in the eyes of a born teacher, but unhappily needing some attention from masters in these democratic times. And the whole scheme of elementary- school management will be suggestive and helpful, especially to him who will follow up his reading by actually entering and inspecting a successful elementary school. The following books are well worthy of atten- tion, but a mention of them will suffice : — Payne's "Lectures on the Science and Art of Education," ^ Colonel Parker's " Talks on Teaching," * Dukes's " Health at School," ^ the " Reports of the Royal Commission on Public and Endowed Schools, ' (a) " School Method ; " (5) " School Work," 2 vols., by F. T. Gladman. Jarrold and Sons. ^ The National Society's Kepository, Westminster. ^ Hodgson and Son. * Kellogg and Co., New York, U.S.A. ^ "Health at School," by Dr. Dukes, Physician to Rugby School. Rivingtons. First published as a part of Cassell's " Our Homes, and how to make them Healthy." Apprentices J lip. 29 18G6-1868." ^ It would bej^ond the scope of this pamphlet to refer to books on the history of education, or to foreign works.^ Now, if a man seriously contemplates a course of reading and inquiry into the principles of education, he will find it difficult to do much of it at school during term time, for, as we have observed, whatever masters used to do in times gone by, they work sufficiently hard at present. And it would be of no advantage for a man to study education from books before actually entering upon the life of school. The only subject that he can master beforehand in this way is psychology. It will, then, be advisable, how to secure time if one can o-et the opportunity, to secure a to study ° ^ ^ '' books on post where he shall take for the first year education. a smaller salary, and be compensated by having leisure for study and observation. If he will be content to make a temporary sacrifice in this way for a year or two, he will in all proba- bility find that he has not only become a com- petent school-master, but has increased his own market value for the future. ■ Blue Books. * The best literature of Education is iu the German language. 30 Essay on Education. Advice to Finally, let it be urged again, and with much seek work in school^ emphasis, that the best apprenticeship possible is to go to a good school and to become familiar with the methods of an active and successful head-master. This is not every- thing, but it means much. No inducement offered by a large salary should prevail upon a man of high purpose to enter a "coach- ing " establishment, or any other place of private enterprise, in preference to a public school, where he may at any rate learn the recognized methods of school administration in their best form. His whole future career will be determined by the style and habit which he learns on his first introduction to school life. Not only his work in the class-room, but his whole attitude towards boys, towards his col- leagues, and towards the public, will be governed by what he sees and hears in his first years of teaching. III. — Qualifications. Should a -'-^ ^^ readily be inferred, from what has ^rder^? " ^ bccn Said above, that the writer has no desire Qualifications. 3 1 to see every school-master taking orders. In- deed, the matter is not, after all, one of the greatest importance. No one will defend the action of a man who takes orders with the view of " improving his position ; " apparently there are such men in schools, and they are obviously doing; what is wrong;. The less said about them the better. If a man takes orders with the view of gaining greater influence over boys, he is making a mistake, for boys have no respect for cloth (they are a little partial to flannel perhaps !) If, however, he flnds himself specially qualified to preach, and to give religious in- struction, he may be, perhaps, justified in becoming a clergyman. On the other hand, the fact that a man is 7iot in orders does not release him from the highest duty and obligation. If he takes a worthy view of his office, he is pledged, he is consecrated to do all in his power for the body, the mind, and the soul of his boys — and no clergyman can do more. As to the other qualifications — of personal strength of will ; faculty character — there are, perhaps, two which may ofsympathy. be distinguished from others : strength of will. 32 Essay on Education. and sympathy. We must use the word sym- pathy for want of a better. We mean by it to describe the faculty which enables a man to enter into the thoughts and ways of others, and to interest himself therein. Force of will may make an efficient master ; force of sympathy will make him a successful teacher : and both these powers may be largely developed by train- ing and experience. Unfortunately it is im- possible as a rule to forecast : very few men are willing to admit that they are deficient in power of control or in sympathy ; it is left to school-boys to enlighten them ! Scholarship. — The question is often discussed among masters, How far is it necessary or ad- vantageous for a school-master to be a good scholar ? It will be worth while to give a detailed reply. First of all, a high degree is valuable because it gives a man a better start — better, not only in income, but in position ; an unsatisfactory degree will exclude him from schools of the highest rank. And this is as it should be. A good degree, for most men, is not so much a certificate of scholarship, but rather of general capacity. Cwteris paribus, your first- Qualifications. 3 3 class man is likely to prove more efficient than others, and his degree would be, on this ground, just as highly appreciated if he were to become an engineer, or a barrister, or a clergyman. A man who has taken a high place in his School or his Tri]3os is, as a ride, worth something. He must have started life with good natural abili- ties, and to these have been added discipline and training. He has acquired habits of method and self-control; he knows how to work and to achieve results. And these are the qualities which schools demand, when they seek to secure the services of men in high honours. Again, it is an immense advantage to a teacher to be thoroughly conversant with one subject at least in the school curriculum. He may be mainly employed in teaching young boys, and will find that for them his advanced knowledge is of little service ; it will, in that case, be all the more a relief if, for a few hours in the week, he can corne into contact with older boys, and can teach his special subject to a class that will appreciate his scholarship. A change in routine of this kind is useful both to masters and to boys, and especially to a master, for it D 34 Essay on Education. enables him to keep up some recollection of his University reading, and it also improves his status, both in his school and in the profession. After he has begun to teach he will need, and will be only too glad, to interest himself in new studies, but he will never find leisure to read with the same thoroughness as he was able to do when a scholar at the University ; unless, indeed, he entirely gives up school work for a time, in order to study abroad. These ad- Thcsc, tlicu, are the reasons why men Avho vantages ^'errated''^ intend to tcacli should make every effort to secure a good degree. Men at the University, however, often set too high a value upon their own studies. They seem to imagine that, having acquired their portion of classics or mathematics, their sole duty henceforth will be to impart the same, more or less diluted, to school-boys. On the contrary, a man who has just taken his degree is, even in his own department, a very imperfect scholar, and in other departments he is often enough very ignorant. If he really cares for study, and is anxious to teach with interest and success, he will carry on his educa- tion year by year. Literature, history, geo- Qiialificatio)is. 3 5 graphy, and, likely enough, one or two branches of science, are certain to demand some attention from him, in addition to the pursuit of languages or mathematics. And, quite apart from these, he will try and find time for some inquiry into the theory and practice of education. Finally, can a man do anything further to ah gifts and acquire- prepare to enter on school life before he leaves m^nts are of ■■■ ■■■ service at the University, besides reading a few general ^°'^°°^- books on education and studying for his degree ? There is much that can be done : for the school, as we have considered already, embraces interests of every sort. The teacher needs to understand and appreciate all the occupations of a school- boy's life, and therefore any acquirement or art that he can pursue will be of service. The more regularly and steadily he rows and plays cricket and football the better. If he can sing, or play, or draw, or paint, he ought to take advantage of the unrivalled opportunities afforded at the Universities for such pursuits. Above all, he ought to acquire with care the art Above aii, . , . . cultivate the of expression %n luritina and speech. Let it be »" of ex- '' -^