State Teachers' Institute

The State Teachers' Institute which will coinmence a five days' session iu this city at 10 a. ru. on Monday, Ang. 31. clos'ing at 4 p. rn. Friday, Sept. 4, will be of inestimable valué to teachers and to persons preparing to enter the profession of teaehiag. H. R. Pattengill, stace superintendent of public instruction, has issned the following oircular letter on the subject. Hesays: A good instituto is of inestimable valué to the teacher and to the persou preparing to enter the profession. It gives inspiration and suggestion to the progressive teacher and leads the novice to prepare more thronghly and hold higher ideáis of the teacher's work. A good iustitute is a genial, lively, methodical, systematic, orderly, enthusiastic school. Instruotors have been selected who have had much praotical experience in the school room and kuow how to give others a portiou of wbat they have thus learned. It is confldently expected that this will be the best institute ever held in the county. The work will combine professional and academie instruction. The institute will be divided into seotions, and the instrnotors will oonduct classes for the purpose of reviewing some studies, and also to illustrate certain methods of instruction. The workershave been urged to a range for calisthenio exercises, singing, marching, and the like, so as to make the work move off cheerily and without fatigue. The time for study at the institute will be necessarily limited and in order to permit the most profitable of class exercises, the following topics are suggested , so that those who purpose attending may make some preparatioa : Arithmetic - (1) Mental arithmetic drill, (2) appliactions in mensuration. Graramar - (1) Infinitivos and participles, (2) coinmon errors in speech, (3) analysis of sentences selected f rom "Fortune of the Republic. " Geography - (1) Michigan, (2) model lessons on Venezuela, Cuba, Armenia, or the Transvaal. History- (1) 1815-1861, (2) finance, (3) important current events. Physiology- (1) The digestión, (2) prevention of communicable diseases - see health office circulars, (3) respiration - ventilation of schools, (4) the ear. Civil Government - (1) Executive offleers of nation, state, oounty, city, village; (2) compare Congress and Michigan legislature. Pedagogy - (1) The eighth and ninth chapters of Putnam's Primer or its equivalent, (2) child study manual. Algebra - (1) Equatious, (2) factoring, (3) problems. Geometry - Simple problems and demoiistratious. Botauy - Elementary instruction. Reading and Orthograpliy - Emerson's "Fortune of the Repnblio. " A spelling match will be couducted on the Michigan Test and fifty technical words of physiology and aritbnietic. The preceding topics are given to aid in a proper preparation for the work. Bring aoy text-books. Be thinking and studying along the lines of the topics suggested, and even a week's institute may be made very profitable with class work and lectures corubined. The institute law allows teachers, vhose schools are in session at the tirue appointed for the county institute beid under the directiou of the state superintendent, to close their schools during the continuance of such institute, with out forfeiting their wages, for as maDy half days as they are in attendance a the inetitute. There will he no enrollnient fee, anc every teacher or would-be teachei should arrange to attend every session Try to be present ai the flrst session. Full particulars in regard to board etc, may be obtained upon application to W. W. Wederneyer, Ann Arbor, the local committee.