Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-08-19

At the meeting OF the National Ed
ucational association In Boston last
month Professor Shearer delivered an
address on the topic, "'rhe Lock-Step
In the Public Schools and its reading
VIII repay every teacher. every parent
and everyone interested In the work
OF the public schools of Montana.
These are the objections set forth
to the generally adopted plan OF grad.
ing pupils:
l. Pupils are not placed or kept
with those OF equal advancement.
2. The bright and the slow are In
jured by either being held back or
pushed forward.
3. The work cannot be well suit
ed to the pupils in the classes.
4. The work is not done thorough
ly.
8. The school life of the majority
Is shortened and the intellectual life
Of all menaced.
6. Eighty per cent lose time, where
as, at least seventy-fve per cent are
able to save time under a proper
plan.
eNtNuNghtt Dtl tCul W. uOl 20
as far as the fifth year in a twelve
years course.
8. Less than five per cent reach
the high school, and not more than
three per cent graduate.
8. The lessons are generally pre-
pared at home, though there is no
good eason why they should not be
prepared in school.
10. Compelled to walk in lock-step
with those who a and should be al
lowed to move at a different rate, a
great many lose all interest in school
work. They therefore leave school.
And here are a few of the reasons
Professor Shearer advanced in sup.
port OF his objections:
That the b~lighting effects Of the u.s.
ual plan is everywhere felt by the
thoughtful educators is shown by the
fact that, in answer to questions,
more than eighty-fiye per cent of five
hundred superintendent stated that.
because OF the usual plan, the bright
were greatly injured and the slow dis.
| couraged and driven out of school.
The conditions in private schools are
even worse than In public schools.
The decree of the Demon of Uni.
formity seems to have been. I'm to-
gether, all together, on together. out
together" This decree the
intellectual life of all pupils, short
ems the school life of many. and
makes pupil drivers out of those who,
but for it, could be teachers in deed
and In truth.
The effect of such methods on the
bright children Is most disastrous;
for II Injuries them greatly, both men.
tally and morally, to hold them down
to the pace of the slower ones. Wh9
would work the mettlesome racer
| with the heavy draught horse and not
expect 1t to end the usefulness of the
racer?
Regardless of thoroughness, the
dull are rushed over the work. They
fall behind, stumble for a time at the
foot of the class, then, misunderstood,
unappreciated and discouraged, drop
out of school. or are quickly obliged
to leave lest they bring down the en-
animation average" What teacher
has not seen such pupils drop out Of
school, having lost all interest in life?
Sad it is that they have lost the con-
fidence of their parents. Sadder still
that they should no longer be encou"-
aged by the confidence of their par
ents. But infinitely more are such
pupils to be pitied because they have
lost all confidence of their wi abili-
ties. Almost certain are they to be-
come lost characters. Yet, your
teachers know that most of them
could have been saved If only they
could have been permitted to go at
the pace that the Almighty intended
that they should, instead of being
Obliged to go at the rate that some
board of education has fixed. Why
should any one wonder that the most
of these leave school?
II is certainly injurious to keep pu-
pills with those of greatly different
ability and ~attainments; 1t is little
less than criminal to compel them
to walk in intellectual lock-step with
such for months and years; IL Is an
outrage to compel teachers to con-
stantly goad children, 20 hurry for
ward the slow or hold back the bright
and for the sake of the machine, to
force many out OF school, after having
destroyed their self-confidence and
condemned them to live lives of ig-
norance, IL not forse. Is barbarism
such as should not be permitted In