115 Years of Teaching Ideas
- Grades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5, 6–8
5 Tips From Our First Issue
They still work! Maybe 1891 wasn’t so long ago after all!
- “Don’t ignore the suggestions of parents. Investigate them and if worth adopting, adopt them;if not, reject them, explaining your motives.”
- “If anything humorous comes up, laugh and let your pupils do likewise. Do not imagine the schoolroom to be a place of solemnity.”
- “Don’t prohibit whispering, but don’t allow too much of it either.”
- “Visit families and invite them to visit the school.”
- “Do only one thing at a time, but do it well.”
Advice for “Teacher Ladies”
These preachy nineteenth-century pronouncements remind us how different life used to be for working women:
- No teacher can afford to be dowdy. Well-dressed hair and a smile will make calico look like silk and satin (1894).
- Old maids are often happier than wives. If you are a teacher with a secure place, don’t think it necessary to get married (1894).
- A smart teacher understands the purpose of makeup—to enhance what nature gave her, or to put there subtly what nature overlooked (1941).
Teacher-to-Teacher (Idea Swapping)
Over the years, Instructor has received ideas from teachers that were written long-hand, shorthand, mailed, mimeographed, faxed, and e-mailed. No matter what we called it—“Hints From the Schoolroom,” “Teachers Help-One-Another Club,” or most recently, “Idea Swap,” it’s always been readers’ favorite part of the magazine.
- 1905 I tell my students that they are captains of a company of soldiers—the letters being the soldiers—and they are to make their soldiers stand straight in a row. They don’t always mind if they are not good writers. But they dislike very much when they are not good captains. —Mabel Ritzman
- 1915 To keep parents in touch with beginners’ reading, I make booklets in which I print reading lessons. I ask parents to mark each lesson “Good” if well read and underline words not known. The children are delighted and the results are gratifying. —S. E. Rice
- 1966 I made giant paper lollipops. Each was printed with a letter of the alphabet. During reading readiness time,
- I walked around “selling” my lollipops to children who could “pay the price”—say the name of the letter. —S.M. Sylvester
What (Not) to Wear
This list of fashion no-nos from over the years proves that some rules are timeless.
- Shabby hats (1915) If your only presentable hat is faded, rip off the trimming and paint it (it’s child’s play to do).
- Low necklines (1926) Colored smocks are proper professional dress for teachers. The suitable necklines, and pockets large enough to hold pencils and notebooks, add to their appropriateness.
- Beige (1956) Children love bright and vibrant colors. They love to wear them and to see them on you.
- Too much jewelry (1941) Plain clothes and costume jewelry belong together, like lobster and lemon butter. Garnish sparingly.
- Dressy clothes (1976) For messy tasks, you can look chic and professional in a pair of blue jeans with patches on the knees and a grandfather’s shirt.
Tips on Trips (1936)
- Count the children: At crosswalks, you should stand in the middle of the street and stop traffic by raising your hand. Count the children at intervals. You may pick up a few!
- Visit the factory: In our modern world, few place make a more exciting field trip than a factory floor. Whether Ford automobiles or Hershey chocolate bars, our manufacturing industries have many lessons to teach.
- Stay close to home: Consider parts of the school building never visited, such as the engine room and supply room.
- Choose the choo-choo: All children dream of traveling the rails. Take them to the nearest railroad station to their delight.
Classroom Tech...Through The Decades
- In 1895, blackboard and chalk ruled. And most places, it still does.
- 1910: The cutting edge? The automatic sharpener.
- A 1918 ad insisted “no teacher can bear not to own a Columbia Gramophone.”
- “Our projector is so easy even Johnny can do it,” said a 1957 ad.
- “A listening center makes reading group the coolest,” said a 1975 issue of Instructor.
- “Computer learning has so much potential. Students just love it!” shouted the October 1985 issue.
- No more notebooks now that the handheld tablet is here. “This is the future!” said our 2005 reviewer.
Trends in Phys-Ed
Instructor reported the latest thinking in child development:
- Daily recess: Children should have two periods each day given to exercise. Eight minutes each is sufficient. —1916.
- Body building: Isometric exercises in which children exert each muscle group for a few seconds ensures maximum growth and coordination. —1966.
- Yoga: Through the yoga approach to creative movement, children gain personal success in developing their minds and bodies. —1975.
1916 Writing Prompts (That Couldn’t Be Weirder)
The following prompts were suggested for compositions in 1916:
- Title: The Boy Who Did Not Listen to His Father
- Title: Autobiography of an Olive
- How What I Learn in Manual Training Helps at Home
- Title: A Spool of Thread Entertains the Sewing Class
- Compose a dialogue between two small boys, one of whom has a red apple.
- Title: Reverie of the Family Dog
- Where may whiskey, beer, etc. be bought? Do good men buy them or use them?
Teaching During Wartime
The First and Second World Wars called upon teachers to support the homefront:
- From “Building Patriotism” (1917): “Why read from a book with which children are already familiar when President Wilson’s Flag Day speech is at hand?” “The ideal teacher will allow, nigh demand, pupils to bring in the newspapers."
- From “Keep Up Children’s Morale" (1943): “This is not the time for a spooky story, for in these early days of what may be a long war, nerves are taut, children are excitable. Cheerfulness is an essential, this implies a happy ending.”
- From “Posters to Support the Troops” (1943): Try these slogans: “A Stitch in Time Will Mend Your Dress—And Save Some Cloth For Uncle Sam” and “We’ll Study Today—Our Nation Will Need us Tomorrow.”
Celebrate Children’s Book Week
Book Week has been around for 85 years, almost as long as Instructor. This year it’s November 13–19.
- Guess the story: A favorite game is one in which the teacher gives hints from a storybook until the title is recognized by a child, who thus scores a point. For example: The story is about a wooden doll. (Pause.) He is naughty. (Pause.) He has a long nose. (Pinocchio.) —1945.
- Give out Academy Awards: Have pupils nominate their favorite books, then make a list of the top 10 with second, third, and fourth choices listed as runners-up. The children can make posters depicting the chosen books or issue a news release for circulation to other classes. —1976
- Adopt lonely books: Invite kids to “adopt” a “lonely” book during Children’s Book Week. Lonely books are those that have not been borrowed in a long time. To adopt a book, a child checks it out, reads it, and designs a new cover and a blurb. The covers are laminated and placed on the books, and kids’ names are placed on the adoption roster in the library. —1986
Forecasting the Future: Reading Advice Ahead of Its Time
- 1895 Do not shorten the reading period to make room for something else; if any change at all, lengthen it. There is no way for the pupil to learn to read, except by reading.
- 1937 Read aloud every day to children under the third grade and several times a week to those in higher grades. In hearing stories read aloud, children’s speaking and understanding vocabularies are widened, and their appreciation of books in general is deepened.
- 1957 Phonics is being increasingly recognized as an effective tool in developing the ability to pronounce new words. This does not mean, however, that phonics alone will make a child a successful reader. Phonics is a means to an end, not an end in itself.