The herald., 1895-02-22
NEN WORKING DIRECTIONS
Manual Three of the City
Schools Issued
SUPT. SEARCH'S NEW PLAN
Individual Advancement the Principle
Underlying II All
The Advantages Of 0radation Are Not
Ignored, but There Is 7ore Conservatism
of the individual

Manual Three, of the Los Angeles city
schools, has been issued by Superintend-
ent Search. and is entitled Working Di-
rections.
The little book is, as its title indicates,
a complete set of working directions for
the government of the teachers and prn
cipals of the schools, and to those who
are interested in the work OF the schools
its general trend will be interesting.
In his Introduction Professor Search
says that this Manual is intended as one
purely OF suggestion, to be followed intel
ligently and with adaptation to specific
needs of pupils grades of work, and
character of studies. In no sense is it to
interfere with the operation of individual
methods of teachers, excepting as such
methods violate some fundamental
economic laws. While there is definite
requirement in certain particulars, yet
the characteristic of the plan is that it
calls for the teacher prepared with ready
resources and original ways to work out
certain great principles, full of life, econ
omy and noble results of the pupils.
The underlying principle of this plan, "
says Superintendent Search, "does not
ignore the immense advantages of grada-
tion, but holds that its true province is in
the proper arrangement, sequence and
correlation of studies, and not in the me-
chanical classification of pupils. There
must be more conservation of the indi
vidual. The school must meet the pupil
at the door of his specific needs, and pro-
vide opportunity for individual advance
ment. There may be certain advantages
in general exercises, and to proportionate
extent they should be utilized but no lin
Antt rI. Il h.,. 30
operation of individual activities and in
dividual expression. The individual has
rights that must be honored, that cannot
be sacrificed because of relative or mass
demands. There must be tlexibility in
adjustment to working needs; uniformity
in movement, in manner of procedure, in
detail of acquisition, and in specific de-
velopment.
There must be greater economy of
time. Considering what was done in the
academy of the past, and in some un-
graded schools of the present, the city
schools, with their better equipment and
greater opportunity must produce greater
value in return for the investment of
time. The course of study that calls for
twelve years practically demands more,
because of accumulative losses. Indi-
vidual opportunity for advancement will
shorten the time demanded to less than
twelve years. Bright pupils can progress
the slower ones and those environed by
limiting conditions will gain immensely
bv having work adapted to specifis needs,
and because of no identical repetition of
grade work.
There must be confinement of techni
cal school work to school hours. There is
no educative value in an exercise carried
on when the brain is exhausted. Fresh,
vigorous, intellectual activity is the foun-
dation of all satisfactory work; but no
such activity can exist where there is not
opportunity for rest and recreation. 1t is
not quantity that educates; it is not ac-
QUESTION that develops; but the train
ing of mind through normal processes
and periods of vigorous activity. The
plan of work proposed does not ask for
less work, but for more; but this obtains
by utilizing properly directed activity
during shorter hours, rather than the
desultory and passive exercise of longer
periods.
'There is no true education excepting
self education; in this the teacher can
do nothing more than act as director.
There can be no substitution of effort.
The pupil must do the work, and do it
for himself. Hence it is that the excu-
sively class plan has its Weaknesses; for
the work of the class is in & ity done by
"a few pupils, and there are many en-
couragements to dependency. When a
pupil, be he even an indolent one, pro-
duces piece of work absolutely his own,
that new element becomes a part of him
SELF and constitutes a basis for inspira-
tion and higher accomplishment. There
is redemption to many pupil in oppor-
tunity to do something actually his own.
Innate power comes with the conscious
recognition of personal strength. With
out this, there is no ambition, no inspi-
ration, no legitimate training, and the
school life becomes nothing more than a
thing to be cast aside at the first oppor-
tunity. The individual method is rich in
provision for properly directed self edu-
cation.
\ Pupils must be taught to work from
true motive. The recognition of effort by
per cent credits, by markings, rewards,
honors and other discriminating incen-
tives, is all wrong, because it introduces
into the school means which becomes
an end. There is no true incentive, ex-
cepting that which rises from pure love
for work, and from doing work because it
it is right.
Scientific instruction calls for the train
ing of pupils by specific and not general
provision. In the physical gymnasium
the educational world long since recog-
nized the necessity of definite prescription
in order to reach the best results. Intel
lectual development demands Just as much
and even more individual consideration.
The basis for all this must be in intel
ligent child-study, not so much through
the medium of books, but with that Won
derful being, the individual child ever
before the teacher. Something in
meagre way can be done without knowing
the child; but much more is left undone
His history, relative strengths and weak
nesses, likes and dislikes, trend and ten
denotes, are all important factors, which
must be thoroughly known and recognized
by specific provision. This constitutes a
true basis for scientific instruction, and is
H., 4. L.
of though tlessly giving pupils exercises to
perform without regard to interest, SYM
metrical development, or cause and effect
"All the plans of the school must result