The Portland daily press., 1895-11-23
ATTACK ON GRAMMAR SCHOOL
METHODS.

School Course be Broadened or
De- ened?" He said that it needs deepen
ing. rather than broadening and needs
not greater number of studies but a
better understanding of those now in USE
my experience as teacher in secondary
schools for twenty four years has driven
home this conviction
Principal Crosby of the Deering High
school was the next speaker upon this
question. He said that it seemed to him
that the High school teachers are be-
tween the upper and neither mill stones.
They are between the grammar schools,
which are about where they used to be-
and the colleges which demand a much
higher grade of fitting than formerly.
However, he thought that the grammar
school teachers had all they could well do
now and the scholars when they came to
the High school had acquired about all
they were we'll able to. May it not be
that the course in the grammar school
expects maturity of mind that the
Creator did not intend May be the
scholars up in Massachusetts are born
mdre advanced than they are here, but
they don't do any better after they get
into Congress.
He thought that certainly the grammar
school course in geography here could not
be very much deepened. Too much was
now required in the grammar school. He
was shown geography lesson in Port
land the other night s'that was a shame
and disgrace to civilization to give to a
child of that age
81 don't think it was the teachers
fault. Probably the course in Portland
demands just SO much and the teacher
had to give 1t and the scholars make
try at it. +"
If any of the geography might be laid
ASIDE, he thought it might be the
political geography and perhaps more OF
the physical geography added
| In regard to his own High school,
Superintendent Robbins brought an
algebra last year that took much longer
to go through thoroughly than they had
expected. He felt sure that by the use of
this algebra they could fit scholar in
that study for any college or school of
1
algebra was intended for and is used by
some Of the grammar schools in Massa-
chusetts. If we can use that algebra
thoroughly in our grammar schools our
| children will have to be born more
mature or else develop faster. 1t is
possible that here in Maine we are born
two years younger than they are in Mass
aohusetts.
Superintendent Robbins asked if Mr..
4 Crosby hadn't used little stronger ex-
preston than he intended when he had
said that in arithmetic and grammar
there was an utter failure in our gram
mar schools. Mr.. Crosby said that he did
not intend to convey that impression.
he meant that along certain lines; and
with the average scholar there was utter
failure. He called upon Miss Perry who
teaches English at the Deering High
school to give her opinion.
Miss Perry said: Speaking of my
present class 1 should say there would be
almost utter failure" meaning in their
grasp of grammar as acquired in the
grammar school.
Superintendent Robbins wished to
know along just what lines was this
complete and utter failure. He said that
it was the tendency to shift responsibility
upon the schools of the lower grades.
MIR. Crosby said that if he seemed to
criticise any teacher he should be mis-
understood. "They fail, 1 mean, along
these lines. The average scholar that
comes to the High school has no power to
analyze an English sentence of moderate
difficulty. I mean that participial and
infinitive phrases are utterly unknown to
them They have as good an idea of the
anatomy of newt as of the handling of
a participial phrase. Do I put that too
strongly, Miss Perry?"
Miss Perry thought that he didn't.
Mr.. Crosby said that no knowledge of
the accusative is had. ''The whole
adverbiaI accusative is utter terra in
eognita.'
"Would that apply to your present
class. Miss Perrya''
"It would most decidedly
~ think that along those lines there is
utter failure in the case of the average
Scholar concluded Mr.. Crosby.
Mr. Corthell wished to say word or
two on the grammar question. He might
be called crazy on that subject, he said
He had been teaching grammar for six
teen years. He had had secondary classes
and also 81 per cent of his scholars were
from the High schools.
"rhey are incapable of the analysis of
a complex English entence or to point
out the clausal relations so as to indicate
the meaning"
"Why should they be anything else, -
asked somebody. Mr.. Corthell said that
he had been also teaching psychology and
would have had just as much reason to
expect them to have grasped the real
science of grammar. MISREPRESENTATION
of the scholars that come to him ''fall
fiat over every single passive partioiple
| that they come to. Well its difficult. 7