Leta Severance Hiles

“ PREPARATION OF THE TEACHER THE TECHNIQUE OF THE SUBJECT
To fit oneself from year to year for the ever increasingly difficult task of teaching is a serious problem. We are to some extent compensated in a material way; our chief payment, however, is in the consciousness that through newly acquired knowledge our methods are improved, and the reflection is mirrored in the quality of our work. That methods presuppose a knowledge of the subject matter, is necessarily as true in the science of muscular movement penmanship as in other subjects less homely and less practical. ”

“ Each candidate should subject himself to a rigorous self-rating process before taking up supervision, and those in service should continue to look within. Many a situation would be saved to leadership and society if all who term themselves supervisors or even expect to some day become such would turn the white light of inspection upon themselves. It is not going too far to say that the prospective supervisor before launching himself should take unstinting pains to diagnose his ability as a leader. ”

“ Who would presume to question the value of correct posture while walking, in its relation to good health? We are painfully inconsistent, when the writing habit is in operation, with regard to many of the laws that make for good health.
Only as we work toward the saving of energy for ourselves and others are we keeping step with the progressives who are teaching conservation from the kitchen to forestry. Surely our aim should be the greatest accomplishment with the least expenditure of energy. ”

“ Men are constantly at work in the business world devising schemes whereby energy and time may be economized. Cannot the schools do their share in this great scheme for the betterment of humanity? We should teach pupils an energy-saving manner of expressing themselves upon paper. How much useless nerve force is applied daily by pupils of all ages in forcing the pen along with the fingers in such a way that it is only less painful to the observer than to the performer? ”

“ PAPER
“A workman is known by his tools.” It is as essential that good material be supplied for the penmanship as that any other department be well supplied as regards quality and quantity. Not only should good paper, pencils, pens and ink be used during the formal lessons each day, but in every lesson wherein writing is used to carry on the other work. Permit no scribbling, utilize every line, keep paper in neat folders; thus economize in the right manner, and not by the purchase of poor equipment, which is an irritation to teacher and pupil alike. ”

“ VISUALIZATION OF LETTER FORMS
It has been said, “The three arts of education are seeing, reading, thinking. The boy who learns to see is awakened; the boy who learns to read is enriched; the boy who learns to think is emancipated.” ”

“ Maxwell, as a master craftsman, is one of the all too rare people who are setting things in order. Everything can be provided more easily as a result of the work of a man like him. He opens up the possibility of leisure through the saving of labor.
Assuming that not more than five or ten minutes were saved by the pupil during each written lesson, think of the total saving per day, per week, per month, not to mention the saving of time to that same man or woman when his school life is over and school of real life begins. ”

“ The person who makes practical use of penmanship, the one who uses it to help him earn his daily bread, points the way. It matters not if he calls it muscular movement or if he ever saw a penmanship teacher. Watch such a person and observe his method. Observation will reveal that practically all use what we term a muscular movement slant method. It takes the practical person only a short time to discover the method that will best conserve energy, economize time, and, above all, lead to writing which will prove readable and attractive. ”

“ Often with adults the habit of bodily relaxation has not been developed along with other habits, and therefore muscular tension prevails. A leading criticism on Americans is that we never relax.
James says: “It is your relaxed and easy worker who is in no hurry and quite thoughtless most of the while of consequences who is your efficient worker; and tension and anxiety, present and future, all mixed up together in our mind at once, are the surest drags upon steady progress.” ”

“ Surely all reasonable aids should be given pupils in their efforts to learn penmanship. A good text is as much needed in this as in any other subject. We should laugh at the idea of teaching arithmetic or English without the aid of the text; yet many good school people seem to think writing can be absorbed in some mysterious manner from more or less indefinite word pictures and a few blackboard copies done in a more or less skillful manner. ”

“ Will not the confidence established in their own ability be of value to them in mastering other subjects? What gives more pleasure, self-respect and encouragement to persevere than the conscious knowledge of skill? This consciousness of power and skill is a tremendous educational force and one that should receive constant recognition with reference to penmanship.
Many are the pupils who have great difficulty in gaining book lore, but who find the manual arts attractive. ”

