The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-01


port for the fiscal year ended July 30, 1899.
This report in conjunction with that of
s. F. T. Cook, Superintendent of Colored
Schools, is printed in one volume.
In transmitting the report to the Com
missioners the school board says;
The public schools OF the District are
In excellent condition. Superintendent
and other officials, and the principals and
subordinate teachers, have performed their
difficult and laborious duties faithfully and
well. That the work and the system are
absolutely perfect in all respects, We are
not prepared to claim, or to expect. We
believe that our public schools have kept
pace with the advance of modern methods
in teaching and in the management of
schools.
There has been occasionally here and
there. a complaint; possibly having sub
stantial foundation. II would be indeed
wonderful II, in so large an institution. in
volving the services of so many hundreds
of teachers and requiring always the exer-
else of great labor and patience, and great
tact and skill, there were not occasionally
instances OF failure. The trustees, speak
ing for themselves, and as they believe,
also for the teachers and officials OF the
schools, invite friendly criticism and sug-
gestion, and are more than willing to CO.
operate with the public and with tn.
patrons of the schools for the most sue
cessful accomplishment of the work to be
done"
Medical Inspection.
The superintendent enters an earnest
plea for an inspection of schools and chill
dren at intervals by medical experts, esps-
cially with reference to eyesight.
With reference to supplying a book for
each pupil, he says: lone of the first de-
mands of medical direction is that each
child shall be supplied with book, to the
end that two or more children shall not
use the same book. To supply book to
each child in every case where books are
used will require larger amount of money
than we have ever had at our command.
The greatly increased outlay, however, wi 1
be required only for the first supply.
Thereafter the outlay would not be rela-
lively much larger than it now is, because
books would not wear out SO rapidly as
they now dc"
Regarding primary instruction, the re-
port says:
The process of education today through
out the world and particularly in America
is in a 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 as well as realiz-
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 numer-
Gus persons having the ears of the public
h Nod h olrn trr he III.
ings of existing methods of education.
The contention has been in part that !
the schools are formal; that the studies |
and methods are disciplinary rather than |
nourishing; that mind nourishing studies I
are not found in the curricula in their just |
proportion. By the medical men the |
schools are held blamabie for the impair |
ment of the health of the children. This |
latter criticism is perhaps the most impor- |
tant Of all that are made; at least it has |
led to more unrest than any other, be- |
cause 1t affects the happiness of the home |
and disturbs domestic tranquility more |
than any other.
Evolution in Progress.
in the schools of Washington for many |
years an effort has been made to study the |
evolution in progress and to understand |
it, and to help to solve the problem, How |
can the child be educated to understand, |
appreciate. and enjoy. and at the same time |
be 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 |
cause for criticism concerning the methods |
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 more "a
dar dfvp nff tnpc an ha ~
of the pupils, as also for better physical
development and for direct motor training
1t was seen that no satisfactory change |
could be effected simply by a multiplied
ton Of studies, as this would result in put
ting additional burdens on the schools, nor
could it be effected by an increase of time |
given to school work Both of these, it |
was seen, would but augment the most |
serious evil for which the school was held |
blamable. namely, overwork.
eve were therefore forced to conclude !
that relief can come to the schools only by 1
a radical change in the process OF teaching
the child during the formative period OF
life.
lit is desirable and necessary that the
child should learn to spell The words
representing 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
how to 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 as he learns writing. The. forms |
of the words are carried in MIND for re- |
production. He acquires the habit of OBJ |
serving closely and fixing details in the |
mind. This he will not do so we'll IL he |
writes from copy.
THE child must learn arithmetic; but |
man did not learn arithmetic originally |
from dictation. He learned it by measur- |
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 |
it from dictation or from a book; but in !
measuring sidewalks, the tops of desks, |
the areas OF floors. the capacities of boxes, |
etc, the child is exercising his hands and /
his feet 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 ISL
nnds of the sea-"
The second most important function Of |
the school, states the report, is teaching