The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-12-09
CHE 9Hiln 8nlletin
THURSDAY. DEC. 8, 1886.
THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.
SOME SUGGESTIONS TO THE BOARD OF
FREEHOLDERS BY THE DEPUTY SUPER
INTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.

intendent of Schools, has completed
his annual report, in which he throws
out some interesting suggestions.
He speaks of the fault found by
parents, who complain that their
sons, although attending our best
schools, are not able to perform
simple sums arising out of daily pur-
chases of groceries or other articles
of household necessity, and states
that there is no use denying their
truth. IL would become teachers,
he holds, to be ready to admit that
parents, speaking from their every
day observation, may be right, and
if they prove to be, to find remedies
for the errors which they point out.
Mr.. O'Connor says that three
years ago he prepared course of
studies, which was carefully watch
ed and amended from time to time.
This year he had most important
amendments to offer-such, for eX-
ample, of combining the attention of
the lowest grades almost exclusively
to the study of language and objects,
after kindergarten, methods, and
postponing the study of all but the
simplest arithmetical problems to
the years of the higher primary and
grammar grades. He had felt
pleased at being able to make the
amendments referred to, in antici-
patton of the comfort they would
bring to both teachers and pupils,
when he suddenly discovered that 4
course of studies had been prepared
under the direction of the Commit
tee ON Classification. In many
points the new course did not differ
very materially from the course he
had previously prepared; but the
differences were in the wrong direc-
ton. They increased the work
where his amendments would have
diminished it.
Parents complain that "it takes
my child too long to learn enough to
enable him to make decent living"
The complaint is well founded
Eight years is too long n time to
spend in acquiring the modicum of
useful knowledge possessed by a
graduate of the First grade. If the
period can be shortened without
injury to the pupil, if this work of
eight years can, in most instances
be performed in six years, then
there would be not only a great saw
ing in time for both parents and
pupils, but corresponding saving
in expenditure for the city.
"Can this saving be made, and if
so, how? l say it can in the follow
ing manner: First-Reduce the
number of grades in the primary and
grammar departments from eight to
six. Second-Let the time for COM
pleting the work of each grade be
one year or year and half,
according to the proficiency of the
pupil. Third-Promote from class
TO class every six months"
In referring TO promotions of
pupils, he says: 1.-The promotion
of undeserying pupils at the solicit
tation of parents since the discon-
tinuation of the annual examinations,
was an act of weakness which could
not have occurred if we had a
Board of Inspectors or a Board of
Education able and willing to ex-
anime the classes. The poor stand
ing of many of the schools, as shown
by the May examinations, was the
direct result of the mismanagement
referred to, and does not argue
either dull pupils or poor teachers. ="
The following suggestions are
made for the consideration of the
Board of Freeholders:
"That the SCHOOL Department
shall be under the control and
management of Board of Educa-
ton, which shall be composed Of the
superintendent of Public Schools
for the city and county and of four
School Commissioners, to be appoint
ed by the Superior Judges of the
city and county /; provided, that if in
1890 the population of the city and
county shall have reached 800, 900,
one additional Commissioner shall
be appointed, and whenever there.
after the decennial census shall have
shown the population of the city and
county to have reached $50, ZOO,
100000, 10000, ETC., an additional
Commissioner shall be appointed
for every such increase of 0,00O
inhabitants over and above the 3OO,-
900 aforesaid,
'School Commissioners shall be
appointed for o term of four years
by majority vote of the entire
Bench of Superior Judges 4; provided,
that the first body of Commissioners
appointed shall so classify themselves
by lot that one of them shall go out
of office in one year, one in two
years, one in three years and one in
four years"
School Commissioners must have
had at least ten years experience In
teaching, five of which must haye
been in the public schools of this