The Normal Record. May 1903

              THE NORMAL RECORD.
11
When spoken to concerning the proposed ad -
dition aud improvement of our Normal, Doctor
Van Liew made I he following statement which
indicates only a general plan, since it is too
soon to announce anything detailed and definite:
"The appropriation of 128,500 recently
signed by Governor Pardee is to contribute
materially to the efficiency of our Normal
School. It is the intention to have the ground
floor of a new T-addition on the rear of the
building a furnished room for gymnasium
work. The second floor will furnish two new
laboratories in science, which will relieve the
pressure elsewhere and permit the expansion
of the Training School quarters so as to permit
better work in Manual Training. The third
floor will enlarge the auditorium and furnish
some needed office room.
"In addition to the enlargement of the
building the appropriation must cover also
its furnishing for the above purposes, including
lighiug, heating and working apparatus."
We have been fortunate enough to secure
the services of Miss Emily B. Anderson as
snort haud reporter for The Record. This will
enable us to reproduce such portions of lectures given as will be of educational value to
our students aud teachers. We intend giving
a resume of the lectures by Luther Parker
upon the topography, education and other
features of the Philippines. Also the series
of lectures under the auspices of the Faculty
will receive attention and be published in the
June Record.
The descriptive articles by Misses Darst,
Tower, Anderson and La Point give us every
right 'o predict a future literary standard for
The Record far above the ordinary school
journals. These articles are the gems of the
descriptive work for this term and we believe
the best written in the Normal for sometime.
It is with much pleasure that we place tbem
before the studeuts.
Mr. Knowlton gave a good, wholesome talk
before the student body a few mornings back.
He outlined tbe influence exercised by such an
institution as ours, arrd hinted at a few of the
ideas that students should secure since they
.night have an important bearing on future life.
We are wondering why the new Y. W. A. A.
has not begun to do something. They have
only seven weeks in which to make a stir so
they must wake up if they would accomplish
much this term.
Prof. Miller desires us to correct the statement made last month, that the lectures were
to be given under his guidance. He informs
us that he only recommended the men as the
best lecturers on the Coast, aud that Dr. Van
Liew  has done the rest.
We were also treated to a witty yet instructive lecture by Professor Warmanonthe benefits to be derived from physical culture. He
is excellent along his line of work and it would
be a hard matter to secure a more competent
instructor on the coast than he.
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Many of us as teachers will soon be called
upon to face many conditions and elements in
actual practice, totally different from anything we have yet experienced iu our preparatory work. One of the many difficulties eu-
counlered in teaching, is finding a common
ground of experience that will enable us to interest the pupil. Not only do we need a common ground of experience, but also one of
language. The every day language of the pupil
is ofteu very different from what the teacher
would have it. The reason why so many
teachers fail to bold the attention of their
classes, is because they "talk over tbe heads"
of the pupils, or in terms which are not understood.
The following instance is as extreme as it is
amusing, but it illustrates the necessity of
finding a point of contact in language as well
as in experience. However, do not understand
us to mean you should lower your manner of
speaking to the level of the child, but that
your terms be easily comprehended by him :
A bright young urchin from the slums was
found and placed in the public school. His
education bad been of the "Chimmie Kadden"
type, and his vocabulary corresponded. He
became interested in the school the first day,
and when the leacher read a few sentences
from the primer, and asked the boys to see
which one could best repeat them after her
iu their own language, the aforesaid youngster was the first to raise his hand. The original quotation ran: "See the cow. Is it not
a pretty cow? Can the cow run? Yes, the
cow can run. Can the cow run as fast as the
horse ? No, the cow cannot run as fast as the
horse." It was paraphrased by the boy as
follows: 'Ketch on to de cow. Ain't she a
bute ? Can de cow get a move on? Sure!
Can de cow hump herself as fast ss de horse?
Naw !    De cow ain't iu it wid de horse.   See!"