The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-10-31
.ENGLENOOD SCHOOL WORK
ARMSTRONG SMITH WRITES OF
HIS EXPERIENCE.
Wonderful Results Obtained by Colon.
ell Parker's Methods-School ENcur.
sion of 1000 Pupils for Study.

Editor Star: After a very pleasant
journey we arrived safely at Engle-
wood, where the Chicago Normal
school is situated: in was formerly
known as the Cook County Normal
school, and in those days students
from all parts of America, and even
from abroad, were trained here, but
since it has come under the iurisdic-
ton of the city, only residents of Chi
cago may enter as students.
There are at present about 500
women in attendance, and. | believe,
less than dozen men. and i'm the
practice school there are about as
many children. The faculty numbers
over forty.
| have now been visiting the vari-
GUS departments for Just month,
and although | have not vet seen
hundredth part of their work. feel
repaid for my trip.
When | state that Colonel Parker
and his teachers carry out in actual
practice the theories which he gave
us at the summer school. / think |
say enough to show that this is a very
wonderful institution. From nine to
three daily ] visit room after room.
and | must say | never realized before
what hard work conscientious visiting
is. SO far | have found that it takes
more out of me than my ordinary
work does. I shall not be sorry when
the time comes for me to return.
Last week nearly one thousand stu
dents and children went out on field
excursion TO visit the sand dunes which
are about thirty or forty miles from
Chicago. y special train took us to
the dunes. On arriving at our desti-
nation we divided up into twenty-five
or thirty groups, each headed by a
teacher. 1t was wonderfully inspir-
ing sight. | wish you could have seen
these groups scattered for a mile or
two over the sand dunes, some sketch
ing and painting, others examining
the sand and vegetation, all interested
and making collections of plants. of
fruits and insects, etc. But TO thor
oughly understand this field excursion
you must visit the various classes the
next day, and see how the trip is util-
lied in the teaching of arithmetic.
history, geography, drawing and in
painting, etc. even the colonel's lect-
ure on Psychology had, believe. the
| SAND dunes for its basis. The children
wrote descriptions of the dunes and
gave an account of all they had MOTTO
ed, the best part of these are printed.
and distributed to the various grades
Tor reading matter-real. live reading
matter. which the pupils are so any-
lous to read that they take it home and
| study 1t there. There seems to be no
pilikia about teaching to read here:
| don't think you could prevent the
children from learning if YOU tried to
ana TINS happy state of affairs an
pears to be arrived at by the qualify
OF reading matter. | shall do all in
my power to raise funds to buy n
small printing press for our school. as
that appears to be the KEYNOTE of the
success of this school in that direc-
ton.
Another afternoon | went out with
the first grade children. most of them
very young, to visit a swamp IT was
a wonderfully inspiring sight to see
these little mites sitting down at tbe
SIDE OF the road and drawing or rath-
er painting, what they could see. OF
course their attempts were very crude
nut no two were alike, and it was n
| great surprise TO me to find out how
much them attempted to depict on IN
per- Later on they dredged the dirty
wafer OF the swamp and found frogs
ana snails, etc. and on the way home
they picked grasses and wild flowers
l5ut the most interesting part of it to
me was the way in which all this new
~ gained knowledge was brought in
to play during the following week at
school.
The training classes are very kindly
making for me collections of soils. re
illogical specimens, leaves, wild flow
ers, grasses, woods, etc, and the
eighth grade in the practice school has
already begun to make for me a col
lection of insects.
In the near future / am going
through the school with DR.. Griffin
the vice principal, and each grade is
to paint me something, either from
nature, or to illustrate some short
poem that has been read to them.
These paintings are for me to take
pack with me. / am beginning to be
httle alarmed as to my freight bill
on the railway on nv return, for if I
bring back all my collections with me.
! shall need seveal packing cases.
ARMSTRONG SMITH