Smyrna times., 1854-08-09
Communications.
Correspondence Of the smyrnn Times.
Education in the Town of Smyrna.
No. 3.

y.
A UNroN OF SCHooI. DIsTRIcTs.-I know of
no measure more likely to exert beneficial
influence upon the interest of the Town, than
the one here proposed, namely: A union of the
School Districts--s0 that the entire educa
tional interests Of the town may be combined,
and all the strength we can muster may con-
verge towards one point, (than which there is,
by universal consent nothing more importantly |
the proper education of all the children within |
the town. But you ask what are the advantages
to result from this union!
First. A union of the entire town, without |
any divisions or sectional lines, forming and
constituting us for educational purposes, as we
are in other respects, one people. Why should
we be cut Up into districts for the purposes of
education!
Second. A more complete and thorough
classification of the scholars according TO their
attalnments-thereby enabling teacher to take
charge OF a greater number of scholars, and,
at the same time, be of greater benefit to them
Individually. This is, perhaps, the greatest
benefit that would result from the union. We
have, now, two schools in each of the districts,
and, In each of those schools, there are scholars
of so many different grades that it is impossible
for the teacher to derive much advantage from
classification; the instruction to most of them
is confined to each scholar, and the time that
1 can be allotted to each is very short. Let us
illustrate the idea: A teacher has fifty scholars;
he teaches seven hours per day-tour in the
= morning and three in the afternoon; instructing
u them slngly, it gives him 3-5 minutes per
y day to each scholar, for hearing the various
:. lessons that may e"gage their attention but
v give the same teacher one hundred scholars o
, nearly the same grade, so that he can avail
himself O.! classes, and the one hundred shall bC
more easily and eiicctualy taught than thC
d, fifty without classification. Say that he cal
arrange them in five classes of twenty scholar
each-he then could bestow upon each Of thos
classes eghty-lour minutes per dav; and | an
i'' we'll assured that those eighty-iour minute
will tell as well upon the odvanesmcnt of rccI
member of TIC class as though they were devo
thd exclusively te one. How immense tn
saving, then, ii We can have our schools so al
se ranged that we can avail ourselves of the benz
d. fits of classification WITH the same numbC
of teachers, our children would be iur bette
~. taught.
oo AS an illustration Of the defects of our prt
% sent system, look at the length OF time require
for scholars in your town to acquire such a
/. education may be acquired in your distri'
L. schools. Your girls are sent to school unit
6, they want TO stop to prepare for beau-catchinl
and your boys till they are sixteen or seventct
ey years of age, to learn the common branches
1ut an English Misunderstanding, writing, art
metic, grammar and gcography,-and the
od leave school. at that age, about as much i
- structed as they ought to have been at twel'
uc y, years Of age, if they could have been so a
!" ranged that their teachers would have had
OF fair chance to instruct them. Their want
re- advancement is not the fault of the teacher
her it Is an inherent fault III the system. And sit
to ated as we are, with scholars enough in I
nor town to have them properly classified and
ranged, We maaicstly disregard the true int
est ot our chilIrcn, if we do not make chan
to in our schools. Three or four years is lost
low every boy and girl that grows up in the toy
;,u for want OF this change; and they are sc
~ forth to battle with the difficulties OF life mi,
'h'S the mental power and capacity that might
obtained in that length of time. You wol
est deplore calamity that would reduce your
nm tate a few thousand dollars, because it wo,
lessen the amount to go to your children
WHO the loss here described and deplored is a loss
and far greater magnitude See to it, fcllow-c
en- zens, that this loss be no longer endured.
was speak as unto wise men, judge ye of wha
Inns, say"
"'' BENEDICT