The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-09-18
OBJECT 10 MIXED CLASSES.
Parents Indignant At the Teaching
OF Boys and Girls Together.

[ BALTIMORE. Sept IS--Many Indignant
complaints are being heard in different
/ parts Of the city from parents because
their children have been placed in classes
in the public schools In which both boys
and girls are taught together. instead Of
having them separated, as before The
change has caused great opposition. not
only with some Of the mothers, but among
the boys and girls themselves, who prefer
the old method
When asked last night why the change
was made Superintendent Van Sickle said
There has been no change of method
lately. nor have any complaints come to
my Office concerning any such thing IL
must be remembered. in the FIRST place.
that the placing Of boys and girls in the
same clasSrOOTns is nothing new in RaIti-
more. In all the EuGiiSh-Cierman schools
seven in ali. girls and boys have always
. htru taught together. ana the same Is
. true OF most OF the schools in the Annex
/ r. the Annex schools the same methods
were followed as We're in vogue in the
schools while they were in the county.
and that was TO teach boys and girls to-
Eetner- The only changes made in that
. direction at an since I nave been here
came about in This way
Last year. when the schools vv-ra rsa~-
gained the school board gave me permis-
SION W1eu certain conditions prevailed 90
combine two or more classes into one and
. mus ifluE the boys and girls together
These conditions occurred when classes
contained SO rev pupils as TO be far below
lAg Anit provided for each teacher. Thus
d u was found that the Seventh grade OF
girls Iu a school contained saw ten u-l-
pl-s- and the same grade Of boys contain
tu glSLL boys instead OF employing a.
teacher 70 instruct the boys and another
10 instruct the girls 4 was ernD0v-arrf in
the interest Of economy. as wei as for
me coed Of the school and pupils. Co con-
49,. - lH+ Two sFades and have one
I-,-chgF 10 do the work instead OF two.
l. ME 81 two teachers were EMPLOYED or
the [E1-tS consolidated IL would have ne
ctSS-Jated either the boys or the girIs or
"oLn. going 20 distant schools
In most cases. however the Grades
were wei MED and no mixing Of the sex
Is was done In fact. the conditions max
ing lhe consolidation Of grades eNpeUieut
existed IN only very few cases indeed If
! remember correctly the consolidating 1F
classes Of boys with classes Of girls 'oc-
CURED in only about five OF six Instances
III the whole city, and these mostly i'm the
advanced grades. So far as I know il has
not occurred In a single instance this sea-
son. although the principals have the
right 20 make the change when The CON
ulu1uS spoken of make il expedient and
a lew such changes may have been made
and not Vet reported 60 me. But neither
last year nor this have l had any COM
plant
If any parent objects TO having a child
IN mixed grade OF boys and girls we
another school where the classes are sep
arate- Il was To prevent children being
''-lrtA ~ atltL0 SCHOOLS distant from
their homes that the few changes were
made, but n the parents prefer TO send a
child farther from home rather than have
the child IN the same classroom with chill
dren OF the opposite sex We viii certainly
give such child transfer
DO YOU, as a matter Of school policy
IN general favor the segregation OF the
mixing OF the sexes in the public schools
Mr. Van Sickle was asked
Il am not prepared 90 say that I have
any decided preference for either PLAN
was his reply. 81 have seen the work and
progress made by pupils taught iu the
EuEllSh-GerIuan schools and in the other
schools where boys and girls are taught
separately. and / have never seen any APP
prcClIble difference I'm The. progress made.
The boys, however usually look cleaner
and better behaved where there are girls
in the class with them"
But how about the EirlS2'' was asked
but the new superintendent would not
commit himself on that point