The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1897-02-06
Obstacles to Radical Educational Re
form.

DR.. j. NJ. Rice treats this subject
at length in the December Forum.
The article deserves from every
teacher a careful reading. Among
other things Dr. Rice says:
At present our ideas in regard to
what the elementary schools are in
duty bound to accomplish. or how
much may be reasonably expected
of the pupil, do not extend beyond
few general notions. There is an
agreement, first, that the child, on
leaving school, should be able to
read: second, that he should possess
the ability to write letter or a
composition in neat legible hand,
without mistakes in spelling, gram
mar or punctuation; third, that he
should be skilled in the use of fig
ures, fourth, that he should have
some knowledge of geography; and
fifth, that he should know some his
tory. That we have no definite
standard, however, in any one of
these branches, becomes apparent,
so soon as we seek for definite infor-
nation. How many and which
words should the child be able to
spell without referring to diction
airy? Ought our citizen to be a litter
ateur, or will the ability to write a
good English sentence be satisfac-
tory. Shall the child's penmanship,
on graduating from the elementary
school, be of sufficient elegance to
earn money by writing visiting
cards, or will legible hand suffice?
A very important question that
arises, in connection with this APP
parently insignificant subject, con-
Germs a definition of what is meant
by a legible hand. How far-reach-
ing this matter actually is, may be
seen when we consider the desire to
secure an elegant instead of neat
handwriting may exert great in
fuence on the entire school course
The extra amount of time required
in travelling from legibility to ele-
gance might be, in itself, sufficient
to crowd nature study out of the
curriculum. Moreover, the desire
to secure elegant penmanship might
necessitate a movement so slow, in
everything that the child is obliged
write, as to seriously interfere with
his development in other directions.
Again, shall the child, when he
graduates from the elementary
school, be able, on demand, to solve
any arithmetical puzzle that any
one may choose to place before HIM?
Or, last, shall he be able, on call, to
rattle off the boundaries of Ethiopia?
If not, where shall the limit be
drawn?
For lack of definite standard, the
selection of material for instruction
has been made, thus far, in an arbi-
trary way, under no control other
than that of tradition and individ-
ual opinion. The old-fashioned
schoolmaster's method of procedure
has been by far the easiest. His
plan has been to set aside a certain
number of hours each week for in
struction in a given subject; aud,
during that time, to crowd into the
child's mind as many things as pos
sible, in the hope that some of them
will be remembered, but without
any particular regard for the ques-
ton as to what good they would do
even if they should happen to be re-
tanned. The new school of educa-
tors, on the other hand, has endeav-
ored to solve the problem by select
ing material that will interest the
child; whereby much has been done
to relieve the work of needless
drudgery. But this method also,
has failed to give satisfaction; for,
while the reformers have criticised
the old-fashioned system as waste
full, in so far as too many useless
facts are taught, the criticism pass
ed on the new plan of work has been
that it is so indefinite, and that, in
consequence, it destroys the back
bone of the old system without put
ting anything definite in it's place.
That so much conflict should exist
in regard to what ought to be &C.
complished in each branch is not
due to the fact that there is no
guide which will enable us to deter
mine what is our duty. 1t is sim
ply due to the fact that, for want of
research in the proper direction,
our notions on the subject have
never become clear. When the
matter is regarded in it's proper
light, it will be seen that, in solving
the problem What to teach" the
individual educator is not free to
choose; but that, within certain
limits. the matter is governed by
definite laws. By reason of the
fact that, within the prescribed |
limits, the same laws apply to all
alike, study of the laws which gov
ern this matter would enable us to
find standard of measurement on
which all orr educators MIGHT aorae |