Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-18


ton last evening, inquirins into the reason O
the failure of the graduating class OF the Sac
ramento Grammar School under Prof. A. II
Mcdonald. John SWEET was the first wit
ness. He said be had been thirty years &
teacher, was State Superintendent of Public
Instruction for five years, Deputy City Su
perintendent of San Francisco three years.
and is now Principal of the Girls High and
Normal School, San Francisco. Has hao
large experience in preparing questions fol-
graduating classes during these years, and fol
fifteen years worked on boards of examine
ton of teachers. Saw the questions on arith-
metic given the first grade of the Sacramento
Grammar School in the RECORD UNION in
San Francisco. Had seen them since in the
Superintendent's office. Had examined some
of the examination papers of the Sacramento
and the Capital Grammar Schools first grade
classes. Beyond asking for those papers and
examining them mad had no conversation or
talk with any person relative to the questions
or his opinion of them or the Investigation.
| When he first saw the questions in the RECORD
UNION he believed them too difficult, more
difficult than any he had ever seen for such
purpose, and more difficult than tolerated in
San Francisco or in Eastern cities usually.
4 LIS SGCDnu lidNi Nb4iAiLAA-NO MS
| first opinion. There is tendency to make
arithmetic hobby. That was the main
cause of the dissatisfaction of the people
with the State Board series of questions and
the troubles consequent thereon. and the feel
ing went into the Constitutional Convention
and led to a radical change, as all know. In
San Francisco questions for the grammar
grade were formerly prepared by the High
School Principal, and as result cut out
many pupils that should not have been so
treated. Some of the teachers rebelled and
fought, and the system was abolished.
1t is always an error to have High
School teachers prepare questions for
pupils to be graduated from lower
school to their own. To schoolmaster or
an arithmetic sharp these questions may not
seem difficult, but to pupils Of IA years and
thereabouts it is vastly different. Their
minds are immature, and for such, he said,
the questions should be Enthusiastically
plain, simple, direct and on practical and es-
sential matters. Such is the practice in San
Francisco 0nehalf of the arithmetic in use
for grammar schools is there stricken out,
and the pupils are not even then given ques-
| tons on examination from the text book as
studied. The Sacramento questions are not,
he said, in most cases direct. They are puz-
zles-would puzzle some good teachers to find
out what they mean. That question call
ing for q statement of the principles
of proportion would puzzle some old
teachers to find cut what it meant
Examined answers to that question
in Capital Grammar School. Answers were
given, THE extremes and MEANS" and the
pupils got full credit for the answer; but it
is no answer to the question. So another
directs the pupil to "deduce the tables of
longitude and time" That would. he said.
puzzle pupils in the San Francisco Grammar
and higher schools. He considered the ques.
ton indefinite and the use of the word de-
duce confusing. He would consider it no
discredit if whole class should fail On it.
On the State Board of Examination once
one-half the teachers under examination
failed where the word deduce was used in
similar manner. They were from IS to %
years of age, and failed to get the real mean
ing of the question ; how much more, he
added, may children in first grade
be expected to be puzzled. He once had
before his Board set of questions so loosely
put up and so indefinite that the Board
deemed it only fair to accept any one of four
different answers to several of them. Some
Of these questions under consideration in Sac
ramento he deemed unfair and unjust to the
pupils. Ii class was trained on these school
masterisms and puzzles, and their other
studies neglected, the pupils could be brought
up TO giving correct solutions but it would
be, in his opinion, bad work and wasted time.
He would not object to the questions if the
sole object is to make the pupils arithmetic
sharps The first question, first part. requir-
ing an analytical statement is not fair and
he should consider it no discredit to q teacher
if his class failed in such analysis. 1t might
work II, but not understand it. The second
pant is a schoolmasterism for which wit
ness had the most unutterable contempt.
1t is well enough as a puzzle, but worthless
as test of the practical understanding Of
the pupil of those things he or she ought to
understand. II half of q grammar srade
class had failed to get 60 per cent. on such
questions he'd consider he had not failed as
their teacher The questions are not only
remarkable for what they contain, but more
remarkable for what they omit. There is
nothing in them about some of the common
est things in use in commercial and everyday
business life, nothing about drawing of notes
ETC., and other practical matters that would
test the child's knowledge of the most i'm
portant things he ought to know. He could
see how a teacher could put in
six months Of hard labor and have
his class fail under such puzzles, conplica-
tons and confused statements. He would
object to these questions for his normal class
even. all graduates OF the High School at
San Francisco It would be unjust and I'M
fair to put them on trial under such CUES
tons If, he said, he had class that had
secured 90 or % per cent. on such questions
he should think there was something crooked
about it, aud would ask for a denomination.
1t might be thought that he spoke in terms
too strong, he said, but he added
that he had seen so many educated.
cultured and cultivated women slaughtered
on the examination block by questions Of
this type that he could not use milder Ian
guage when he said he considered questions
II this type outrageous, and when like ques-
tons were forced upon children the grievance
is intensified tenfold, and all such things ex-
cited his Indignation in proportion. TO Mr..
Hornblower) THE third question is a school
masterism that unfortunately is in the text
book, but is one Of the class that educators
are rapidly wedding ont, and in fifteen
years more the last remnant viii be
gone. Tie reform has already begun
and has gained a strong foothold
The books are full Of these weeds and school
masterisms. They were well enough in the
DAYS when boys went TO school till u years
old, and sat on the back benches and pegged
away on such t! Jugs, and crept around and
exchanged answers. He'd been through that
back bench business and knew. Certain
methods employed by Mr.. Mcdonald in
teaching arithmetic were here stated to wit
ness. and he warmly Endorsed them and said
he had already seen in the papers Of the pu-
pills evidences Of it and could point them out.
1t is the right system to request pupils to
make out the problems in their own way and
bring in their worl; for examination. Wit.
ness here said he desired to volunteer a state.
meut He had known Mr.. Mcdonald from
= to 20 years, and long ago had witnessed
his methods Us a teacher but had not seen
him work in arithmetic. He Endorsed him
a. 4 teacher and approved his methods. He
did not want to NEEDLE in Sacramento az
fairs, but II this matter IS Of such great i'm
portance be wanted to say that he could not
conceive Of n greater absurdity than to raise
the question Of competence on the failure Of
a class on such questions, no matter Who the
teacher may be. Ii it is such vital matter
Though be did not view it as sUch) to test
the competency of 4 teacher after
ten years OF service, then the least
that should be done would be to
order a denomination Of the pupils
on fair questions prepared by some far at the
East and utterly dispassionate. Let the pu-
pills be examined alone by a good examiner,
and If they fail then, it will be some test of
the competency of the teacher to instruct.
He offered this opinion without being asked,
and volunteered the suggestion for what he
deemed the good of the public schools TO
Mr.. johnson Know Albert Lyser. He is
good teacher and graduates pupils to the San
Francisco High School. ITO MIR. Tracy, and
examining an arithmetic edited some years
ago By Mr.. Swett)-I know this book. The
question in it shown is like the seventh in the
list he had testified about. He did not frame