Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-22

of the st. Johns Workingmen's Club
"MIss BROwNv SPEAKS AGAIN.
The Experiments i'm the Schools.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
If the "third-grade teacher" who was
kind enough to try to show me the error
of my ways, reached her present position
in the regular way it goes without saying
that she was most certainly not a back
ward pupil as only bright and studious
ones can hope to succeed in the race for
the Normal School; but when she states
that average third-grade pupils under the
present system are farther advanced in
the practical branches than those of her
own caliber were in the fifth or sixth grade,
under the one in which fancy trimmings
did not predominant, then / simply beg
that she will inform me where l can find
such an aggregation of infant phenomena
that may come and admire them.
So far this ''third-grade teacher is the
only one of all the members of the profess
sion whom it is my privilege to know, di-
rectly or indirectly, who has failed to share
my view of the matter. One and all they
feel, as they express it, as if they were
accomplishing no practical results, on &C
count of the inroads made upon their time
and attention by the purely ornamental
work. There are, all told, but five hours
IN a school day; when twenty minutes
nave been taken out of il for recess, when
music, drawing and clay molding have had
their turn, when a little bug dissecting has
been done and the geological formations
nave been properly attended to, there is
precious little time left, indeed, for such
commonplace things are needed every
DAY In the transaction of business by every
day men and women. one teacher, an am
bilious worker, gave the resume of one
days work as follows: Besides short
health lesson, little music and some num-
Der exercises, the day was consumed by
an apple; that is, the children first nodded
IL in clay and then made a drawing of it:
after that material for a composition was
developed which was then written; by
that time the day was ended" Now, this
is, no doubt, considered quite a triumph
in the way of doing the greatest good to
the greatest number" yet | cannot repress
the wish to take the pupils in question, or,
better yet, the wonderful third grade
phenomena, through a course of dictation
and the three RS" just to see what the
result would be. To judge by the speci-
have seen l should think that it would
give any earnest person abundant food for
very serious thought. Furthermore, out
of ten pupils who have left, say, the fifth
grade, to go to work, may safely say that
nine are unable 10 write a tolerably correct
letter and perform the common operations
in arithmetic, unless they have supple
mented their school course by one AT n
business college.
L cannot, of course. know in what coun-
tries the "third-grade teacher has observ-
ed the extent of the knowledge required
in the profession. Africa, for instance is
in that respect the darkest of dark CONT
nents to me, ard of the school systems of
Asia ana some parts of Europe L know
only what is furnished to the reading world
by chance authors; but of the systems of
England and France do know something
and in the capital of the German empire
l received part of my education, can
therefore venture to state the fact that in
neither OF these countries teachers are re-
quired to teach what has not been included
in the course of study pursued by them to
fit them for their task. Once the candi-
dates for teachers positions have success
fully passed their examinations they are
fully equipped for all occasions. know lust
what is expected of them and are decidedly
not in danger of having all their methods
upset and untried ones put in their place.
IT, therefore, our teachers are found lacking
in any one thing required of them il is
not their fault but that of the power which
prescribed their course of study, and they
should not be required to draw upon their
meager salary to supply the deficiency
even If the mandate to do SO is prefaced by
an IF you need 1.-THE suggestion being,
in cases like these, of the nature of kings
request.
/ suppose it is useless to wish it. but II
does seem as though at least one of the
trustees should be a born educator, with
leisure enough to be able to go, unan-
nounced and unaccompanied, from school
to school and see for himself lust what
is being done and left undone. Such a
system of visiting would be beneficial be-
yond description. and would soon bring
common sense methods to the front.
And now, before | close | wish to saw
a few words anent the expeditions which
some people think teachers undertake for
their own amusement, but which are a
portion of the school plan. These educa-
tional trampS are in high favor in Ger
many, produce most gratifying results; but
when the effort is made to introduce them
here the fact must be taken into considera-
ton that there is a vast difference between
the German and the United States child
Strict family discipline keeps a firm hold
on the former until it goes to school, and
there church and state join forces to keen
ii in the proper state of subsection. Con-
ton are more easily managed than ten of
ours, who, from babyhood, have been ac-
customed to exercise their sovereign will
and have inhaled the Fourth-of-July spirit
with every breath they have drawn. | have
time and time again heard mothers declare
that they could not do anything with
their little children; yet, when these small
men and women. with their large possess
sions of self will. come to a teacher she
must not only fill them with the varied
assortment of knowledge provided for them
but must also teach them obedience and
instill the moral law generally A stipend
having vagaries in the way of theoretical
experiments added to 1t. MISS BROWN
I'm do HI.