A History of the McGuffey ReadersVail, Henry Hobart
History
A History of the McGuffey Readers
Vail, Henry Hobart
McGuffey, William Holmes, 1800-1873
While Dr. McGuffey was still at Oxford, Ohio, he took part in the
formation of probably the first extended Teachers' Association formed in
the West. There had been a previous association of Cincinnati teachers
organized for mutual aid and improvement. This was about to be given
up; but at their first anniversary on June 20, 1831, Mr. Albert Pickett,
principal of a private school in Cincinnati, proposed a plan for
organizing in one body the instructors in public and private schools and
the friends of education. Circulars were sent out and the first meeting
of the College of Teachers was held October 3, 1832. A great number of
teachers from many states of the West and South attended these meetings
and took part in the proceedings. Throughout its continuance Dr.
McGuffey took an active part in the work. In the years 1832-1836
fifty-seven addresses were delivered to the College by thirty-nine
speakers. Of this number Dr. McGuffey prepared and delivered three.
[Topics Discussed]
The proceedings of the College of Teachers were published in annual
pamphlets which together formed two large octavo volumes. The topics
which were then under discussion are best shown by the titles of a few
of the addresses, with the name of the speaker and the year of delivery:
On Introducing the Bible into Schools, Rev. B.P. Aydelott, 1836;
Importance of making the business of Teaching a Profession, Lyman
Beecher, D.D., 1833; The Kind of Education Adapted to the West,
Professor Bradford, 1833; Qualifications of Teachers, Mr. Mann Butler,
1832; Physical Education, Dr. Daniel Drake, 1833; On Popular Education,
John P. Harrison, M.D., 1836; On the Study and Nature of Ancient
Languages, A. Kinmont, 1832; On Common Schools, Samuel Lewis, Esq.,
1835; On the Qualifications of Teachers, E.D. Mansfield, Esq., 1836;
Reciprocal Duties of Parents and Teachers, Rev. W.H. McGuffey, A.M.,
1835; General Duties of Teachers, Albert Pickett, 1835; Philosophy of
the Human Mind, Bishop Purcell, 1836; Utility of Cabinets of Natural
Science, Joseph Ray, 1836; Agriculture as a Branch of Education, Rev. E.
Slack, 1836; Education of Emigrants, Professor Calvin Stowe, 1835; Best
Method of Teaching Composition, D.L. Talbott, 1835; Manual Labor in the
Schools, Milo G. Williams.
Some of these topics are still engrossing the attention of teachers at
their annual meetings for the discussion of live educational questions.
While Dr. McGuffey was at Oxford, teaching mental philosophy to the
pupils in Miami University, he prepared the manuscript for the two lower
readers of the graded series which bore his name. To test his work while
in progress, he collected in his own house a number of small children
whom he taught to read by the use of his lessons.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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