The Helena independent., 1889-05-31
FAULTS OF THE SCHOOLS.
Features in Which Our Institutions Are


Features in which Our Institutions Are
Lacking.
New York Tribune: good deal has
appeared of late in the public
journals in relation to the schools
OF to-day. Many of the good points
OK these institutions have been brought out
into bold relief, and SO have many of the
bad ones. Such a discussion, if conducted
Ia a candid spirit, must be productive of
excellent results. 1t cannot take too great
range nor concern itself with too great a
number of details. The progress of the
race, nOt TO speak of what is known as the
manifest destiny of our country, of course
Is largely conditioned upon a school sys-
TEN which meets the best expectations at
sll points.
While the subject was informally under
consideration the other evening, a gentle
man was asked why he had withdrawn his
son from well known SCHOOL, school
which has a great reputation. Il did So"
was The reply, because l had come to the
conclusion that my boys tuition was cost
ing me considerably more than it was
worth. If he was bright, forward boy,
probably 1 should not have had any reason
10 complain. But he is a rather dull
bJy-not stupid, you know, but dull.
lie doesn't learn easily; isn't one of your
Macauley chaps. A great many things
which some of his fellow students
understand at a glance were TO him puz-
zeS- But that circumstance did not seem
10 be appreciated by his teachers, or if IL
was appreciated il wasn't acted upon. He
received no more attention at their hands
tnan the most precoeious member of his
class, If he made a poor recitation he re-
celyed low mark, but he did not receive
extra assistance. The consequences was
tnat his mother or l was compelled 10
supplement the school, We labOred
With him over his arithmetic OF his Latin
or whatever II might be, taking care TO find
out just what the points were which he
failed To grasp, and patiently explaining
them TO him. 80 II came to pass that l was
paying out a large sum of money every
quarter TO a school which did little more
tnan hear lessons that had been prepared
at home under our own supervision. The
oTunt OF the labor came upon US; the teach
er 5 task was comparatively light one. l
objected 10 an arrangement which 1 re-
g1rded as unfair and withdrew my bOy.''
This is by no means an isolated case.
Inc same criticism is continually being
passed on some public and private schools
the country over. They are conducted on
a principle which works we'll so far as the
ready pupils are concerned, but which ig-
nores children whose mental process ses are
slow They are not graded so as to afford
an opportunity for the teacher To do his
best by those who have most need of in
strucuon- A distinguished Boston clergy
man who has given much thought TO the
school problem declared not long ago that
his observation had convinced HIM that a
isTge number of institutions of learning
might properly be defined as buildings in
which children were made TO recite not
what they had been taught in the build
lngs, but had been taught out of il.
The gentleman whom we have quoted
vas asked II his boy had ever been Invited
u remain after a recitation or after school
AO rs IN order that a lesson in which he
d a Nn.a.aV "A n.uk.e ~.
20 him. He replied that he had asked his
boy that question, and had learned that no
such Invitation had ever been extended.
The duty of a teacher is to teach, not mere
Is To listen to a IessIon that has been
taught. The school which fails TO teach is
a failure.