Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-01-02
BrrrrNGroS, Vt. Nov, ~, Is

: Desiring to see the children upon the play
ground, and the morning exercises, We left
Boston a few mia&ss af."r eight O'Clock.
, AT the Quincy depot were carriages waiting
to carry visitors to the several schools. The
, drivers had cards giving the name and loca-
, ton of each school. At the bottom of this
card was polite request not TO visit the Cod
dington school.
We Immediately drove 10 Superintendent
Parker's office TO present your letter of intro
duction, but he was not there, and nothing
definite could he ascertained as TO the time
when he would be there. We afterward
met him mt the Willard school, and gave
him the letters, which he received with the
remark that he remembered Nlr. Algcr well.
lie then designated the rooms in which We
might see such work as YOU would probably
want us TO see, and directed us to such teach
ers as he thought would give us the best in
formation in regard 10 the work. lie direct
ed me 10 a teacher, whom had previously
met saving Go to Miss she has the
children in the lowest grade and can tell You
more about the work than any teacher IN the
building. We give the little ones the benefit
of the hest teachers" Evidently Superin-
tendent Parker is closely watching the work
ing of the system in the primary schools.
The number of visitors at the CodtlingtOn
school for the month of September was thir-
teen hundred and ten. As so much excite
ment was detrimental 10 the children and
tircseme TO the teachers. this school was
closed to visitors. Its work did not differ
from that Of the other schools, but was more
successful. as the foreign element in it was
smaller.
| The buildings are of wood surrounded by
mcdium-sized play grounds. The halls are
wide and the rooms are So arranged that they
are well lighted, and thus they are cheerful
and pleasant.
Each building has principal who has a
general oversight of all other rooms in that
building Each teacher las care of one
room with one grade Of pupils in it. The
pupils in each room are said to be of one
grade but really consist of four or five grades.
As even dull pupils who have been in Il room
the required six months are considerably in
advance of those just entering it, they recite
by themselves and are As of the first
grade" The different natural abilities of the
children who enter the room together soon
make BIS, ,,C's and even D's of the same grade.
In the Primary Department are six grades
corresponding to the first three years of Bur-
lington schools The children are promoted
by the recommendation Of their teacher
Assisting the teacher are such High School
girls as choose to give their time To learn the
profession.
Each room is neatly furnished and well
supplied with black boards The boards are
lined horizontally. and all of the teachers
work is precisely placed between them; they
are also lined vertically so that each child
may Use equal space with his neighbor,
At the back of the rooms are tables on
which are shells, blocks and colored papers
| ~ # n "a inrh To ha str trtln CT re
one inch in length.
In these grades, writing is taught the first
thing in the morning. Before beginning the
writing proper the children stretch apart
their fingers, open and shut their hands
quickly, and shake them from the wrist.
They then indicate with the index finger the
curves of the letter to he made.
The states are ruled with two lines one
fourth of an inch apart, leaving a space of
two inches before the succeeding two lines.
No signals were given for taking states, or
pencils. Each slate was placed with the side
of the frame parallel with the edge of the
desk The children werc directed To sit with
their right sides to the desk, their feet in the
aisles, with the soles Of them to the floor.
The small letters, with capitals for days of
the week, months of the wear, for Quincy,
Massachusetts, and TO each the capitals for
his name are taught the first school year.
| can imagine no more perfect writing
work than is done in all these schools. The
work of the lowest grade in the Primary is
as perfect as the highest grade in the Gram
mar School
1t is not few children who write WELL
but ali the children. This success attribute
to the uniform and careful writing by the
teachers of everything they place on the
board The children see, or copy, no imper-
feet writing.
Script, alone, is used for the first six
months in reading Connection sthen made
between script and print the work being
still all board work. Books are first used the
second year of the work. Reading lessons
have no set form. The teacher draws a pic
ture on the board. asks questions about 1t,
and uses the answers for the matter of the
reading lesson. In room of fifty. ten or
twelve group themselves at the board around
the teacher to have their lesson, while those
at their seats write their names, days of the
week, etc.
When the lesson of the AS is finished they
return 10 their seats and write while another
group istaught.
Fifteen or twenty minutes are given to
each group.
Some forms of drill were having the
class repeat quickly each word five times :;
using the words in sentences of their own !;
teacher crasing the words as the children
name them teacher erasing a word and the
children supplying the word erased.
As the children are taught in groups, few
books are needed. They are given 10 each
in the class at the commencement OF The
lesson, and collected at its close.
In the lowest grades the children learn th,,
sounds of the letters, and learn To build
words with them. Much work Of this char
acter is done throughout the Primary grades
The number work. though very little nj
tention is paid to il, is al done with objects.
Addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division are all taught at the same time from
the beginning
Very little reproduction work is done with
ont the objects before them.
Music is not taught as Il subject, hut little
songs are taught them by rotc which they
sing between recitaiions. Drawing is not
taught as subject, but upon the boards are
pictures drawn by the teacher, which the
children copy after they have finished the
work assigned them.
Object lessons are given daily. Prang' s
cards of twelve trades and occupations were
used and were very instructive.
The nearest approachlo lt-cducaiion that
| saw was sclf-govcrnmcnt The teachers
gave no care 10 pupils at their seats and none
was needed The pupils did their work.
then entertained themselves by making pie
lures upon their states.
The development work of the teachers
was usually not good. Its quality was
made inferior by lack OF poinic,incss. unity,
and questioning. This work. they have not
yet reduced 10 any system. They pay no re
gard 10 the dependence oi one part al a sub
jcct upon another, hence their questions are
illogical and can never he made into II series
| whose point is TO teach some fact or develop
certain faculties
The children, nearly always gave their an
swcrs with the rising slide which We heard
corrected in but one room.
The writing work is the hest | have ever
seen. In reading can nothing to he
gained 10y using script first, Little children
are more familiar with print. and We can
make ilsc OF this knowlc ledge by using print
trst.
The number work does moi fuvornhlv com
pare in quality with what have seen dome
in Burlington.
For city which has amy amount of ll,a,
ing population think it would moi do what
Burlington does.
The system cultivatcs perception and Ian
ruugc nj the expense oi memory, the rcsNln-
ng faculties, and the power of gcncrili2a
ton.
The course may train the children, SO they
will take pleasure in reading all the sensible
matter in the Public Library. il II is ~.
lectcd for them hut ! doubt il the system,
as now used, ever makes clear. close. luronl
thinkers Of them
SCHOOLS OF BosToN.
We sent our letter of Introduction To Su-