Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-07-10

Are the parents of Augusta interested il
the ways the little ones are set to work in tn
best schools Of to-day: Would they care a
all to learn how children are taught to read
both script and print, to WRITE to count, t.
Work with numbers, to know facts about al
most every thing under the sun. in less tim,
than it took them to learn the alphabet, t.
learn the dreary columns of the spelling bool
and still more dreary pages Of the first read
ing-book, every page of which they knew b,
heart before it was put into their hands:
The QuIScr system
As the Quincy system has the floor to day
1t Is TO the Quincy system would like to call
attention. Seven years ago Col. S W. Par
ker was made superintendent of the Ouinc,
schools. six in number. He began his work
with new idea of how children should bs
taught. and began at once to train his teach.
ers to do the work in his way. The work
begun then has gone on with constantly in.
creasing success, and now, thousands OF
teachers each year from all parts of tbs
Union, visit Quincy to sit at the feet of these
teachers and learn what children should be
taught and how to teach it to them. As fol
Col. Parker, he worked for FIVE years. trained
his successor, and went to Boston two wears
ago to civilize the heather there.
few weeks ago, in order to fulfill an en-
2agement with a school board which holds
uncomfortably advanced ideas, | went to
Quincy and staid two weeks examining the
schools. | went there determined to keep nv
eyes open, to learn what could, to find weak
places if possible, not to be blinded by any
surface enthusiasm | might find there. and
above all not TO permit myself TO be carried
away no matter how good il might prove TO be
ended bv being in love with everything in
Quincy but the gravel sidewalks and the dust
fell in love at first sight with the teachers
the pupils, the methods. and even with the
Spitz dog to whom, as he put his head inside
the door. the children cried Good morning
Charlie French :" and then went on with theiI
work as unconcerned by as if Charlie French
visited them every days have no doub,
he did.
"MARY's LITTLE LAME"
would be no disturbing element in those
schools. So far from it would he be that the
teacher would call him in. let him walk among
the children that they might have a good look
at him, then put him on the table, and talk
about his mouth and eyes and ears, his hoof.
and legs and wool and what he is good for
and ask his name, and tell how much Mary
loves him then she would write these words
on the board the children would copy them
on their states, and they would have subjects
enough for their little stories to last a week.
And learning to write is nothing but lovely
play. If the teacher would not do all this,
then she should not be Q iincy teacher that
is certain.
STARTING on THE RoIAL ROAD TO KNOwL-
EDGE.
The schools have grown so large in Quincy
that now the little children who are supposed
to know Just nothing at all (the teachers
greatly prefer they should have no previous
teaching) are put in charge of special
teacher who breaks them in tor the first
grade. This breaking in is a charming pro-
cess. 1t is done by putting the little folks al
large table of damp sand and letting them
pat it and heap it to their hearts content; by
giving them coored splints to weave together
as their fancy may direct; by giving each
child handful of shoe pegs and teaching
him to lay them into all sorts of shapes. tri
angles, squares. circles, stars, etc. and SO
teaching them the foundation names for fu-
ture object lessons; by teaching them to draw
upon their states vertical, horizontal and
oblique lines. With all this, more seriou.
work is going on; they are learning to write
little and to read script great deal They
saw they teach by the word, sentence and
phonic methods. They might also call it the
script method, for it is not until the pupils car
read quite an extensive vocabulary and all
easy sentences in script that they are per
mitted to read print
FIRST LESSONS.
Perhaps an idea of these first lessons ma,
be gained from the following description il
which the spirit is retained; the exact form
would be AS impossible to repeat as it would
be to report the conversation of a group o.
children at play. for at times they all talk a
once. The teacher tells the children sh'
wants to have them learn new word, ant
asks them to look through the window fol
something new 1t NAV be they have no
had the word house. so that is the one decided
upon. Then she draws picture of house
on the board and writes the word beside it
Teacher and children now talk about the rea
house, the picture of the house. and thu
written word. She writes the word will
great rapidity in small letters, just larg'
enough to be read, in large letters, in ever,
corner of the board, in every conceivable
position; the children close their eyes while
she writes it in among a dozen other words
and he is the best fellow who finds it first
Then it is combined with small words int
numberless little sentences. BY the way. al
minor words, a. and, an, the. is, are, he, she
etc. are learned from sentences in much tn
same way. The children go to their seat
and cover their states with the word house
and they know that word wherever they ma.
see it as long as they live: and before the.
are done with that house they can tell al
about it from cellar to chimney; can wri.
all the words concerning it such as door
window. glass, wood, chimney. bricks, etc.
etc. can tell the number of inmates, thei
names and what they own; and can write an.
number of charming little stories about tn
boy who draws apples in his wagon. and thu
dog who barked at the chickens, and the ca
who catches rats in the barn and mice in tin
garnet.
They can do all this and not know tn
name OF one letter of the alphabet. They d.
kn,w the sounds of the letters, however, TO
the phonic chart is practised every day.
All this takes time and many days lessons
hut the children are getting quite vocabu
lary and are learning many other things
They are learning some number and how t
write. As the small letter j is considered tn
foundation of all writing every child is mad
Ia fill his slate with it every day during tn
frst wear. 1t is written between parable
lines and with the greatest ease and exact
nude. They write all the words they know
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