The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-07-30
ENG[ IN
The SCHOOLS
Problem of Teaching
Children in
Hawaii.

4 very interesting address at the nor
nal school yesterday afternoon py u /
w Baldwin, inspector for the puolc /
schools on the island Of Hawaii The |
large school room was used for the
weekly afternoon exercises, and among |
those present besides the corps OF |
summer school instructors were super
intendent Alatau Atkinson and Secre-
tary c. T. Rodgers. MIR. Baldwin's ad-
dress was q far-reaching and thorough
" written statement of the conditions
confronting the teachers in Hawai-
public schools, and the difficulties OF
teaching the great majority or nom
English speaking pupils to speak and |
read in the prescribed language were
clearly set forth. and valuable sugges-
tons were made to offset these disad-
vantages.
Mr.. Baldwin said the subject was one
which commands the teachers first
consideration. Failing in that they
failed in all the rest. In the year 1876
English was first substituted for Ha-
waiian in some of the schools. In 1888 !
after a period of nine years less tnan |
half of the schools were taught IN the
years later, there were still Is OF the
schools which were conducted IN Ha-
waiian These figures spoke for them
selves; for a few years only nave the
schools been English" schools. Pre-
vious to this the struggle was to eStaD-
| Hsh the schools. That was the absorb
| ing thought, and methods were lost
sight of-they had 10 be lost sight OF
| for the task was a great one. Persons
were put in as teachers who had no
qualification other than that they coulo
| speak English. There was absolutely
no source to draw from; even the quail
| flied teachers from the mainland were
| hardly fit to cope with the peculiar Diff
| ficulties TO be found here. The sltua-
| ton was unique, for where had there
! been one like ii before? And where
| could teachers be got who knew what
| to do? They could not be found. Prof.
Baldwin said that there is no place in
the world where teachers can be found
| better fitted in every way TO grapple
| with difficult language problems tnan
| in Hawaii. He said that teachers
who had had no special training as
such. or being trained teachers yet had
| had no experience in handling non
| English speaking pupils should fail to
| realize, or be able to cope with, the
| difficulties of the situation, is not to De
wondered at, when men of talent and
| education as supervisors in the past
have failed to find a solution, though
they did not fail to grapple With the
problem. The first English coukse was
| published in 1881. In the recent course
| published in 1889 the following under
the heading OF Language" for first
| year is found: Teach children to ex-
press in English what they perceive
| and what they do In the school room,
on the playground, on the way to
| school, and at home Train the ear
first and then the vocal organs, etc
n
/! cd was lain down, and also for the first
time the Importance of the hearing OF
Language" is noted. The other courses
did not overlook the Importance OF
spoken language, but lacked some
sure and steady method
| The speaker asked the question. Was
there any difference in what was done
and what would have been done with
| children whose mother tongue was the
English language? He answered in the
affirmative. The burden had fallen up
| on reading with the result that chill
dren who can scarcely speak an intel
Igent sentence or understand the SIM
plest questions addressed to them by
an outsider, are reading in far adVanc-
ed readers.
Owing to the peculiar difficulties OF
the English language for Hawatians,
continued Mr.. Baldwin, the question
that We have had to face has been not
only a complex one, but a unique one
As well. In a few years from now TINS
question of language win not trouble
us, for then these Ha~afians VIII nave
made English their mother tongue
But before such a time comes We
teachers have upon our shoulders the
responsibility of giving to our pupils a
language which acquired, viii mean 10
them a chance in Ife'S battle-the OPP
oortunity for an equality of roofing
with the white man deprived OF whlch
they must remain the servers and we
| the served. There is, too, in this the
opening of the door to a true civiilza-
tion and the lifting of the people TO q
higher plane, by giving them access 10
| a literature. Were there way py
which we could give to our pupils the
English language. and yet you and l,
| through ignorance or Wanfonness or
what else, did not avail ourselves OF
that way. we should be depriving these
children OF things that rightfuliy De-
hong to them and. yes, of life itself
| That we have s!gnally failed IN TINS
respect IN the past needs no argument
Look at the children turned out OF the
government schools. Unless they nave
gone to some advanced school or 10
places where they must of necessity
use the English language, they nave
but the verieSt smattering OF that IAN
yuage Such is the truth of the buik
of our schools today-tbe Portuguese
and japanese leave them with a WORK
ing vocabulary. bat not so the HaWah-
Il ans.
| What we should do. or rather the
need is that We give to these Ha"ah-
an children--and the rest as weli-Who
are placed in 0ur care, not oniy
speaking but also a reading knoNleoee
OF the language. q taste for good inter-
| allure hut we cannot do this latter
without doing the former. In time, as
1 have already intimated, this question
will solve itself, when these people
speak this language in their own homes
as their mother tongue But is II foT
us to go on coptentedly with what We
are doing. saying to ourselves. 1t VII
be all right by and by? Surely, no; IoI
by not Fastening may we not Dc oe-
nriyiDg some soul of an inheritance
! that IS its by right
Lord Hopstoun to Be Here