The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-08-01
{ tNGL|SH IN
The SCHOOLS
Problem of Teaching
Children in
Hawaii.

"Ie1chng English To NOn-E English
Speaking Children" was the subject of
very interesting address at the nor
mai school yesterday afternoon by c.
W. Baldwin, inspector for the public
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
intendcnt AlHtau Atkinson and SeCTc-
tary g. r. Rodgers. Mr.. Baldwin's ad-
dress was a far-Teaching and thorough
~ written statement of the conditions
confronting the teachers in Hawaii's
public schools, and the difficulties of
teaching the great majority of nom
English speaking pupils to speak and
read i'm the prescribed language were
clearly set forth. and valuable sugges-
tions We're made to offset these dsad
VantaCes.
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 1885
after a period of nine years less than
half of the schools were taught in the
English language, and in 1894, nine
years later. there were still Is Of the
schools which We're conducted in Ha-
waiian. These figures spoke for them
selves; for a few years only have the
schools been English" schools. Pre-
vious to this the struggle was to estab-
lish the schools. That was the absorb
ing thought, and methods We're lost
sight of-they had to be lost sight of
for the task was great one. Persons
were put in as teachers who had no
unHlifipDt ion of tl4r tha that fbnV pnIilR
speak English. There was absolutely
no source to draw from; even the quail
flied teachers from the mainland We're
hardly fit to cope with the peculiar diff
ficulties to be found here. The situa-
tion was unique, for whore had there
been one like il 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 than
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 be
wondered at, when men OF talent and
have failed to find a solution, though
they did not fail to grapple with the
problem. The first English course 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
l.,.h r1 NJ in n,
first, and then the vocal organs, etc"
Here for the first time a distinct meth
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
ligent 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 TIuSiSu ldllS utSt lbE nav
continued Mr.. Baldwin, the question
that We have had to face has been no.
only a complex one, but a unique on'
as well. In a few years from now thi
question of language viii not troubl'
lis, for then these Hawaiians will haV,
, made English their mother tongue
| But before such a time comes W
teachers have upon our shoulders tn
l responsibility of giving to our pupils
7
them a chance in life's battle-the op
portunity for an equality of footin
with the white man deprived of whc
they must remain the servers and W
the served. There is, too, in this tn
opening of the door to a true Civiliza
tiopl and the lifting of the people to
higher plane, by giving them access
a literature. Were there way b
which We could give to our pupils tn
. English language, and yet you and
, through ignorance or wantonness {
: what else, did not avail ourselves [
that way, we should be depriving thes
children of things that rightfully b.
long To them and, yes, of life itself.
= That we have signally failed in TIL
|, respect in the past needs no argumen
= Look at the children turned out of tn
, government schools. Unless they haV
= gone to some advanced school or I
, pldfcS NHtit lUtN must OF ntttSslt
= use the English language, they hav
y but the veriest smattering Of that lar
:. suUge. such is the truth OF the bul
: of our schools today-the Portuguese
and japanese leave them with "a work
ing vocabulary, but not so the Hawai-
| ans.
What we should do, or rather II
: need is that we give to these Hawai-
: an chldren-and the rest as well-wf
are placed in our care, not only
speaking but also a reading knowlede
of the language, a taste for good ltel
ature, but We cannot do this latt
without doing the former. In time, {
l have already intimated, this questiC
o will solve itself, when these peop
r. speak this language in their own home
e as their mother tongue. But is it Il
If US to go on contentedly with what v
y are doing, saying to ourselves, 1t w
" he all right by and by? Surely, no; Fl
IL bN not laStPnlnC NAV we NOT lie d