2352 Journal of Applied Microscopy 



from statements made by superintendents and principals. The following are 

 some of the opinions given : " The teachers do not know how to go at the work 

 systematically," " They lack a knowledge of scientific facts," " There is a lack of 

 disposition on their part to work up good courses," " They want to use text- 

 books with minute instructions," " There is a lack of a practical plan of attack 

 on the part of teachers." One superintendent says, " The children are not 

 brought sufficiently to see the living relation between the book and things about 

 them." Another expressed the whole matter well when he said, " The greatest 

 need is live teachers backed up by broad guage school boards." The trouble 

 at the bottom of all this was well stated by one who said that the preparation of 

 teachers in these lines is " incidental." Even in the instances where the teacher 

 lacks patience, is indifferent, or shows other undesirable traits, we can generally 

 trace the matter to lack of preparation. 



In a number of schools the teachers feel hampered because school authori- 

 ties, parents and pupils fail to see the value of botany, zoology, etc. This indif- 

 ference on the part of those in authority is the chief cause for other difficulties. 

 It explains why schools are not provided with laboratories of some description 

 and laboratory equipment. It also accounts for the fact that no grade work is 

 done in these lines and might, at least in some cases, explain the short labora- 

 tory periods. In the northern part of the state the long winters make facilities 

 for indoor culture a desirable thing. Here again wide awake superintendents, 

 principals or school boards would see that such facilities were at hand. Even 

 the matter of time would, I believe, be satisfactorily arranged if the authorities 

 realized the significance of this work. As it is now, in many schools one person 

 is given so many subjects to teach that he either does not give proper attention 

 to any of them, or does thorough work in a few to the neglect of the rest. " One 

 man cannot get material for all the classes," is the statement of one teacher 

 which might be echoed by many others. Under these circumstances teachers 

 must either fall short of their standards of right teaching or overwork themselves. 

 In a few cases it is thought that too many subjects are included in the high 

 school course, and as a result some of the work does not receive proper attention. 



The poorly prepared, indifferent teacher is the greatest obstacle in the way 

 of successful work in the natural sciences. Wide awake, enthusiastic, well pre- 

 pared teachers are the active agents for overcoming all the other difficulties 

 which now present themselves. But while those who have had little or no prep- 

 aration for the work are forced into it, there is little hope for betterment. In a 

 large number of cases the teacher would do more if he only knew how. For exam- 

 ple, there are many teaching the text in Gray's botany with perhaps some analy- 

 sis and herbarium work, not knowing there is any other way. The pupils come 

 to feel that botany consists largely of hard names. One boy was heard to 

 remark that he did not intend to study it. When asked why, he replied that he 

 had shown his mother all the long, hard names he would have to learn and she 

 had promptly given him permission to omit the subject. The preceptress of 

 this school tells me that the pupils cordially hate botany, while the parents and 

 school board naturally fail to see its value. It is still part of the course simply 

 because it has been for years. The one who teaches it has had practically no 



