The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-06-10
MACHINE" SCHOOL METHODS.
How Individuality of Character May
Sometimes BE Destroyed.

How Individuality of Character May
Sometimes BE Destroyed.
Chicago Times.l
The people Of England are apparently
becoming dissatisfied with the graded sys
been imported into that country from
Germany and the United States Mr..
Mundella, who is at the head of the de
partment Of public instruction, is the
English Horace Mann. He believes in the
machine method of manufacturing schol
ars. Some of the local inspectors have
the honesty and boldness to criticise hi:
methods laid down for the government Of
teachers. Mr.. Kicks, inspector of schools
under the London board, recently pre-
sented his report, which is a very interest
ing and suggestive document. In it the
following paragraph occurs:
Firstly, an attempt is made to carry
all children along at the same rate of prog
ress, whatever their physical or mental
powers. Hence the teaching power is mol
fairly apportioned. The dull, the back
ward, the irregular, the delicate-all those
children who, from whatever cause. arc
unable to keep pace with their fortunate
school fellOws-receive more than theil
fair share of attention, while the more
highly gifted-those who can pass the
forthcoming examination without troub
ling the teacher-receive less than the
Just share to which they are entitled, and
toward the close of the school
year, are sometimes neglected
met with a curious illustration of this
some two months ago. In a class of sixty
scholars I found ten or twelve sitting
silent, with folded arms, while their class
mates were either at work or play.
Naturally, | wanted to know why these
lads were being punished, for punishment
it certainly was These boys said the
assistant, are quite ready for the examin-
alton; they have nothing more to do, and
so give my time to prepare the others.
This is an extreme case, but in a large
number of schools the tendency is to
leave scholars, as they become perfect fol-
the examination, pretty much to them
selves. and to concentrate all attention on
the remainder
One of the effects of the graded system
in schools is to destroy all individuality Of
character in both teacher and pupil Each
teacher is expected to advance all the
pupils in room to a higher one in the
course of a school year. She is also ex-
pected to be exactly one year about it. II
she does it sooner, the great educational
machine is thrown out of gear. If she is
longer about it, the machine will not run
smoothly. A certain number of pages in
each textbook are designated as con
shutting the work of the given grade TIC
these al added a certain number OF
songs to be learned, certain number of
pictures to be copied, and certain MAKING
to be repeated. These are counted OF
measured off by the teacher, and admin
istered like doses of medicine at giver
hours.
The intellectual rations are dealt out
like oats to horses in a street railway
stable. What one child learns readily,
another acquires with great difficulty,
while third gains little comprehension
of it. Part of the pupils are idle half the
time, for they are sup to grade" and are
not allowed to pass beyond it They are
waiting for the slower ones "to catch up,
though II is manifest that many of them
will never be able to do it Near the
close of the year the class is examined, and
those who are not able to record fixed
standard are condemned to "be put
through the grade again.