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PART I.
The
Teacher's
Teaching
Work.

CHAPTER 2.
Essentials
of the
Teaching
Process.

Suppose the scholar does not study?

II.

YOU MUST KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TO TEACH.

Scholars may Study, but Teachers must; A Boston Blunder; Knowing about the Lesson, without Knowing the Lesson; A Yorkshire Method; What you must be Sure of.

WHEN you fairly know whom you are to teach, then comes the question, What are you to teach him? And until you know for yourself what you would cause your scholar to know for himself, you are, obviously, in no state of fitness to begin your work of causing him to know anything, of beginning your part in the twofold teaching process, the twofold learning process.

You will ten times hear a teacher's complaint that his scholars do not study, where you once hear a teacher's admission that he goes to his class without knowing that which he seeks to cause his scholars to know. Yet a scholar's study in advance of the school-hour is not indispensable to a teacher's teaching, whereas a teacher's knowledge of that which he is to teach, is indispensable. Study on the scholar's part is very important in its place, important to the scholar in the exercise of his mental faculties, and

Ears do not Make a Teacher.

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PART I The Teacher's Teaching Work. CHAPTER 2. Essentials of the

in the storing of his mind; but the scholar's preliminary study is no part of a teacher's teaching: it is not an element of the teaching process. That which a scholar has learned all by himself, before he and his teacher came together, the scholar deserves Teaching all credit for; that which the teacher is to cause a scholar to know, must be the teacher's possession before he can make it the scholar's possession.

If hearing a recitation were teaching, then it would not be necessary for a teacher to know in advance that which his scholar is to recite in the class. The real work in such a case would be the scholar's, in his preliminary study of the matter to be recited. The teacher's duty might be performed by a vigorous hold on the catechism, or the question book, or the Bible, in the class hour; and by the exercise of his lungs in asking the questions, or in giving the word for a start, the exercise of his eyes in following the lesson text and by the exercise of his ears in noting the recitation. Such "teaching" as that would not require any special preparation by the teacher for his class work, week by week. Much that is called teaching is, however, just that and no more; but calling it teaching does not make it teaching. It is not teaching, even if it is called that. Teaching involves and necessitates both a teacher and a scholar, and also a preliminary knowledge by the teacher of that which he is to cause the scholar to know by the aid of his teaching.

Process.

If only teaching.

hearing were

PART I.
The
Teacher's
Teaching
Work.

CHAPTER 2.
Essentials
of the
Teaching
Process.

the ditch.

It is obvious that we cannot intelligently cause another to know what we do not first know ourselves. The blind may, it is true, kindly undertake to lead the blind, but it is more than probable that both leader and led in such a case will, sooner or later, land in the ditch. There is a good deal of such leading, and a good deal of such landing, along our Sunday-school highways, at the present day; but that does not, by any means, increase the desirableThe way into ness of the method or of its results; nor does it change the nature of either. An inspired writer said of some would-be teachers, eighteen centuries ago: "For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food." And that suggestion would have as much force in the case of a great many teachers now as it had then. In Boston Harbor there is a reformatory school-ship, on which boys are placed to learn the rudiments of navigation, and of mental and religious knowledge. One day, while the superintendent of that school-ship was on shore, a stranger visited the vessel, and, according to custom, he addressed the boys collectively. According, also, to a too common custom of talkers, if not of teachers, the stranger attempted to make use of illustrations with which he was unfamiliar, by indulging in nautical figures of speech, where he was at every disadvantage

Ships and religion.

What is the Lesson?

55

PART I. The Teacher's Teaching Work.

CHAPTER 2.

of the Teaching Process.

with his bright sailor-boy hearers. When the superintendent returned, he said to the boys, at their evening gathering for prayer, "Boys, I understand you had a stranger to talk to you to-day." "Yes, Essent als sir!” “Yes, sir!" came up from a hundred voices. "Well, what did he talk to you about?" "About two things that he didn't understand!" was the unexpected response from one sharp boy. Why, what two things were those?" "Ships and religion!" was the witty answer, as giving the measure of that talker's knowledge of the topics he attempted to handle deftly. It would be well if no one since that stranger had attempted to teach what he did not understand.

once.

66

you teach?

You are going to teach. Well, what are you going What will to teach? "To teach Bible truth." But Bible truth is a large subject. You can hardly teach all of it at What part of it are you going to teach now? "Oh! to-day's lesson, of course." What is to-day's lesson? "It is Mark 5:21–43.” I did n't ask where the lesson is, but what is it? "It is "Power over Disease and Death."" I didn't ask what the lesson is called, or what it is about, but what is the lesson? Why, the lesson is a number of verses out of Mark's Gospel, telling certain facts in the life of Jesus, showing his power to heal the sick and to raise the dead, and including several points of interest bearing on his knowledge as well as his power, and on the spirit of faith which he approved." Well, now

66

PART I.
The
Teacher's
Teaching
Work.

CHAPTER 2.
Essentials
of the
Teaching
Process.

Are you ready?

the facts of this lesson clearly involve some points of geography and chronology, and of Jewish manners and customs in the days of Jesus; are you thoroughly familiar with all of these? "Oh no! I look upon such matters as of minor consequence." Very good, what do you look upon as of chief importance in this lesson? Do you propose to teach the mere words of the lesson, so that all your scholars can recite them? or, the facts? or, the involved doctrines? or, the practical applications of both facts and doctrines? "Oh! I wouldn't confine my teachings to the mere memorizing of the words; nor to the mere facts; yet I should want both words and facts to have a place in the teaching. And I should have in mind the doctrines and their applications, and I should try to teach more or less of them." Well, have you now fully in your mind the facts of this lesson, and the implied doctrines, and their applications, which you propose to teach to your scholars as a class, and to one scholar and another of that class, as individuals? Until you have all this in your mind, you are not fitted to teach all this to your scholars. If you have it in mind, it is because you as a teacher have made wise preparation so far for to-day's lesson teaching. One thing is sure, unless you know, before you begin to teach, just what you would cause your scholars to know by your teaching, they are not likely to know, when the class hour is over, just what you have caused them to know by your teaching.

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