The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1903-06-05
The Exclusion of the Ninth Grade from the
Public Schools.

The Exclusion of the Ninth Grade from the
Public Schools.
All public questions of Importance
ought to be open to free discussion. This
is especially necessary when there is lack
of definite knowledge concerning them,
and when intelligent discussion tends to
bring enlightenment, which may resultin
wiser legislation. The public, however,
cannot and should not reach conclusions
on these questions after having heard the
presentation of only one side. 1t is not
judicial to render decisions based upon
half the evidence. The just judge listens
patiently to both sides, and holds his
| Jury to the same impartial rule.
The article lately published The .Egis,
touching the question of the exclusion of
the eighth and ninth grades from some of
our schools is plausible and earnest pre-
sentation of one phase of this educational
question, but being criticism from one
who is opposed to the principle and prac-
tice of such exclusion, it is necessarily
composed of deductions and assertions
bearing favorably upon the writer's view.
The assertion that the eighth and ninth
grades have been excluded from the
schools has doubtless been made owing
to lack of carefulinquiry. Nopupil ofthe
eighth grade has been excluded rom any
school.
The decision OF the State Board of Edu-
cation has been reached after careful and
| intelligent consideration of the educa-
| tional data gathered from leading teach
ers of this and other States 1t is there
fore the result of long experience and pa
tient investigation, for which reason it
ought to be entitled to a reasonable claim
| to correctness.
| 1t is based too upon the broad demo
cratic principle of THE greatest good to
the greatest number a principle which
must present itself as Sclt-evident to all
who have in our schools children i'll lower
grades being neglected every day by the
| hard worked tacher, who in addition to
the distracting and exhausting labor of
teaching and controlling seven grades, is
obliged to hear the recitations of small
minority of pupils in the higher grades.
This would be possible perhaps, if these
higher pupils were pursuing only two or
three branches each, but when they de-
mand and expect the time and attention
of the teacher to full schedule, and this,
repeated daily, we can have some concep-
ton of the amount of time and attention
withdrawn from small children who need
a constant and careful oversight. One
hour occupied in teaching ninth grade
of one or two, means one hour each, taken
from fifteen or twenty pupils who can do
nothing in the absence of instruction.
The clearly expressed pedagogic truth is
that no teacher can instruct with any de-
gree of success. more than seven grades,
and should not be expected to do so.
The best work is accomplished where the
teacher is responsible for the discipline
and instruction of but one grade, when
such grade is large, and the fewer of con-
siderable enrolment the better.
The assertion that the last two years
of pupil schoollife are more important
than all the Others is certainly a reversion
of the opinions of thousands of our ablest
educators. The power of the pupil at
this stage is nlanitestly greater so far as
the unaided acquisition of knowledge is
concerned, but it seems selEevident that
the child needs the teachers care, super
vision, guidance most i'll the early years
of his school career, when without con-
slant aid and direction he can accomplish
nothing, and this need gradually but in
variably diminishes as the pupil advances
The State Board would doubtless be
amazed, were it suddenly aroused to the
|
that it is trying to rob the people of the
State of the benefits of 4 wise and practi-
cal education. Its aim is to strengthen
the work by concentrating instead of
diffusing the energy and attention of the
teacher.
During the scholastic year 1902, there
were only fifty-nine ninth grade pupils
enrolled in all the schools of the county.
Of these, thirty were enrolled in Bel Air,
Havre de Grace, Jarrettsville, Darlington,
Aberdeen and Forest Hill. Twenty more
of the fifty-nine were found in other two
room schools, leaving only seventeen
ninth grade pupils in single room schools,
subject to exclusion by order of the State
Board. Of these remaining seventeen,
probably eight would have left school of
their own volition at the end of the eighth
year. Thus we see that very few have
been affected by the change, which has
certainly been made in the interests of a
much larger number of smaller children,
needing every minute of the teachers
precious time. OBSERVER.