Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-05-11
oUR SYSTEM OFEDUCATION.

The system of common schools, and
all our schools are literally supported.
An excellent and exceedingly pains
taking class of teachers are pursuing
as profession the calling of teachers.
played by teachers than by any class
of workers laboring as hard as they do
and for as little reward.
1t is rot the purpose of this present
writing to c1iticise these faithful work
ers in the educational field. But there
is quite general belief among
practical people, outside the
teachers avocation, that the system Of
education, courses of study, and meth
DDS of instruction are not what they
should be-that there are grave and
inherent faults in the way teachers go
to work, and in the system under
which they go to work.
Take for example, our own city
schools. A graded system is provided.
Pupils in large numbers are started in
the primary grade. Fifty, sixty or
seventy little children are placed under
one teacher. A regular course or cur
riculum of study is laid down, whereby
in the course of q certain number of
terms one of those pupils, with no set
backs will graduate from the
high school. Every pupil, male and
female, bright or dull, quick or slug
gsh in perception or mental process, is
expected to travel the same course of
study, receive the same mental aids,
accomplish the same results in the
same time. Much Of the instruction
is of an arbitrary kind, which requires
:. deaG-lift of the faculties to master;
and is, in most cases, forced into the
mind of the child by mere unre Elective
exercise Of the faculty of memory. It
matters not wha: child's mental pre-
elections are, or for what pursuit in
| life he evinces natural taste and incli-
natiDn The school furnishes to all
the Same dead, dull, uninspiriug
bill of mental fare. Girls Of
delicate organization, and intellec-
tual tastes that would lead them into
literature, language, art, botany or
some such channel of development are
held just as long and thoroughly as the
hard headed boy, whose brain nature
moulded and cast for civil engi-
neer, to a course of mathematics; and
to each the methods of impsrting in
struction are the same. Add to these
| disadvantages, the fact that owing to
| the crowded state of cur schools the
| teachers aim to establish system-a
cast-iron set of rules of recitation, de-
| corum, movement, which, while neces
ssry for order and progress, tend to
remove the scholar and teacher further
apart, make the former a machine,
the chords of sympathy between teach,
er and pupil are but slight; the teacher
can know, but little, having little op.
portunity TO study each chiid's mental
traits or most natural direction of de-
velopnient.
The evils of this system are fully ap-
preciated by our bsst educators. But
| systems of teaching are quite apt to be
like the fashions. They must be fol-
lowed, whether sensible or not; and like
fashions they change.
/ The ideas of educators have been
startled somewhat, by the theories of
teaching and the practical work of
Col. T. W. Parker, now in charge of
the Cook county Normal school in
| Illinois. His methods are 50 replete
with common sense, as 10 create 8
marked sensation in educational cir
cles. Prof. Shsw of this city has visited
| his scnool, witnessed his methods and
kindly fayors the DEMOCRAT with an
outline of the new theory and practice,
of which but meagre sketch can be
here presented.
Col. Parker is placed in charge of
this normal school, paid liberal sal
airy, and given ample means to carry
out his plans, and he is meeting with q
success which is watched with eager in
terest by all the leading educators of
the county. The leading idea of his
4 system is that the science of mind
should be the basis of education. His
aim is to fis pupils for practical life. To
that end he first makes or has the in
structor make, a careful study of the