Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-01-01
1HE COURSE OF Study
President seerley Says Public
School Curriculum Is Noted
For Its Impracticability
ESSENTIAL FACTORS LEFT OUT
The Charge Is That Too Much of the
Modern School Atmosphere centers
About Much Knowledge, Many
Branches of Study and Large Phases
of Training That Are Purely Formal.


of Training That Are Purely Formal.
Des Moines. Jan. President HON.
err II. Seerley of the Iowa State Nor
NAL school at Cedar Falls, this morn
ing In the symposium on the Pub
lie School Curriculum" before the gem
eral meeting of the Teachers associa-
ton, took occasion to score the present
system and with malice toward none
and charity to ALI he pronounced tn
present curriculum noted for Its ex-
treme poverty of practicableness.
He explained that SO many inter.
ests had dictated to the common school
curriculum that it was now neither
fit to prepare the student for the com
nor for the college he might wish u
enter
He said in part:
With all the heroic attempts to I'M
prove elementary and secondary edu
cation by dictatorship of the higher
educational institutions. the curriculurn
that is now obtainable in most public
schools is noted for It's extreme poverty
of practicableness because of its spe-
cial leaning toward culture and disc.
pine. 1t is possible for pupil to pass
thru the work of the entire curriculum
as mapped out and yet be given no
training which gives him the initiatl e
in making a good living. Too muca
by far of the modern school atmos !.
phere centers about much knowledge,
many branches of study and large
phases OF training that are purely for
mai. and, hence. valueless in practi-
cableness because they have no vital
relation to either happiness, comfoSt,
eapability or service. efficiency of ap-
plication or strength of personality
and character-essential factors In the
life present and also in the life to
come.
The fear of modern utilitarIanism
which exists mong scholars and the
educationists need not worry any Of
me modern philosophers very much b..
cause the public school curriculum has
not oeen much touched by the magic
influence of the street. since 1t is cef-
tam that culture and fashion rule SUI
preme instead of utility. There Is, too
much reality in the criticism that pub
lie, elementary and high schools are
conducted on plan that their work is
not preparation for life. but a pre-
urinary training essential to the en-
trance upon some higher form of edu-
cation where preparation for life ms n
career Will be permissible. The nro.
posed six-year high school is adyoca,e3
TO meet this exigency not necessarily
by extending the years OF study bur nv
the hope that the life theory NAV have
little larger chance In the school,
plans and exercises. REORGANIZATION
on the basis of a greater liberty cou;5
make the s!x-year high school a farr
ana dispense with two years of study
now placed in the calendar of the cur.
rieulum Of the grades.
Free, untrammeled teaching nnre-
suic,ed as to curriculum, as to meth.
Gus, as TO stage progress, is much to he
preferred to license system which se,s
large premium upon mediocritv ana
uniformity by idolizing meager nren-
afatlon, little experience in life omtside
u text DOCKS. and conditions that doom
the school TO helpiessness and worth
lessness before lesson Ia taught. There
IS great need for encouragement-no
for repression. There should be the
right Of discovery and extension. no,
the iassitude and the. depression Of
limitations such as restrictive legisla-
ton makes necessary.
The teachers are continually com.
PEELED to deal with proposition which
taxes to the limit their ingenuity. Thay
are not consulted regarding the suh.
JectS which they must teach their mn
plis either as to their unfitness because
OF compiexity or incongruity. The
schedule is put down before them with
complete plans and specifications
rms work must be done in some way
and 1t is the teachers problem to ac-
cept the plans and specifications ana
invent method whereby these unf,t
ana unapreciative subjects can he
taught TO child before his mental
deVeiopment enables him TO compre-
hend or assimiiate them. Hence there
are many methods devised which are
fearfully and wonderfully made and
which show marvellous ingenuity and
ability as inventions and schemes of
instruction. Their wonderfulness Is
past finding out and highly creditable
because they show what teachers are
capable of doing if they had half a
chance. Such are the methods of
teaching percentage to seventh grad.
pupils when the subject is given them
four years before they are mentally
ready for the intricacies and compleys
tiles of Its various applications. Such
are the methods OF teaching proper
ton and other advanced subjects
which are really more difficult than
either much of algebra or much of
geometry Such also are the types of
primary school number teaching where
q method is devised to enable the child
to perform computations worthy an
adult. We're the exercises accomplished
by compromising the propositions of
actual arithmetic 1t is falsely assumed
by those who fail TO think out these
problems of mental adaptability thatl
the reason and judgement are actually
being trained and that children so In
structei VIII not need to study arith-
metic hereafter by the difficult process
es of thinking used by previous genera
tions. This is Il vain hope and will
easily be dispe,ied by all who follow
process OF solving problems thru OBJ
jects and things and ratios is not the
same as the thinking process used in
adult Me In all arthmeiical calcula-
tions. What is true in regard to teach