The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-02-14
The BOARD or EDUCATION


Continued from Second Page.)
course pursued in the Boardman
Manual Training High school;
the Commercial course for pupils pre-
pairing for mercantile work; the Scien-
tlnc course for pupils expecting to en-
ter scientific or technical schools; and
the College Preparatory course for pu-
pills wishing to prepare for college. 1t
should be understood that while the at
titude of the school authorities toward
the pupils should be liberal, allowing
them to choose with freedom from the
various courses offered according to
ther dlnerent circumstances and pur-
poses IN life. yet each pupil should be
required to take one of the regular
courses OF the school and pursue it to
the end unless permitted for satisfac-
tory reasons to change to another. In
other words, definite and continued ap-
pllcatlon along certain correlated lines
OF work should be required and moth
ing IN the general course of study
should allow vacilIation between cours-
es or crafty a disposition to get
patchwork of knowledge rather than
dehnlte and thorough training. How
lar a pupil taking one of the regular
courses could take extra, or equivalent,
or optional work in another course Is
one Of the many questions which would
have to be decided under the practical
operation of the work of the school.
Under such an arrangement as I have
indicated, the rooms and facilities of
both schools would be generally util-
lied. The Assembly room for the en-
tire school, the laboratories, and nearly
all the recitation and class rooms
would be in the new building, where all
the general academic work of the
school would be done; while all the
manual work, both of boys and girls,
including drawing, would be done in the
Boardman building This would devote
the latter to the work for which 1t was
originally intended and would allow OPP
portunittes for expansion and growth
in this work such as it does not now
have During the last few years, owing
to the increase In numbers at the
Boardman school, the amount of manu-
al work allowed each pupil has grad
ually decreased until at present it is
considerably less than 1t originally was
and less than the course Of study calls
for. This condition is not satisfactory,
and, it seems to me that it should not
be allowed to go on. I suggest that
next year the board either employ adj
ditional teachers for this work, or that
1t find some other satisfactory way to
give the pupils all the manual work
which the course Of study is supposed
to provide.
However desirable such plan may
seem, much depends upon it's practical
execution. With the large number Of
pupils and teachers involved, the vary
ing courses to be adjusted, and the
many interests to be considered, the
problem is one which wise planning
and careful attention to the many de-
tails Of both schools. Those, however,
who are in charge of these two schools,
have already proven their ability in
efficient administration and their fideli-
ty 40 the best interests of the schools
and should the board decide to adopt
the plan of consolidation, I have no
doubt that it would be put into success
full operation without friction and with
out needless delay.
In such school there would, of
course, be but one eprincipal. Their
would be needed however, director of
manual training work and also either
an assistant principal or, what seems
ITO me preferable, a senior teacher or
class officer for each class This ocffier
should be one of the regular teachers
of the school and should have proven
by his experience his ability as a
teacher and disciplinarian. In addi-
ton to his work as an instructor he
should be the general disciplinary and
administrative officer of the class of
which he has charge relieving the prin-
cipal of many of the less important
matters of school detail and receiving a
salary commensurate with the duties
of such position.
I earnestly recommend that the Com
mercial course in the High school be
increased from three years to four
years in length and that this recon-
mendation, if adopted, go into effect
next September. At present the pupils
taking this course are those who feel
the need of becoming self-supporting
after leaving the High school. Many of
these, through no fault Of their own,
are deficient in English branches and
feel the need of a four years course |
fully as much as any other pupils in |
school. The boy or girl who is to sue
coed in business needs not only the So
called commercial branches, e. g., book !
keeping, stenography and typewriting,
but, fully as much and probably more, !
he needs the general studies of the |
High school course The public schools |
should not encourage shortcuts to |
wage earning positions. These short |
cuts are often delusive and usually, in
the end. unsatisfactory. To certain |