The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-06-27

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Some OF the principals also spoke OF the
| amount Of required work as excessive,
| and expressed the belief that the children
were hurried too rapidly from subject to
subject, thereby causing mental worry
and nervous arrangement. However, it
| Is worthy Of attention that neither cit
/ 1zens nor teachers named any subjects as
| unnecessary, nor asked that they be
dropped from the course of study While
| certain results were asked for by both.
4 the way to secure them, except by the
present plan. was not definitely pointed
| 1t is true that the sentiment against a
| further. expansion of high school studies
was quite pronounced but no one yentured
4 to recommend that the present arrange
ment be abridged.
| The teachers saw some relief in de-
/ creasing the number of pupils to the
| teacher and in providing better school
| room facilities and equipment support
4 Ing this view by the argument that the
subjects now required are of a nature
| and number that absolutely require in
| cannot be entirely satisfactory until there
are fewer pupils to the teacher. Against
/ this view. however, It is proper to sug-
| geSt that the education of the masses
| must, call for, mass Instruction. and
| that the theory of individual instruction,
| carried successfully to its logical conclu-
/ sion, would necessarily destroy the pub
4 lie system; for there is a lint. all must
4 concede, beyond which public taxation
| cannot go. Whether st. Paul is near that
/ limit, 1T Is neither the purpose nor the de-
1 sire of this Committee to express an opin-
i Ion. but it is. question of great i'm
portance. If, yielding to the demand for
| individual instruction" the appropriation
| for school maintenance Shall continue to
grow annually, the Board might be COM
| PEELED to drop those Subjects requiring
| individual instruction" from the course,
| or to reduce the salaries of the teachers,
4 in order to maintain the system as it is.
| All good citizens unite in the desire for
highest efficiency in our school work, but
! the plain business proposition-to what
! extent can the expenditure of public mon
| ey go-should be definitely determined.
| Until that fact is established, the intro
duction of new subjects the employment
I of new teachers. the, Increase of equip
ment and the building of expensive school
! houses Will be perSiSteHtly demanded.
/ The present plan of fixing the expenditure
year by year IS unfortunate. Experience
shows quite forcibly that it is very easy
/ to increase the appropriation nut most
| difficult to decrease it. 1t may be i'm
| possible to fix definitelythe sum of money
to be expended for a gwen number Of
priation shall be applied and the extent
| to which instructions shall go can be de-
| termined upon and adhered to until
| This Committee is hot at present pre-
| pared to recommend that any subject now
| required of grade school pupils be dropped,
nor that the manner Of promotions from
| grade to grade. nor from the grade
| schools to the high schools be materially
changed. 1t is generally conceded by ed
| ucators everywhere that eight years are
| enough to enable the normal child to
complete the work of the graded schools,
| and If he IS then found unprepared for
| overlooked or neglected. 1t is generally
/ agreed that at fourteen the normal child
| is ready to enter upon the high school
| course, and that neither thor0aghneSS nor
/ accuracy would be secured by holding
4 him back. assuming that he has made
suitable use of his opportunity. The uni
| VerSal sentiment among. those who fa-
| vored the Committee with their views.
| was that four years. high school
course. is. for the present at least, most
| This Committee is unable to offer any
| plan by which the study of a foreign Ian
1 guage could be introduced into the grad
| ed schools although it comedies the. edu-
| cational value of such study The MEM
| bers of the Committee feel that the course
! as it now stands is right. and that it is
| approved by the public and by educators.
| generally, but they are unwilling to go
| farther, at the present time. The fol-
| lowing suggestions are offered for the
| consideration and approval of the Board:
I. That it be ordered that change in
| the programme of exercises in each room
be made. so that weekly rather than
| a daily unit shall control in the assign
| ment of subjects and lessons. ....aSS -
| 2. The establishment of individual
schools, in the large buildings. foE the
| purpose of caring for those who. for some
| reason, are out Of place in the regular
| room, under the general arrangement
/ 3. Departmental work in such buildings
as offer suitable facilities fGT it, in grades
| six to eight, inclusive.
4. That a certain classification of al
| lied studies, under some arrangement of
1 alternating recitatiCnS, whereby the work
/ would be properly unified and render
ed more ineligible and practical, be au-
| thoriZed.
S. That industrial training be extend
| ed gradually to all of the schools of the
! city.
| All of the above suggestions to be at
| tempted only in those schools where, in
| the judgment of the Superintendent and
| Of the Principal, they can be made effec-
| tive, without further additional expense.
I This Committee is, also. of the opinion
! that it is most desirable to change teach
| ers occasionally from grade to grade, III
| order that the deadenfng effects of rou-
| tine and repetition may be greatly Teduc-
| ed. All grades should be treated as of
| equal rank and Importance, and a trans
| fer from a lower to a higher should not
| be regarded as promotion nor from a
| higher to a lower, as a demotiOn.
| Pupils having been admitted to the
| high school regularly, who fail during the
| first year to carry the work successfully
| should be returned to the eighth grade
| for further preparation at any time when
| the deficiency is clearly shown.
| Much attention has been given by this
/ Committee to the subject of co-education,
| and Notwithstanding the fact that the
great majority of the writers who sub
l mitted their views upon the subject favor
| the education of boys and girls in the
/ same classes and under the same course
| of instruction, it was noticeable that the
| arguments faVOr1ng co-education were
| based upon facts and theories that are
| by no means conclusive. The real ground
/ of objection is not that girls cannot do
| the prescribed work. or that there is dan
/ ger from indiscTiminate association or
| that 1t tends to make boys less manly
/ and girls less womanly, but rather that
| it is most unwise to prescribe identical
work for boys and girls, as if they were
| mentally endowed alike and would be
| called upon to perform the same life
work. They may be educated under the
same roof assemble in the same halls go
! to and from school together. and yet
| more safely and wisely than at present
! recite in separate classes. having differ
| ent courses of study and different teach
| ers. Without oaering an argument in
/ favor of this view the members of the
/ Committee hope that in'-the construction
| of new high schools the possibilities of
| this arrangement will be considered and
/ provided for
| Concerning high school facilities. the
| Committee has found this to be the con-
| ditfon at present.
The Cleveland and Humboldt High
! Schools are occupying rooms originally
| designed for grade school pupils. They
| are not suitable for high school purposes.
! In each ward the children of the primary
/ grades are not properly cared for The
/ enrolment in the Mechanic Arts High
| School and the Central High School is
1 much too large TO enable teachers to do
| their best work and the class rooms are
| uncomfortably crowded.
From all the information received by the
I