Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-28
DISTRICT SCHOOLS


CONTINUED ON Third Fage)
many kindergarten schools as there
| frSt-Srade schools is, as intinated above, Il
/ question yet to be solved A primary school
| contains more pupils than kindergarten
| does, according to the present arrange
ment, on the other hand. many parents are
| unwilling to send their children to school
! before they are six years of age or older.
| These and other facts that need not be emu
| merated in this place help to make the
| question of kindergartens with respect TO
number, problematical.'
| Work in Primary Grades.
| Referring TO the theory of the genera!
| work of the primary schools, Mr.. Powell
| says:
The process of education today through
out the world and particularly in America
are in state of rapid transformation or
| evolution. People of all classes, especially
| those who think. in contemplating the
! schools, influenced by experience with
| them, seeing the products of the schools in
| the lives of their children well as reaiz-
ing themselves in many instances as prod
| ucts of these schools have seen in them
| what they believe to be defects and have
! not been slow to criticise them. For two
| or three decades. but especially within the
| last ten years. the public press of every
| kind, the rostrum the pulpit and numerous
| persons having the ears of the public have
| helped to make known the shortcomings
| of existing methods of education The
|
| are formal; that the studies and methods
| are disciplinary rather than nourishing;
| that mind-nouriShing studies are not found
| in the curricula in their just proportion.
| BY the medical men the schools are held
| blamable for the impairment of the health
| of the children. This latter criticism is
perhaps the most important of all that are
| made; at least 1t has led TO more unrest
| than any other, because 1T affects the hap
| piness Of the home and disturbs domestic
| tranquility more than any other.
l Th.a vol iG tn ", ovid
| increasing ratio 1t is not difficult to be-
| lieve that the most important movement
| that has ever affected human society is
\ now taking place-a revolution in the pro-
| cesses of education also in the concep-
| ton Of the purposes of education. This
revolution has been induced in part by
| more accurate information relating to mind
| and to the phenomena of its growth than
| was before possessed. Scientific investiga-
tors, students Of mind. together with inves-
| tigators in the department of institutional
| life and its growth are the hand
/ discovering the nature of mind and mind
action. and. on the other hand, tracing the
| relations of institutions and social life to
| mind growth and the growth of knowledge
| These discoveries, announced from time to
| time and becoming known to and under
| stood by thinking people. have made pro-
| found impression on society. The enorm-
Gus development of free schools, with the
accompanying expense and the consequent
| makeup. especially In America, 10 a strong
factor producing the revolution
Study of the System.
In the schools Of Washington for many
years an effort has been made to study the
evolution in progress and to understand
| 1t, and to help to solve the problem, How
can the child be educated to understand.
appreciate and enjoy, and at the same time
| De trained to become an Intelligent actor
| in the civilization of which he is a part
| and not break down in health?
| While 1t was believed that there was
1 ,frnw
| and requirements of the schools and that
| relief should be sought, yet despite this IT
was plainly seen that there was demand
for a broader Intelligence, for a more ra-
tional understanding of things on the part
OF the pupils, as also for a better physical
development and for direct motor training
~ was seen that no satisfactory change
could be effected simply by multiplication
or studies, as this would result in putting
additional burdens on the schools nor could
IL De erected by an increase of time given
10 school work. Both Of these, 1t was seen
would but augment the most serious evil
for which the school was held blamable,
namely, overwork
We were therefore forced to conclude
that relief can come to the schools ONLY by
| radical change in the process of teaching
| life. p'''o Vi
| Methods Employed.
| 1T is desirable and necessary that the
child should learn to spell. The words rep
| resenting what he knows are the words
| that he should spell. II he can spell all the
| words that stand for all that he can find
out and all that he can learn to read he
VIII be r. good speller and will know how
| 10 spell the words that he will employ In
| writing his own experiences and ideas
| When learning to write for the forms OF
words the child learns spelling by the same
| principle he learns writing The forms
| or the words are carried In mind for re-
| production. He acquires the habit of OH
| serving closely and fixing details in the
mind. This he will not do SO well if he
| writes from copy.
| The child must learn arithmetic: but
| man DID not learn arithmetic originally
| from dictation. He learned It by measure
| ing, counting, testing, comparing marking
| deciding and re-marking when making
The child may do this and learn arithmetic
/ from Two to ten times as fast and much
| more nationally than he can possibly learn
ii from dictation or from a book: but in
| measuring sidewalks, the tops Of desks
| the areas of floors, the ca pa cities of boxes
etc, the child is exercising his hands and
| MS rect and his senses in correlation with
| his brain. This is manual training than
which no better can be had, though it come
from Norway or Sweden or from the is
| lands of the sea.
| The primary purpose OF the school for
| the young child is to cause him. by busying
| himself IN interesting yet rational exercises
| (employments) u1d der favorable conditions.
| III TO subserVe and insure his health and
| promote his bodily welfare: (2) to lead him
| 10 appreciate the value Of and give him
| skill in the use of those instrumentalities
| ny which knowledge is primarily obtained
| ana used 90 to cause him to get such
| knowledge as will serve him as interpreters
| in his future study: "a to lead him TO
| Know and TO understand as such the SYM
| Dolls that represent the knowledge he gets
Manual Training.
| Speaking of manual training, Mr.. Powell
| says that the most important function Of
the school, after that OF giving ethical
| training is that of giving the child manual
| training making him handy, accurate and
| efficiently in the directed exercise of those
activities by means of which he gets and
| uses knowledge.
| The second most important function of
| the schools. says Mr. Powell Is that of
| teaching the child to read Continuing he
| says:
| If the child is taught to read by the pro-
cess of learning words. selected from his