“ To be sure, there are those who cite instances of great men whose handwriting is almost unreadable, and argue that point in favor of allowing all public school pupils to be poor writers. Common sense teaches us that it is unwise to burden ourselves with an unnecessary handicap.
Others will say that it is not worth while, as every one will use a typewriter upon entering the commercial world. Only a certain proportion will enter the world of commerce, and a majority of those who do enter tell us that they have as much work to do with pen or pencil as on the typewriter. ”

“ Why does not an artist always make a desirable and pleasing picture? Perhaps it is because he does not see the subject correctly or to advantage, or perhaps he has not mastered all the mechanical difficulties. It is for the teacher to decide whether all has been done that can be done to assist the pupils to see the model letter form correctly. Perhaps there exist mechanical difficulties in posture and movement that prevent a free execution of the letter form that may exist in the mind. ”

“ Dictation of letters is quite effective with slow pupils. The application of movement to a word, at the close of each lesson, will lead the pupils quite unconsciously into a better movement of all written work. Here they get the help along the lines necessary to steady and modify the movement, and a chance to get into the swing of actual writing without too much thought as regards the content. Such drill serves the same purpose in penmanship that scale practice does in music. ”

“ Since penmanship is used largely as a vehicle for expression to convey the mental product to others, is it not reasonable that we employ the easiest and speediest method of transportation? It is convenient to be master of a method that can record thought as fast as the mind shapes it. The right method will aid thought, not impede it. ”

“ Many pupils no doubt do not use discretion in the selection of proper equipment for home work. They should realize that the right heights of table [105] and chair mean much for comfort and therefore have direct relation to physical endurance. The use of the timepiece in order to keep up the right speed is an important point. Every exercise in the manual practiced at the right rate of speed will enable seventh grade pupils to acquire an average speed of fifteen to eighteen words per minute. Teach each pupil to be systematic in his homework as well as at school. ”

“ Consult almost any teacher-made list for desirable qualities, and you will find that the points that make up a desirable personality are given preference to scholarship and other phases of preparation.
Genuine leaders are always on the alert to improve themselves. When leaders are kind, constantly courteous, permit initiative, keep informed on current movements, exhibit tact, show industry, self-control, are optimistic, reliable, courageous, just, open-minded, progressive, sincere, tolerant; then, and then only, shall we cease [116] to hear teachers speak of the worthlessness of supervision. ”

“ We do not expect the primary teacher to produce the finished mathematicians, readers, historians, or penmen, but such work as is accomplished should be based on the right foundation. The primary teacher should be willing to sacrifice her pride in the appearance of written exercises to the demands of the future environment of the grown child. In schools where superintendents and teachers insist upon pupils writing words or sentences on paper very soon after they enter school little or no advancement can be made in muscular movement. ”

“ We constantly hear the plea, “We cannot teach writing; we have not the time.” Would it not be well to make some computations at this point? Compare a class or school that uses a good muscular movement, acquired through a formal writing lesson of from twenty to thirty minutes daily, with a class in which penmanship is hit or miss. The latter irregular habit always results in an irregular slant and finger movement. Judge then if it would not be well to teach pupils to save time. We carefully consider how to minimize [50] waste of energy in a machine. Is the human machine of less importance? ”

“ How often is the muscular movement writing supervisor told by the boys in particular, “My father writes that way.” The right attitude is established immediately because the boy sees the relation of the school to a practical need. In fact, parental influence is a factor to be reckoned with in penmanship and the thoughtful teacher will do well to inquire into the attitude of the parents toward this useful art. Many times it means leverage for the teacher. In case the pupil is old enough to realize a motive for improving, the influence of the teacher alone may be sufficient. ”

“ The teaching of penmanship is less laborious and more effective when the poor writers are separated from the good writers. Many pupils need no individual help, but follow oral instructions easily. They should be allowed to do so, since independent effort will develop judgment, initiative, industry, and an appreciation of how to [79] “play the game square.” The segregation of the poor writers in rows economizes the teacher’s time and energy in passing about the room, and ultimately allows each pupil to practice upon the drill he most needs. ”

