An Ear of Corn. I will add only one more exercise of this kind, and that I take from Page's "Theory and Practice of Teaching," a work previously alluded to, and one that every teacher should own and read. In this the object is "Teacher. Now, children,' holding up the corn, and addressing himself to the youngest, 'I am going to ask you only one question to-day about this ear of corn. If you can answer it, I shall be very glad; if the little boys and girls upon the front seat cannot give the answer, I will let those in the next seat try; and so on till all have tried, unless our time should expire before the right answer is given. I shall not be surprised if none of you give the answer I am thinking of. As soon as I ask the question, those who are under seven years old, that think they can give an answer, may raise their hand. What is this ear of corn for?' "Several of the children raise their hands, and the teacher points to one after another in order, and they rise and give their answers. "Mary. It is to feed the geese with.' "John. "Yes, and the hens too, and the pigs. 66 By this time the hands of the youngest scholars are all down, for, having been taken a little by surprise, their knowledge is exhausted. So the teacher says that those between seven and ten years of age may raise their hands. Several instantly appear. Uses of Corn. The teacher again indicates, by pointing, those who may give the answer. "Charles. My father gives corn to the horses when the oats are all gone.' "Daniel. "We give it to the oxen and cows, and we fat the hogs upon corn.' "Laura. It is good to eat. They shell it from the cobs and send it to mill, and it is ground into meal. They make bread of the meal, and we eat it.' "This last pupil has looked a little further into domestic economy than those who answered before her. But by this time, perhaps before, the five minutes have been nearly expended, and yet several hands are up, and the faces of several are beaming with eagerness to tell their thoughts. Let the teacher then say, 'We will have no more answers to-day. You may think of this matter till to-morrow, and then I will let you try again. I am sorry to tell you that none of you have mentioned the use I was thinking of, though I confess I expected it every minute. I shall not be surprised if no one of you give this answer to-morrow. I shall now put the ear of corn in my desk, and no one of you must speak to me about it till to-morrow. You may now take your studies.' "The children now breathe more freely, while the older ones take their studies, and the next class is called. In order to success, it is absolutely necessary that the teacher should positively refuse to hold any conversation with the children on the subject till the next time for 'general exercise.' ཆ The Effects. “During the remainder of the forenoon the teacher will very likely observe some signs of thoughtfulness on the part of those little children who have been habitually dull before. And perhaps some child, eager to impart a new discovery, will seek an opportunity to make it known during the forenoon. 'Wait till to-morrow,' should be the teacher's only reply. "Now let us follow these children as they are dismissed, while they bend their steps toward home. They cluster together in groups as they go down the hill, and they seem to be earnestly engaged in conversation. 6 “I don't believe it has any other use,' says John. "O yes, it has,' says Susan; our teacher would not say so if it had not. Besides, did you not see what a knowing look he had, when he drew up his brow, and said he guessed we could n't find it out?" "Well, I mean to ask my mother,' says little Mary; 'I guess she can tell.' "By and by, as they pass a field of corn, Samuel sees a squirrel running across the street, with both his cheeks distended with 'plunder.' "At home, too, the ear of corn is made the subject of conversation. What is an ear of corn for, mother?' says little Mary, as soon as they have taken a seat at the dinner-table. "Mother. An ear of corn, child? why, don't you know? It is to feed the fowls, and the pigs, and the cattle; and we make bread of it, too 6 Another Attempt. "Mary. Yes, we told all that, but the teacher says that is not all.’ "Mother. 6 The teacher? "Mary. Yes, ma'am; the teacher had an ear ; of corn at school, and he asked us what it was for and after we had told him everything we could think of, he said there was another thing still. Now I want to find out, so that I can tell him.' "The consequence of this would be that the family, father, mother, and older brothers and sisters, would resolve themselves into a committee of the whole on the ear of corn. The same, or something like this, would be true in other families in the district; and by the next morning, several children would have something further to communicate on the subject. The hour would this day be awaited with great interest, and the first signal would produce perfect silence. "The teacher now takes the ear of corn from the desk, and displays it before the school; and quite a number of hands are instantly raised, as if eager to be the first to tell what other use they have discovered for it. ... "The teacher now says, pleasantly, The use I am thinking of, you have all observed, I have no doubt; it is a very important use indeed; but as it is a little out of the common course, I shall not be surprised if you cannot give it. However, you may try.' "It is good to boil!' says little Susan, almost springing from the floor as she speaks. Primary Use of Corn. "And it is for squirrels to eat,' says little Samuel. 'I saw one carry away a whole mouthful yesterday from the cornfield.' "Others still mention other uses, which they have observed. They mention other animals which feed upon it, or other modes of cooking it. The older pupils begin to be interested, and they add to the list of uses named. Perhaps, however, none will name the one the teacher has in his own mind; he should cordially welcome the answer, if perchance it is given; if none should give it, he may do as he thinks best about giving it himself on this occasion. Perhaps, if there is time, he may do so, after the following manner. "I have told you that the answer I was seeking was a very simple one; it is something you have all observed, and you may be a little disappointed when I tell you. The use I have been thinking of for the ear of corn is this, It is to plant. It is for seed, to propagate that species of plant called corn.' Here the children may look disappointed, as much as to say, 'We knew that before.' "The teacher continues: And this is a very important use for the corn; for if for one year none should be planted, and all the ears that grew the year before should be consumed, we should have no more corn. This, then, was the great primary design of the corn; the other uses you have named were merely secondary.' I will now close with a list of objects suitable for lessons of this kind. |