The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-02-13
Staunton Public Schools.

to talk face to face with the citizens, gener
ally, Of Staunton, Think it proper, and per
hapS due to them that l should take thi
method OF explaining one or two importan
features Of the policy upon which propos
and have undertaken to operate our Publ
Schools, in order that the patience, and,
possible, the cooperation OF the people ma,
be secured, and that /, for failure or refusa
to comply with the requests of some, as t.
the particular grade or school in which thei
children should be placed &c., may not b.
regarded as obstinate or unreasonable.
The schools, as now organized, contem
plate in their course of instruction, from thu
primary department through the high school
all that is embraced in a thorough practica
education, i. t. to prepare our youth Of boil
sexes, for the business of life, or for credita
BILE entrance into the colleges and uniyersi
ties of the land. And whilst it is claimed
that nothing material is omitted in thi
course, still nothing is .repeated-that is tt
say, no two teachers go over the same grount
| in any one branch. All tine classes necessa-
ry to accommodate children Of all ages anC
degrees Of advancement are represented in
| the schools, but not in the same room. On
| the contrary, the course in the white schooi
| embraces IL classes or grades, and each
each grade has his or her own peculiar,
sharply defined work, beginning in each
branch where the course of the teach
er below ends, and ending where the
next teacher above begins. And
those pupils. and those only who are
well prepared in all the branches for the in
struction given in particular room, can be
allowed to remain in that room. And let
me remark here, parenthetically, that when
the grades are judiciously fi1ed-fairly meet
ing, but not over-lapping-and all provided
with good teachers, upon no other one thing
does success so much depend as upon firm,
int1exible ruling against jumping grades. :"
It is wholly impossible for a pupil to succeed
with the studies in any particular room, un-
| less he be thoroughly familiar with those in
| the grade below. And hence, whilst, with
this view, I may, if requested to do so, al
| low pupil to remain in a given room longer
! than is thought by me to be absolutely nee
essary, cannot, in any event, consent to
| his moving up until fully convinced of his
preparation. For if so, one of two results
| must follow; either the pupil will be unable
| to appreciate, and therefore fail to appropri-
ate the instruction, or else the teacher will
have to make separate and distinct class of
him, and devote to him nearly, if not entire
ly, one half the time and attention that
would other wise be given to all the pupils of
the grade. Each grade is intended to en-
brace in its scope about the amount of work
that can reasonably be expected of a teacher,
and the average pupil to accomplish in
given time. In every grade there will doubt
less be few pupils who-one perhaps from
idleness and inattention, another from want
of capacity-will not accomplish the work,
aud will therefore fail of promotion. But
large percentage will go through in the
specified time. If net, it will be pretty good
evidence of incompetency or failure in duty
on the part of the teacher, who, of course,
should be dealt with accordingly.
On the other hand, whenever pupil gives
evidence of his fitness for the next grade, he
will at once be promoted, wholly regardless
of the time OF year or period in the school,
term. Parents, it is hoped, can readily uni
derstand, also, from this explanation, why it
is impossible for us always to place and keep
their children in the school-building which
is nearest to their homes. We would like
to be accommodating in this /; but they
will understand that if their child is at the
Institute this year, he may, in order to get
the benefit of the next grade-if he go on
with his education-be compelled to go to
the Academy next year, an'l olce versa, in
as much as we cannot have two distinct
schools-only the one with its different clas-
ses or grades distributed as fairly as possible
between the two places. repeat that il it
were possible, consistent with the educa
tional interests Of the pupils and the tinan-
cial status of our city, to have two identical
grades throughout the course. one at the Iu-
stitute and the other at the Academy, so as
to furnish to every family constant school
facilities at the nearest point, we would most
gladly do it, and especially in the case of the
little children who belong to the low
est primary grade. But every reasona-
BILE person will see that this is impossible
And. after all, except in the care of those
just mentioned, and extremely delicate chill
dren, the matter of distance is of small i'm
portance, since healthy children who are old
enough to go to school at all, can 60, and
every day do go, and over rough, mud
DIV country roads at that, distance
several times as great as from one side of
our corporation to the other; and,[ may add
they grow under it, and make good scholars
too.
have made this explanation to show that
it is simply impossible to yield to the request
of patrons to send their children to whatever
teacher they may desire, and in whichever
of the buildings may be most convenient to
them, and, at the same time, to have Gro
| ded School,"
And, if INDUCED longer, 1 may ask, is it
desirable that our City Public Schools be
| s'Graded'' Schools? Ianswer unhesitating-
", yes. In fact. 1 think l but express the
common opinion OF all our educators, and of
nearly all others who have given the subject
any considerable thought, when | say that it
is not only desirable that schools like Our city
| Dubic schools be graded, but it is almost in
dispensable-it is really the sine qua non of
| success.
| 1t is useless at this day to undertake to ar
que this proposition which has been so often
! and so ably presented to the public.
| l may be permitted, however, just now,
when so much is being said-and justly said
against teachers ''Aearing recitations," to
saw that in addition to all the other argu-
ments in favor of graded schools, this is
strong one, viz: that it enables, if it does
not in short time, really force teacher to
teach not simply to ''hear lessons but to
instruct. 1t is plain that a teacher with, say
80 pupils, can do but little else than ''hear
| lessons' if those 80 pupils are divided, cut
| up, into 10 or II or more classes, represent
| ing as many different degrees Of advance
ment in the various branches, with one class
| engaging him or 10 minutes, then another,
| and another and so on. But it is poor
| teacher, an inexcusably poor one, who can
not teach, and teach aoeU 80 or 40, or even
| more pupils who are we'll graded, all possess
ing about the same degree of proficiency, so
that when he addresses one, he can address
all, at the same time and upon the same sub
iect. say that it is ''sorry" teacher, in
deed, and one who should seriously take into
consideration the propriety of Voluntarily
abandoning his calling, who with the supe-
rior advanta ges that a graded school affords
him, can still content himself with simply
s'hearing Rotations" If he has any re-
sources at all of his own, the graded system
is bound to bring them out and it affords
him las the similar system at our universe
ties affords the professors there) ample time
and opportunity not only to prepare, but to
present his subject, even in a primary grade,
in the most impressive and attractive way.
And, besides, when he dismisses one from
recitation, he dismisses all, SO that in the
important matter OF securing and preserving
good order, he has obvious advantage over
the teacher OF an ungraded school (of even
but Is or 20 pupils who is worried and har-
raised from morning till night with his end
less routine of clearing the lessons'' of one
little class after another, while at the same
time, his eyes and his ears are required to be
in all other portions of the room to suppress
disorder; to secure quiet and application in
one part of the room, and arrest noise and
confusion in another to stop the laughing
and whispering near the door, and prevent
the little urchin behind the stove pipe from
L = -, L, L, ali 1.J H.