The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-08-30

l.. Mass.
january ~, 1901.
Editor journal If Education: The enclosure
represents some of tho absurd answers given to
a test given to forty high scloo pupjlN recently.
Ten words had previously been gwen out !"
spell and define. when the time came TO h'o
the words written, ! added third condition,
that OF writing sentence using The word cor.
rectly.
/ wonder II a similar test would reveal a like
state OF chaos in pupils minds in other towns.
Yours very truly,
w. 4. G.
Soluble. -Reliving lie very soluble
Apathy - Indifference lie mayed a great deal
Of apathy.
souble.-That which may be melted. Sugar
is soluble.
Apayy.-want Of feeling. That ho, is apathy.
ExaegeratcTo incre2sc. The story was cN.
aEgerlte.
Apathy. Concern. THIS may apathy you.
Souhlc.-That which can be dissolved. The
water l. soluble.
Diucnt.--A thin fluid. It was very dilucnt.
Apathy.-Qucer state lie stood in IN apathy.
Ducnt.-1o make thinner. cut the meat more
d,luent
Soluble. Relaxing Some woods are soluble.
Soluble. Pertaining TO estates. That land Is
soluble
Apathy.- Nickname. He call him an apathy
vndictiye To defend. The troops are vim.
dictive.
Fanatic--A strange idea. He is fanatic per.
son.
Dlucnt.-Making thin. They were dilucnt Of
that.
Fanatic. enthusiasm. 1t was made of a
fanatic shout
Soluble.-roo loosen. Will you soluble that
| rope2
Fanltic.--A stranger at a gate. The man was
| a fanatic.
ENaggcratc--ro restrain That hoy will ex.
a:gcratc the story.
Dilucnt That which changes al other mat.
| terS. The story was ducnt.
| soluble Relaxing. Tho song was soluble.
Soluble Rcaxirg. Was you soluhl, her hand a?
Soluble Making more fluid. DO not soluble
| the copper sulphate
Apathy Want OF feeling. The apathy person
was passing.
Solublc-RcaNirg. The man was soluble
| Apathy. Indifference. tie Is apathy 10 mine.
fInatc.-Wd The man will 40 fanatic
| water.
Domcsnr Property in real estate The land
| is dcmesnp.
| The sentences I'm this list seen
ridiculous at first sight, but tC
| the thoughtful mind the whole
affair is pathetic. 1t is a proof
that after all the guessing of educators
to fix upon theory which will be most
| effective. the problem is as far from
being solved as twas twenty-five years
| ago. Like the social and the labor
| questions, educational methods are al
the extreme point of fermentation Lik,
the parts of Kiplngs ship, they hav,
not yet found themselves" and publ,
schools do not educate. The doIcfu
story of this high school in Massachu
sets is but the type of conditions
| which might be found in most hiGi
| schools. II is sort of "ShOOt-t the
| chute system which is now in vogue
and the aim seems to be not how wei
a child shall be taught, but how murl
| can be Crammcd into his mental Outn
in the shortest possible space of time.
1t IS not the high school which is t,
blame for this: neither is il the faul
of the teachers in any grade. Still less
is the pupil responsible for such a denS'
state of ignorance, but something /!
wrong in a system which places chill
dren in high school without NOR,
substantial preparation.
This is not an isolated case. Prob
ably il similar test were employed,
like condition would be revealed in th
Scranton high school, and again w
repeat, il is pathetic that such stat
Of affairs should exist, but it is no
surprising.
Note the circumstances. EnvirOnmen
is, after all, the chief formulativ
agency. Children learn a VoCabular,
from home surroundings or from thei
reading. The great majority of pupil
come from homes where the vocabu
larry is very limited \ large numbc
will be found of foreign extraction, il
whose family circle no English i
spoken. Where 1t is, the speech is mar
rOwed down to the extreme of simple
ty in the interchange of thought
Words of the simplest construction ar
employed. In school the teacher find
it, necessary to talk down to the pupi
She may not lay a wider founda ton q
speech, for the curriculum is 50 fu
that every minute must be occupied 4
cramminG the youthful minds wit
ammunition with which to combat tn
ever impending siege of examination
If she uses at times the language ordi
narly employed by those with Whor
her own home life is passed. the chill
does not comprehend and she has no
the time, owing to the pressure {
school work, to explain. Natural
enough the child in the humber walk
of life, for whom the public school sys
tenn OF this county was designed, find
) himself in the high school with a vas
: onglomeration of Cut-and-driod fact
ready to fire nerVously and with fea
at the examination bOgie. lie has ha
little time to learn new worGs that d
, not come into his every day life or tn
school work bearing immediate relatio
? TO the examination IN the foregl lOunt
: Consequently, a new word with its def
= milton which he has learned convey
I, no more real meaning To his befogge
2 brain than If it We're Sanskrt.
The answer of the father TO an il
! quiring son who wanted to know II
meaning Of the word pronunciation
y is equally applicable to definition
pronunciation" said the parent "
e something you look in the dictionar
e for today and forget tomorrow" Def
g nltions are the same. The mere denn
s tion does not stick" The child is n,
5 familiar with all the terms in his hon
i speech; much less has he time to rca
|