“ Good work on the board serves as an attraction to the subject since the pupils are always interested in seeing the creation of a skillful hand. It is also indispensable in studying the construction of letters and the teacher who can execute freely and rapidly at the board possesses a most valuable asset. When proper visualization has taken place, that is, when the mental photograph has been acquired by exposing the lens of the eye sufficiently long, it is well to erase the model or constructive lines and refer to the models in the text, since these are what the pupil will aim to approach. ”

“ All pupils counting in concert with the teacher at the rate of about two hundred down strokes per minute is effective, as the oral count relieves the muscular tension that is apt to prevail at this time. Insist that every arm move from the shoulder and that each pupil feel correct movement and observe his own arm. It is advisable to use the watch, and time pupils daily on a part of all drill work. If the count be too rapid, nervous spasmodic movements will result; if too slow, the fingers or wrist joint will be apt to act, and finger movement will be the result. ”

“ One grade teacher may teach well, another poorly or indifferently, and thus the pupils are passed along. The school system where this prevails may be compared to a chain with now and then a weak link. Unless there is unity and cooperation among teachers the subject suffers greatly. The right kind of supervision is helpful, but it cannot accomplish all things. Not infrequently we hear the remark, “I am not the penmanship teacher; Miss So-and-so teaches all the penmanship.” Our “second speech” is too important a matter to be left to one person unaided. ”

“ How much of our energy is misdirected daily when we should be making it our ally? We should fund and capitalize all energy, and at last live at ease upon the interest. The more details we can hand over to automatism, the more our higher powers of mind will be set free for greater work.
[47]
Children are the nation’s most valuable asset. Vision is the first faculty in order of importance. How can it be best conserved? A proper regard for the future usefulness of the eyes of the pupils requires that a departure be made from the method now prevalent of demanding so much written work. ”

“ The main problem with every teacher is how to assist pupils in linking up the principles that have been mastered, namely, correct posture, and movement applied to drills and short words with the practical writing. The drill on short words will prove as valuable as any other part of this theory work. By the laws of association, pupils will connect the muscular sensation of the short, rapidly written word, with what is required when a variety of longer words or sentences is dictated. ”

“ An athlete out of practice is an awkward figure when getting back into form. Therefore, as penmanship is applied physical training it is not surprising that pupils who do not keep up practice to a reasonable extent soon lose skill. If the daily practice must be application to other subjects, and not drill work, great care should be exercised to make conditions favorable for the retention of the correct penmanship habit. ”

“ The laws of cause and effect operate in penmanship as surely as they operate elsewhere. What is the cause of incorrect slant, a heavy stroke or a careless form? Pupils who know how to think may be put on the right road by being taught to criticize their own work.
It is one thing to impart the knowledge one may possess of correct execution; the obtaining of results is quite another. Many a teacher has been greatly discouraged when a view of the results was obtained because close observation revealed that pupils had not comprehended the idea which the teacher intended to convey. ”

“ No teacher should rise or fall on the strength of one rating, or on the strength of the rating of one person. Boice, Elliott and Rugg have all contributed much in the way of score cards. Mr. Cook of South Dakota explains a most interesting and meritorious system in use in his state.
It remains for Katherine Taylor Cranor to present the first self scoring card for the supervisor as an aid to efficiency in school work. It offers to each one upon whom the mantle of supervision has fallen food for thought. It must provoke any thinking person to a critical evaluation of himself and his work. ”

“ Persistence on the part of the teacher is absolutely essential, for pupils will forget and must be constantly reminded. If on all occasions the teacher of English or other subjects will bring a due amount of pressure to bear upon the class during all written recitations and take the proper share of responsibility, good results will be rapidly noted. On the other hand, we should have scant respect for the penmanship teacher who habitually uses poor English and who is not pedagogical in the presentation of the subject. ”

“ Writing texts and conditions in schools differ so greatly that this would be impossible. An effort has been made to build up from the first grade to the last a general plan of a logical character. Many suggestions made for the second and third grades could wisely be put into operation, in part, in the higher grades. It is assumed first that the muscular movement method has been adopted and that each child has the use of a manual, since that is the only condition under which an adaptation of these suggestions would be advisable. ”