The Teacher : Hints on School Management. By J. R.
Blakiston, M.A. (Macmillan.)—This is a capital little book, which we recom- mend without the least hesitation to a very numerous and important class, school-managers and schoolmasters. The book, we ought to explain, deals with elementary schools, and is the work of an inspector of these schools. The author always goes straight to the point, and says what he has to say in the plainest and most direct manner ; nor is there any matter connected with schools and their management upon which he has not touched. The teacher, he explains, will have much more influence with his scholars, if he shows sympathy with them in their amusements and their out-of-school occupations. This applies especially to villages. He gives us, what will be very useful to many a teacher, admirable outlines of lessons, and shows how what would seem to be dry subjects for children may be made attractive. Grammar, for instance, presents peculiar difficulties, and must, we fear, always remain rather a repulsive study to the young ; still, as Mr. Blakiston says, the way towards learning it may be prepared by thoroughly good instruction in reading, so that it will be found that a child who reads well "instinctively analyses as be reads." In ele- mentary schools the time for learning is necessarily limited, and if any good result is to be accomplished, the children must be made to see the connection between their lessons and the daily work of their lives. Many fail to learn because, as the schoolmaster, Bartle Massey, in " Adam Bede " says, " they no sooner get their caps on, than they sweep the whole thing clean out of their minds." Really skilful teaching might counteract this danger, and if managers and masters would but study the ninety pages of this little book, we believe that a step would be gained towards the better education of our labouring classes.
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