The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-28
A Revolution i'm Quincy.

last few years effected a reform in pri-
mary education which it is possible may
serve as starting point in the reorgani-
zation of the deplorabie American sys-
tenn. This reform, described in a plain
and practical manner in pamphlet by
Charles Francis Adams, Jr., provides that
children shall be educated, and not sim
ply taught like SO many perrots.
In 1873 divers clever and thoughtful
citizens of the Quincy School Committee
began to realize that there was no percep-
tible progress in their schools that the
majority of the pupils who had finished
the grammar course neither spoke nor
spelled tleir own language perfectly, nor
read nor wrote it properly. At the pub
lie examinations they appeared in their
best clothes, attended by their parents
and friends; the committee sat silent
on the platform, and "the teacher
conducted the exercises over safe
and familiar ground to tri-
umphant conclusion in some peculiarly
unnatural bit of childish defamation y
There were no tests Of understanding and
assimilation--"the whole thing" says Mr..
Adams, "was shame" The Quincy
schools, in fact, were on the same dull
road OF which more than nine-tenths of
the American schools are now painfully
travelling. The pupils were taught to re-
peat their lessons, not to understand and
apply them. The Quincy committee
looked into the matter thoroughly; ex-
cluding the instructors from the work
of the examinations, they conducted
it themselves, each taking a
special branch of studies. The result
was the natural one-''the schools went
to pieces The A and B grammar
scholars, who could parse and construe
and correctly repeat the rules Of gram
mar, were found wholly unable to write
an ordinary letter; they could neither
follow any rule of composition, norapply
the rules aud principles they had learned
from their grammar. Nor could they
+, sd without absurd bungling any Eng
lish book which they had not seen before,
their reading of familiar pieces in 4tfYeir
own "Readers" being glib enough. 1t was
"all smatter, veneering and cram The
teachers chief object was to see his
pupils pass crcditable examination, and
in pursuing this object he had turned
them into prosperous collection of par
rOts.
The Committee resolved that the
schools should not 90 on in this fashion,
and that the remedy should not involve
any increase of the taxpayers burden.
They were busy men, and not able per-
sonally to conduct the work of reforma-
ton. Accordingly they determined to
employ competent Superintendent; the
town agreed, and in 1875 they engaged
a man peculiarly fitted for their purpose
one who had been teacher, and who,
realizing that he did not understand the
science of teaching had gone to Ger
many and studied it. The Committee
approved the plans ,he submitted to
them, and left him free to apply them in
the primaries.
The theory-too completely adopted in
this city, by the way-that vast numbers
of children should be taught as trains on
railroads are run, on timetable system,
was emphalically dismissed. The alpha
bet was no longer taught; the little ones,
surrounding their teacher at the back
board, learned to read as they had before
learned to speak, not by rule and rote
and by prececent, but all together and by
practic'. Plays and various physical ex-
ercises kept them from feeling their work
to be irksome. 1t was harder for the
teacher, but it was also pleasanter, and
gave her pride in her work. The four
years trial of this method has proved il
complete success and won over even the
most scofing of old-fashioned teachers.
In the several grades of the grammar
schools the committee provided that
their own ideas should be carried out.
They declared against the multiplicity
Of studies learned ,uncomprchendingly,
which too often make of American
school life a ridiculous farce. They de-
manded that to childr, n should be given
a thorough gro .nding in the elements of
knowledge, instead Of a superficial prep
aration for smooth examination. Gram
mar, reading, spelling-book and copy
book were thrown away, and reading at
sight and writing off-hand took their
places-and seven studies taught before
were reduced to the three RS.
Instruction in reading and writing,
grammar and spelling, in history and
geography, were combined in two exer-
cises-reading and writing ''The old
reader having disappeared" says Mr..
Adams, "the teacher was at liberty to
put into the hands of the class geogra-
phies or histories, or magazine articles,
and, having read them first, the scholars
might write of them afterward, to show
that they understood them. Their at
tention was thus secured. and the pen
being continually in the hand, they
wrote as readily as they spoke, and
spelling came with practice"
The improvement in the schools was
immense. The pupils learned to read
excellently a. sight. They wrote quickly
and easily in the best grammatical way,
not having wasted precious time in
studying formulas. Four hundred. out
of five hundred grammar school children,
:aken promiscuously from all the schools,
showed results either excellent or salts
factory. And all took the deepest in