Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-07
THE FIFTH GRADE.
Observations Made By the
Herald School Reporter.
Some Schools Lacking In Play
Ground and Ventilation.
Interesting Methods of Teaching
Which Were Noted.
improvements Which the Board of Ed
ucation Should Make At Once.
Calisthenics Made to Take
the Place of Play.

the twin schools of Railroad and Ann
streets, in search of fifth grade. At
the latter school the principal, Mrs. M.
A. White, was found, who gave the re-
porter much information relative to the
methods in vogue at the two schools un-
der her charge.
The fifth grade is divided between two
rooms at this school for the reason that
there are not enough children to make
full classes of some grades, and as con-
sequence there are sometimes three
classes in room. Miss Corinne Lynch
teaches the higher class OF the fifth
grade and the two classes of the sixth,
and here it was that the reporter located
himself for the session.
There is something almost pa
thetic about these schools in
the poorer quarters of the city,
where the parents of the chill
dren are of the laboring class, and the
clothing gives evidence that it is hard
to obtain, while pinched faces some
times tell of lack of proper food, and
lines appear in the faces of children of
fourteen that should not show in the
face of men and women of forty. The
reporter had plenty of time to observe
all these things, for the entire session
from to 10:30 was devoted to arithme-
tic, which affords but little variety.
A good plan in vogue in this room was
the arrangement of the scholars by
threes, SO that all the number ones were
doing one example, the number twos
another and the threes third. Thus
child could not copy the work of the
next pupil, as that pupil would be
engaged on different ex-
ample. The children had just
tackled a new section of the
arithmetic, and were not thoroughly
versed in the methods, so that there
was some confusion of terms, though the
written work was pretty generally cor
rect and intelligently performed.
While the two higher classes were en-
gagged on their examples, the fifth grade
class was busy with some composition
writing, wherein they occasionally
struck some word of whose meaning
they were not sure. In that case the
child would come quietly to the front of
the room, where a large dictionary was
placed, and gravely consult the same,
the consultation of such books of refer
ence being one of the things allowed in
the Ann-street school. 1t was rather
amusing to see barefooted little
{. lad with the immense unabridged upon
his lap, reading a definition as though
it was very interesting, then going back
to his seat, there to incorporate the in
formation obtained in his composition.
There were many nationalities
represented among the forty-two pupils
in Miss Lynch's room, from the child of
pronounced color to the fair, faxen-
haired child of German parentage, but
the faces were all bright, interested and
determined-looking, and the teacher was
evidently looked upon as & friend and
not feared as a ruler.
The gong sounded for recess, and the
scholars formed in lines with the quiet
and orderliness characteristic of all the
classes yet visited by the HERALD re-
porter.
Taking his place in the hall, the re-
porter looked at the double lines formed
at the doors of all the four rooms.
Over by the door stood boy with the
cord of the gong in his hand, and beside
him stood little Robbie Biglen, who
perhaps might object to being called
little, as his age is IA. Robbie
held cornet in his hand,
and at signal from Mrs. White he
raised it to his lips and commenced the
performance of march. The music
was well executed and the lines of chill
dren moved steadily out from their
rooms in time to it, across the hall and
out into the two small yards at the back,
which are very insufficient for use as a
play ground. Only seven minutes and a
half were allowed the children to play,
then came another stroke of the gong
and the children stood still until sec
ond signal sounded, when they formed
into lines about three feet apart through
out the yard. While this was going on
Mrs. White explained that the space in
the yards was so insufficient that she
considered the children would not be
able to secure the requisite exercise; so
she had introduced system OF calisthe
MICS to take the place of the natural ex-
ercise which the children were unable
to obtain.
Now followed peculiar scene, as the
children, following the motions of the
principal, went through series of arm
and body motions, bending, bowling,
shoulder struggling and muscle resting
movements, all together, counting as
they did so in an under tone: "One,
two, three. four, five, six, seven,
change" then repeating.
The seven minutes were soon over,
then the close lines were formed again,
the young cornetist played another
march and the children passed with
measured tread to their rooms, stood by
their desks, and, at the sound of note
on the cornet, took their seats.
Now, the lower fifth grade class
from Miss Laventhal's room, ac-
companied by Miss Laventhal her
self, filed into Miss Lynch's room for
music lesson. Miss Laventhal is
thoroughly conversant with the Tonic
Sofia system, and these classes are
usually combined, so as to receive in
struction at her hands. Scales were
sung to the hand motions, then
Home, Sweet Home was sung
to the hand motions alone, and sung
well, too. Finally, music books written
out by the children themselves were
produced, and a couple OF little pieces
sung from them. The singing did credit