Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-08
SCHOOL EXPENSES.

isgi-iS9i ........... i35ls 80 ......
The real result OF the kindergarten seems
to be to extend the public school system by
adding another year at the bottom instead OF
at the top. Whereas the school system
formerly consisted of eight grades and four
years in the High school, requiring a pupil
to spend twelve years to 90 through from
the first grade to the graduating class of
the High school it now requires an addi-
tion year, making thirteen years altogether
For some children this means an extra year
OF schooling, but for others 1t means that
they must stop their schooling at a lower
grade than they would otherwise have
reached II the child has only six years to
spend In the public schools and must then
20 10 work and help support the family. 1t
now by spending a year in the kindergar
ten. Is able only TO complete the work Of
the fifth grade, whereas formerly it would
have been able to complete the work of the
sixth grade and omitted the kindergarten
exercises. A number OF parents, especially
among the poorer and middle classes. have
entered serious objections with the teachers
against this lengthening Of the school sys-
TEN, or rather curtailing the education OF
their children.
The unsatisfactory par: OF the primary
GRADES consists in cutting their instruction
in half. The teacher generally has two
classes OF the same grade instructng one
in the morning and another in the after
noon. By cOmpressing the work into half
days session the children are required to
do serious exercises all of the time and all
OF tho exercises which were of a recreative
character have been eliminated OF course
the child cannot learn so much or so easily
under this high pressure and the teacher
and pupil are both tired out by the time
tho end OF the afternoon session arrives.
The work Of the afternoon is made doubly
exhaustive upon the teacher. because the
children are less active in the afternoons
and the teacher is repeating what she has
been doing in the morning. There is also
this complaint: Namely that the primary
teachers have had their salaries cut and
their hours heightened while the kinder
garten teachers have the same hours and
the same work. number OF principals ex-
press the fear that their primary teachers
will break down and be unable to complete
the year II they have this double work
hcaped upon them without RELIEF.
SOME TYPICAL KTNDERGARTENS.
The kindergarten at Dodge is but two
months old and has forty-three pupils, under
the direction OF Miss Alice Chambers and
Miss Auchmoedy. Owing to the character
OF the children received here they remain
all day. The school occupies southeast
room on the first floor.
The Dupont kindergarten is another just
in its infancy. Fifty-seven children are
taught all day, the majority being Bohemians
and Poles. The well lighted and ventilated
southeast room is In charge OF Miss Louise
the morning By Miss Burnett and in the
afternoon by Miss Peters as volunteers
Miss Gratiot and Miss Hanna have charge
OF the kindergartens at LOthrop and Omaha
View schools, with an attendance at Lothrop
in the morning of fifty and at Omaha View
in the afternoon of thirty-five. a few weeks
ago the attendance at the latter school was
about forty-fve but the epidemic scare
struck the community and many parents
withdrew their children. This is the first
year for both schools. The rooms used at
the two buildings are very pleasant ones.
Miss KimbaIl is the morning volunteer.
The Park and Mason kindergartens are
under the direction of Miss Helen Hubbard.
Associated with her in the morning at
Mason are Miss Hutchinson and Miss Camp
bell volunteers. This school was opened
in the fall of 1892 with sixty pupils two
paid teachers and three volunteers, and has
now enrolled fCrty-seyen pupils, occupying
bright, CHEEKY southeast room. The work
OF the instructors is greatly increased by
The inability of many of the pupils to under
stand English. In the afternoon at Park
there are with the director, Miss Hutchin-
son and Misses Wyman and Powell, volun-
teers in charge of ffty-seven children. In
1888 there We're about siXty-five pupils, with
TWO paid teachers and three volunteers.
Miss Ella Smith is the director and Miss
Wilson the assistant at the Farnam kinder
garten in the morning and at the Central
IN the afternoon. The morning volunteer
is Miss SHAVER. FOrty-SeVen we'll dressed
children occupy a northwest room there.
At the Central forty-five clean, well-clad
pupils are under the supervision OF Miss
Smith and Miss Wilson, with the addition
of Miss Bean, a volunteer. These two
schools were added TO the kindergarten sys-
TEN this year.
The Pacific kindergarten is in charge OF
Miss Edith Otis, director, and Miss Mabel
Kelley. There are thirty-two children en-
rolled. and they occupy as pleasant a room
as there is in that gloomy. tree-surrounded
building This was one of the first kinder
gartens to be established in Omaha.
At Leavenworth Miss Grace Hungerford
Is the director and Miss Hogan the assistant.
In the morning there are forty-fye pupils,
part OF them in charge Of a volunteer. Miss
Allen The afternoon class numbers thirty
five. The school opened in 1923 with
about eighty children two paid teachers
and three volunteers. The room is
southeast one thoroughly lighted and ven
tilated
In 1S94-5 the Comenus kindergarten was
inaugurated, II now has enrolled ffty-two
children. who are overseen by Miss Alice
Parker. director, Miss Mohr and Miss Elsie
Schwartz, volunteer. The room used is
in the southeast corner OF the building and
1t is considered the most advantageously
situated room at Comenius.