Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-10-11
Our School Schedule.

About the middle OF the last school year,
the teachers OF this county received copies oil
the 'Mauual and Graded Course OF Primary
instruction" ordered by the last Legislature
and prepared and published by the State su-
perintendent Of schools Tor use In tne COUNT
and village schools. 1t Is "a large pamphlet
OF some SO pages and contains mucn ValudoIe
instruction for the guidance OF teachers Ill
..grading and classify ing" their schools. L
have no doubt that the teachers made an nom
est effort to follow its suggestions as lar AS
seemed practicable to Them, DuI none sue
ceeded 10 their own satisfaction and none OBJ
tatned the results that were expected ana
many were badly disappointed in their ell
forts. endeavorei during me past summer,
To find out from the teachers wherein lay
their trouble, but they could not tell ana YET
all praised the schedule and SAID "lney ala
the best they coIld with it," Even the IN
stitnte instructors themselves failed 10 give
any light on the subject; perhaps, because
they could not ascertain where the trouble
Law and had not themselves any experience
with its workings. The teacher OF today that
follows the old time way OF having no GLASSES,
allowing each pupil to choose any branch he
pieases without regard TO his capacity TO mas
Ter IL and endeavors to instruct ms pupils IN
diyidually, VIII soon be left far behind III his
work Hence, il is no wonder that the pro-
gressive teacher, desiring TO accomplish the
most work in the shortest time, Is at a loss
what TO dc when he reads over the schedules
for the different grades and the names OF the
branches written under each section extend
ing over six months time but no Ordernam-
ed in which the several branches SHAH be la
ken up and stu died an the time To be devoted
TO each branch not named and no provision
made for a classification OF the pupils pur-
suing The same bran ches and no time so fixed
and no landmarks named us guides To their
progress from term TO term. Nothing is more
beWiidering TO a teacher than 10 place him
in IA room with p or 30 pupils and with list
ofstudies written out Oh The blackboard for
these same pupils TO pursue without any di-
rections Tor grouping the studies together
and Classifying the pupils pursuing the dit
feTent groups.
10 Illustrate my point, take the list Of
branches named in the schedule for the pri-
mary grade, which Is divided into two Sec
tions of six months each-our district law
nine months each. The first section embraces
First Reader, Language, Numbers, Spelling,
Writing Save The presumption that the
first reader must be completed in the first
six months, as the Ind reader begins the sec
ond six months, nothing Is said about how
far these pupils must 90 in The other branch
es named which are To be continued in the
second six months. The teacher must dete
mine FOR himself whether lie Will allow the
pupils OF this section 10 run along haphaZdrd
over these several branches during the term
and then make them go over the same at the
beginning o. the second section OF fix GER
tain point III these branches which they may
reach and review and complete the remain
der IN the next section. Evidently he must
do II latter, II lie would make satisfactory
progress.
Just here, arises another question. Some
OF the pupils In This grade aud section may
know their letters and read little, can talk
well and count numbers TO lOl spell easy
words and even write easy worus on their
states and make figures, while others do not
know their letters and have no acquaintance
with the other branches named. should al
these be put into one class and called Sec
ton one" or divided according To their abil-
ity and put into two classes called by any
name the teacher may prefer? In this dis
trict they call them"B Class and "a Class"
The teacher must determine this, but lis plain
that the latter is the best way.
This is called classifying pupils and is
done 10 give the teacher more time for his
in structIons OH the different branches and to
enable him TO give personal supervision over
the studies of each pupil and see what prog
ress he Is making. / know there are some
persons who are opposed 10 classification and
call IL Limiting intellect" but without 1t the
teacher with ~ TO ~ pupils in his room can
make but little progress. No Graded School
High School or College has ever yet succeeded
that did not group together the branches
TO be studied and classify the pupils accord
ing TO their capacity 10 study them. NJ.