The morning call., 1891-09-12
E. CRAMMING IN OUR PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.

A lady who has been a teacher in our
public schools, and is now sending her chill
dren to them, submits the following:
Editor Morning CAL: 10 answer TO the ques-
ton, "How does il happen that the proportion OF
parents who prefer 10 pay tuition Tor their chill
dren is steadily increaStng?' | would lepiy mat
il is due Directly TO the terrible system OF Cram
ming' which las prevail during the last lew
years in our public schools. Parents, hnding
all protests unavsiling, have been forced, in
order to protect Their children from the bad ef-
fects Of this process, to place them IN private III
stitutIons having more judicious management
Superintendent SWEET, in his new course OF
study. aims at the correction of this evil, and
should his Ideas be carried out according TO the
methods he suggests, our schools would most
certainly be placed on a broader plane Of useful
ness This course OF study extends over the
primary and grammar grades but the tid i wave
Of reform does not reach the high schools; Mir.
SWEET does not appear 10 have been consulted.
Why should the High school course overlap the
University course? Why not give our girls and
boys an all-round liberal education which would
not require the uUI easonabe amount OF study al
present demanded2 Why not leave something
10 the personal effort OF those students who are
ambitious TO enter The Unyersily-lhe one
sixth Of one per cent? Why impair the strength
of our grand, free public schools by this unen-
lghtened policy OF everlasting examining?
san Francisco Sept. 10, 1884, IAN-fAHER'
"Cramming" may be the result of under
taking TO teach too much or Of defective
methods or of the two combined. John
Stuart Mill says: THE aim Of all intel
lectual training for the mass Of the people
should be TO cultivate common sense"
There is much reason to fear that this pur-
pose Of cur public school system is partially
lost sight of. The aim seems to be to teach
something that the mass of the people do
not know. The few years the average child
has to devote to school are occupied largely
with laying the foundation OF an university
education. The school authorities might
perhaps do well to bear in mind the words
Of a distinguished writer as quoted in the
course Of study for our San Francisco
schools, as follows: IAN educational
course may be packed so full of work that
ont piece brushes out another; and then
the pressure is an obstacle against which
both teacher and taught beat until they are
painfully bruised" This condition is
reached when pupils are required TO de-
vote four or five hours to study out Of
school. 1t is question If growing children
should De given tasks to commit out OF
school. Study out of school hours should
be voluntary if permitted at all. The
school day Is between five and six hours
long, which is about as much time as chill
dren from to 10 should devote to mental
work. School authorities will say perhaps
that there are no branches now taught In the
primary or grammar grades that are not es-
sential. Essential, however, is a relative
term. Nothing is more essential than
physical and mental health. The aim of
the school authorities should be to teach as
much as the average pupil can master with
out overStudy. Neither the especially bright
nor the especially stupid pupil should fix the
standard. One would say in glancing over
the branches of study adopted that all ought
to be within the range of the ability OF the
average pupil. But there is something in
method. The branches may be simple and
the method complex. Too much study Of
non-essentials may be required. The practice
of committing pages Of history to memory
tends to elevate the faculty OF arranging
words in the mind so that they Will come
out in order at the expense of the facts
which these words were written to convey.