Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-03-31
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN
GUY STANTON FORD, Editor.
,e9essseea9eC CeSsseeeegee


The people Of Grand Rapids, contlnu-
ing their present progressive policy,
before the beginning of the twentieth
century, should have:
|. Made permanent the policy of pro-
fessional supervision by one man who
makes supervision his sole work.
II. They should have made minor
imprOyeme in the high school build
ing hardwood floors, single seats
throughout and. if possible. better
lighting facilities.
III Each grade should have either
its own reference library or wide
range of supplementary books. This
work should provide the seventh grade
with a good equipment of books in
geography and the eighth grade should
have a supply of suitable works on Am
ericaii history.
". Every room should have been
made as pleasing as its architecture will
allow. Tinted walls, good pictures and
we'll selected casts indicate our needs.
V. The school system should be
completed by the establishment and
maintenance of kindergarten.
X
One of the most frequent mistakes
that parents and teachers make is in
appealing to motives that the child does
not understand. 1t is not only useless
but positively harmful to say to a little
child "Now you w.nt to be good" or
"You must try and grow up to be good
man or woman" Such appeals do not
touch any spring of action and their
constant repetition, though it may
cause the child to understand them,
does not make them any more
forceful. Don't talk to the children
from the grown up persons standpoint.
Talk to child from his own standpoint.
Study your children to find out what
they are interested in. what interests
they have that YOU can touch and thus
move them along right lines of action
-
The American history class is making
study of the Revolutionary War, using
Fiske's "War Of Independence" as a
guide. Each member of the class is
reading and reviewing the biography of
some leading American statesman.
~
1t is remarkable what a small amount
Of information concerning current
topics high school student has-or any
other person for that matter. This is
called a newspaper age and yet the
average person has anything but the
cIearest ideas concerning current topics.
Newspaper discussions Of matters are
not only exaggerated and superficial
but they beget in tier readers a con-
tentedness with superficial views and a
tendency to make snap judgments
before all tt e evidence is in. But this
is slight digresson. The following
questions were given the high school
the other night:
/ How many living presidents?
2. Where is Corea?
5. Is Chas. Dickens living or dead?
t. Who is Fitzhugh Lee?
5. Who is congressman from this
district?
6. Why is 1898 notable in Wisconsin
history?
7. Who are our L. S. senators?
S. What is "A "bopdler'?
8, What European country is repre-
srnttd III cartoons % by lion, (2) by
bear?
10. What general is the present COM
mander of our army?
The highest general average of any
class was made by the seniors and that
was only 50 per cent. Only four. all
BOYS and seniors, ansW cred every ques-
ton correctly The school is now sub
s,.rlber for twenty copies IF the "Weeks
Current" and this will be used in the
hlgh school. and in the seventh and
eighth gra.les as the basis for talks on
current events
.'' ~
Parents who have children t. enter
rht. primary departments should SEE
that they are entered at the proper