The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-12-23
The Wider Spread Of KindGrgaT-
ten Methods.
THE CHILD AS A TEACHER
Physical InCapaCities Must Be
Carefully Ascertained to Eff
feet Best Results.


study that has been given to the ma
tural history of childhood has come
thus far from the kindergartens, says
Prof. Earl Barnes, of the Stanford Uni
Tersity. Now that this wave of Child
Study is sweeping over the country,
the kindergartens will have to look to
their laurels, for the systematic study
of the child is being taken up by-shall
we say wiser and older heads? or by
older heads that are striving to be
wiser? People begin to realize that a
child is something more than a mere
nonentity; that it has been too long
assumed that we give and impart to
him all that he knows; that we are
the ones he is to study, and we have
wondered when our ends aimed at
failed to meet our expectations. G.
Stanley Hall says: Alas! for the
teacher who does not learn more from
his children than he can ever hope to
teach them" And our own dear teach
CT, Froebel, himself, has said: Would
you know how to lead the child in this
matter? Observe the child, he will
teach you what to do" Too long has
this counsel been overlooked, but now
that it is needed, and having been
tried in very small way, it is found
to be of inestimable value. The desire
for means of pursuing Child Study"
is becoming what our detractors are
pleased to call "a fad
Only a very few years ago people
would have jeered at the idea of form
ing a club with the sole idea of study
ing the individual child, and then COM
pairing his characteristics with those
of hundreds of other children in order
that the teacher might better under
stand the material she had to handle. |
Yet today Mothers Clubs" and clubs
for Child study for the sole purpose
Of studying child character are being |
organized with the hearty support and |
commentator of men and women who |
are devoting their lives endeavoring to |
solve the imperfect educational prob
lens of our times.
So much literature has lately appear
ed upon this subject from the pens of |
nearly all the leading advocates of this
line of study that to infinitely describe |
the system would be undoubtedly a |
waste OF space; but for the benefit of |
those who have not had the oppOrtu- |
nifty to investigate the theory a light !
description of the course of work may !
prove OF interest The plan adopted |
by the student teachers of the Califor |
MIA kindergarten Training School may |
HI
method in question, as it is being |
thoroughly and conscientiously pur- |
sued. Each student-teacher selects |
two children as subjects for continued |
study, recording in books kept for the |
purpose the different manifestations Of |
character which occur each day. Once |
a week their reports are turned into |
headquarters, where they are assorted |
under the heads of sex, age, natiOnali- |
ty and as nearly as possible their home |
environments. companions, Occupa- |
tions and social atmosphere. The re- |
suit of this is to enable the teacher TO |
have a more perfect understanding Of /
child nature thereby preventing the |
tremendous waste of power which must |
necessarily occur when work of any |
kind is undertaken without a full |
knowledge of the principles involved. |
In nothing else can ignorance OF law |
involve more woefully fiat failures |
than in the training of little child. |
When by means of these classes ue-
voted to child study an enthusiastic |
interest shall have been aroused among
parents, when every teacher shall real
ize that in class of ten children she |
may have as many different tempera
ments and capabilities to deal with, and
knowing how to handle the ten differ
ent dispositions to the best advantage
is willing to do So, then and not ill
then will we have a perfect system of
child education. Because some plants
require a great deal of water it does
not. follow that all others are able 20
consume the same quantity; and yet
the same amount of work is given 10
a class regardless of the capabilities
of each individual child. 1t will pro-
badly take years before the full salu-
tary effect of this new method OF pro-
cedure will be felt in the education
world, yet a sufficient amount has al
ready been accomplished TO warrant
the statement that in it's influence upon
the future status of both pupil and
teacher it is of the greatest practical
value.
Many teachers do not realize that
eight-tenths of the children under their
care are defective physically; but sys-
tematic child study has shown that out
of five thousand (5000) pupils, between
fifty and sixty per cent. were found 20
have more or less seriously impaired
eyesight.
1t was also discovered that in many
cases the children whose eyesight was
the poorest occupied the desks situated
in the darkest part of the room, while
the best seats were used by those whose
eyesight was normal. Following this
discovery of defective vision seats were
changed and the evil remedied in \
great degree. The tests were made