The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-06

Tor the current school year. and also q few sum-
maries gathered from our librarians report for
the same period Very respectfully,
b. o. HoILESBEcK, Principal.
FINANCIAL
Amount received a. incidental and library
fund from the district .....--........ $1,000
Amounts paid out dssmized in report. =. 5000
Amount received from entertainments,
Amount paid from this fund for library
books and miscellaneous expenses.--.-- 2S6-S2
Balance on hand. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 0.15
LIBRARY.
Number OF volumes. s4s
Number OF regular monthly Magazines.
Number OF daily newspapers. ...............-. 4
Number of volumes read AIS
Number of franklin Square song books IS
The library promises 70 become most useful
adjunct to our regular school work. The earnest
pupil seeks more than textbook and classroom
can give. He needs more exhaustive treatises
upon history. science. literature, art, etc. than
mere school books. We have Just selected about
800 volumes, which we expect soon to place
upon our shelves and add to our catalogue.
Our High school course of study. while excel
lent in many respects, is wholly lacking as
preparation for college, since no provision 10
made for the teaching OF any language other
than Englisb. Heretofore the school law ex-
pressly forbade the teaching, in our public
schools. of any foreign language. The teaching
u
matter of fact several High schools of this state,
sustained by public sentiment, have defed the
law aud admitted Latin into their courses of
study. Seattle has complied with the strict let
ter of the law. As . result, our pupils often
enter other schools in order 10 prepare for col
lege. The new school law enJoins upon the
board of education Ito prescribe the course of
study. the exercises and the kind of textbooks
70 be used, in addition to the textbooks pre-
scribed By the state board of education for the
use Of the common schools Of the state" /
therefore recommend that German and Latin
be added TO the high school course of study, bat
that these branches be made optional with stu
dents; further, that two parallel courses of
study. one language course, the other an Eng
lish course, be arranged for the High school be-
fore the beginning of the next school year.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
This year has been marked. not only by great
increase in the number of primary pupils, but
also by the application of the best methods OF
modern school work to the lowest grades. In
stead of q system OF repression, the effort has
been to induce the children 10 express them
selves. In lieu therefore, of being taught to
''sit still and study" before they had any idea of
what study means, their intense activity has
been turned to account by giving them some
thing to do. Perception. imagination, memory
and organized physical activity have been ap-
pealed to and treated as important factors in the
education OF the child. A mental awakening
q conscious growth, has been the result. Truly
In the educational cant of the day, 1.-THE whole
boy has been sent TO school, in these grades In
my Judgment on: primary grades will compare
fayorably with those of the best schools in the
country. The policy adopted has been that of
placing teachers of the greatest experience and
OF the highest technical skill in the lowest
grades. To their enlightened and enthusiastic
efforts has been due. in large measure, the re-
variable success OF the lower primary schools
GRAMMAR SCHOOLS.
The grammar schools present marked con-
trasts. The work of some Of our grammar
school teachers is characterized to an excep-
tional degree by energy, skill, tact The teacher
is a living force in the lives of the boys and
girls. She has the fine art of rousing them to
enthusiasm for their work, while at the same
time she 10 fmpressing upon them lessons of
manline1, of courtesy or reverence, of honesty,
of gentleness, OF courage, of patience and OF pa
triotism Her methods, both OF instruction and
of governing are esoteric rather than exoteric
She seeks to train tt will OF her pupils TO right
doing until they desire to do what is right be-
cause 1t is right Mere brute force is unknown
to the accomplished grammar school teacher of
our city. She has so wrought herself into their
lives that her simple wish is law unto her
pupils. In other rooms much remains to be
done in order to bring the average of our gram
W.
Perfunctory word-cramming and parrot recits-
tons devoid OF interest are regret to say,
still found in some of the rooms. Inertness and
sourness on the part OF the teacher and indiffer-
ence and disrespect on the part of the pupils
characterize the rooms of this type. The men,
tai and spiritual atmosphere of these rooms is
dead heavy. sodden. The teachers, although,
perchance. possessing fine intellectual gifts,
have not-be it said in all courtesy-the divine
art of teaching. of moulding the young lives of
her pupils into beauty, symmetry and strength
Personally, have endeavored to do all within
my power to increase the efficiency of the gram
mar grades. in some cases with the happiest eff.
fects. There Is still a great work to do in these
grades. earnestly invite your honorable body
and the public to a close scrutiny of the meth
DDS used ana the results obtained in these
grades. The difference which, to the most cas-
ual Observer will be seen to exist will naturally
invite the question, What is the cause? This
question present for your solution in the near
future. l trust that immediate steps will be
taken to eradicate these differences, and to bring
these schools into a condition where they can
challenge criticism.
sTUDIEs
The weakness in these grades will be fornd
chiefly in reading, language and writing In
the first study the pupils are frequently permit
ted TO call over words in q mechanical fashion
The analysis of the thought as preparation.
ing of the mind of the reader into close personal
sympathy with that of the author-all of these
steps must be taken before the pupil is able tn
read inteligently. In other words he must get
thought before he can express thought The
teacher should serve as link between the mind
of the pupil and that of the author. To teach
reading we'll requires, therefore, a hiYh order ~
teaching ability-the power to analyze the mind
of the pupil no less than the thought of the
writer, fine appreciation of the mental state
of the pupil no less than The beauties of I,tera
ture.
The practical side of grammar, the speaSing
and writing OF good English, has not vet 70.
ceived due emphasis by the majority of our
teachers. During grammar school course tho
pupil should be taught to write excellent En-
glish. Grammar per Sc has thus far been too
highly regarded i'll our schools Divorced from
its application, grammar is OF little value tn the
boy or the girl as q preparation for life Com
slant practice in spe king and writing good
English should be the rule in these grades. al
though, perchance, the old-time parsing would
have to be confined within narrower limits than
81 present. After leaving the grammar school
the pupil should be able to express himsalt
easily and well in the mother tongue. and 70
write good business hand
Again j invite investigation into the csusss ~
partial failure TO do the work required The
fault viii be found 10 arise from a lacr ~ -
fessional training aud aptness TO teach on the
part of the teachers already indicated. In cor
tain sense teachers are born no, made. in ar.
other sense they are both born and made Tho
highest professional equipment implies a nro.
found study OF the laws of thinking. a mastery
OF the history Of mind development as iIlus-
trated IN the race Further. the application of
mental laws to the art of teaching is of nrimarr
importance to the teacher While the trainips
school is by no means the only nlaca
where teachers may be fitted for