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stimulation of the emotions under tie fascination of having done or made something is the only true road to development. Many are the disappointments for the teachers of this section. Some ailment, "some sign of physical or mental strain and fatigue, as evidenced by the child's loss of appetite and loss of weight, overtakes many of these little, frail beings, and I have to take the child out of school entirely for a time so as to build him up and make him fit to make another attempt. When I return him again to the school, after maybe a few weeks, I know too well it means commencing again in a lower division. While dealing with the younger section of the children in this division of our school—the special difficulty of the work and the need for experienced and specially qualified teachers for carrying on the work successfully—l would venture to quote the words of an expert in this work. In speaking of the awakening and training of mental defectives, Dr. Bucknell says this must be done " first by teaching him the use of his senses and of his muscles ; by teaching him to speak and, as far as may be, to converse ; by teaching him to sit, to stand, to walk, and to play, thereby teaching him to love and trust, and not to hate and fear ; by replacing dull inanity or sullen moroseness with sociable attachment to others ; by training and examining all the conditions of mind—however imperfect mind and body may be —towards wholesome, useful, and agreeable activities in the place of chill, torpid inertness, or the dull ache of helpless discomfort." Again, Mrs. Burgwin, the pioneer of and Superintendent of Special Instruction in London, in speaking of the work of teaching feeble-minded children, says, " It will readily be seen that from such difficulties as these [she has been enumerating the difficulties of dealing with feeble-minded children] that only teachers of the highest training and intelligence should attempt to teach feeble-minded children." This opinion is supported by nearly all the leading experts both in England and America. If, then, it is the general opinion that our best teachers — " those with the highest training and intelligence " —are needed to carry on successfully the training of our feeble-minded children, it is only reasonable to assume that the work of training mental defectives successfully presents special difficulties which have only to be experienced to be fully recognized and appreciated. The upper section of the school consists of two divisions—(l) The low-grade older children, (2) the high-grade older children. In connection with the training of the first group, which consists mainly of children bordering on fifteen years and upwards, though they are showing considerable improvement in manual work, it must be remembered that these children are those who were admitted to the school at an age when the period which experience shows to be the proper period for training— viz., from seven to fifteen years —was almost past. Moreover, prior to their admission they received no training at all. The results attainable with this section of our school-children are not nearly so great as may be hoped for with those children who come to us at an earlier age. The group of highgrade boys have made really good progress in all branches of scholastic work. To carry on our work successfully we must in the immediate future strengthen our teaching staff by the inclusion of at least two lady teachers who have had experience at Home in schools for feebleminded children. They must be fully qualified trained teachers, possessing the higher Froebel certificate, and specially capable of teaching physical exercises, singing, and drawing. Our teachers must possess full knowledge of the kindergarten methods, and, seeing that our children so easily tire and become apathetic or restless, each teacher should be qualified to take her own class at intervals for singing, musical drill, and games. The drawing qualifications in our teachers is much more necessary than with the teachers in schools for normal children, seeing that, in every lesson, it is so necessary to illustrate by crayons or chalk on blackboard, paper, &c, so many points which our children, through lack of observing-powers, are unfamiliar with, but which a normal child learns unconsciously and automatically. We are now also sufficiently advanced with our school-work to engage a teacher for Sloyd work. The Sloyd room is always one of the most attractive departments in schools of this kind. I would also recommend the engagement of a lady teacher from. Home who has had experience in teaching gardening to feeble-minded children. Nature-study in all its branches is of great service in the training of our children, seeing that it essentially calls into play the observing-powers. In my first report on the school in March, 1909, I mentioned the question of a nature programme and its connections. After giving an example, I remarked, " This practically is known as an ' environment programme.' If with a normal child it is necessary to "sliow the connection between the essential elements of a child's environment and his own life, it is doubly so with a feeble-minded child." To have a qualified lady teacher to teach the younger children horticulture, and to teach such expression lessons as drawing, colouring, painting, modelling, brushwork, cutting, &c, as correlated subjects, would be a great gain educationally. Typical Cases op Improvement. The following extracts from letters which I have received during the year indicate a feeling of satisfaction on the part of those who have noticed marked improvement in the mental and physical condition of their children who are being trained at this school: — From the Headmaster, Public School. " Dear Sir,— " 29th February, 1912. " I feel it incumbent upon me to inform you of the very great —I had almost said startling— improvement that I noticed in the lad when I met him casually the other day. I found him attending School when I took charge of it some years ago, and was informed that to teach him anything was impossible. My own experience with him made it quite evident that, with the ordinary methods, this view was correct. When I met him the other day, I had time for a short conversation only, but I was amazed at the improvement in his general intelligence and bearing. That this is the outcome of your labours admits of no doubt whatever, and I offer you my sincere congratulations on their result. —Yours faithfully, ."
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