Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1894-11-09

Written Expressly for Me Iopa State Bystander
ST. LOUIS Mo-, Nov. 2.--I think gem
orally speaking, that the system which
the Public Schools of st Louis con-
tains ranks among the best in the coun-
try. Their system is derived from the
who was he first superintendent that
the city of st Louis had, was educated
in Philadelphia and when he began
teaching introduced the same sy,tem
that he had been taught. He first
tlnght in Philadelphia, then came to
ST. Louis, where he taught for o num-
Der of years and then was appointed
superintendent which position he held
for twenty years The system of which
he speaks is tue Phi netic System.
When the child enters the first years
schooling it is taught to sound each
letter first, then pronounce the word
just as it sounds 1t invariably in
terferes with the spelling of the word,
as the child will want to spell it just as
it sounds, but when the child enters the
second years schooling it is then old
enough to learn to speti the words
The sounding of words is continued
until the child reaches the fifth year,
after which the sounding is dropped.
In this system the child readily grasps
the words and in month it is ready TO
take up the primer and read it at nee.
The child when it enters school does
not use any kind of a book for a month,
which after the teacher axes the
brightest scholars in the cla S, starts
them in the primer and hat class at
the end of the year is almost ready to
take up. the second reader. This sys-.
tenn is taught all through the public
schools, therefore producing unity.
You will also find regularity, prompt
ness and neatness W ich go to make up
a fine school. We also have fine kim
dergartens, which | think are great
help in developing the minds of the
children, They are taught the theory
of drawing and counting which is a
great aid to them when they enter the
primary department The only objec-
tion we have to the Kindergarten is
that the children are very hard to
discipline when they enter school for
they have been accus Omed tn jumping,
/ skipping, singing and doing as they
please that they cannot understand
why they are not allowed to do SO in
the school room. 1t ma >es tquite a
hard task for the teachers, and here
| fore many oppose the kindergarten.
| AS for the teachers, we have some ex-
! cellent ones. They are from all parts
of the country while at the present
! time we have quite a number that have
| graduated from the high and normal
schools IN ST Louis Our colored high
/, and normal schools which has only been
| founded ten years, have row from
| thirty to forty graduates in class.
| who are all then put on the list for
| tea hers with the exception Of the
boys, who apply Immediately for posi-
tions in the post Office, Every one that
! has been appointed in the pos stoffice
/ have all passed credita bic examinations
| The branches that ar taught in the
| high school are: Latin, Algebra, Arith-
| metic, Elocution, Composition, Science,
Geometr Penmanship, Drawing.
Bookkeeping, English Literature,
| Civil Cove nment and Ancient History.
| while those in the normal are: History
| of the United States, Book on Psychol-
ogy, Geography. Reading, Arithmetic,
| Theory of Drawing, Penmanship and
! Phonetics. The course of the high
school is four years, while that of the
normal is two years The colored
| teachers compare very favorably with
| the whites. 1t has been said by the
superintendent, Nh. Long successor to
Professor Harris, and other members of
the school board, that they donot know
of any other place where the schools,
especially the coored high hschool, have
| made such wonderful progress. We
| nave thirteen colorei schools which
are named after the most prominent
men of the race, with from 200 to l,5oo
children attending each school. The
teachers number about $50, SO think
that the race ought to feel very proud
of the wonderful progress and ] only
hope that it will continue as it has
begun. BY A TEACHER