The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1904-01-21
ADVANTAGES OF
THE CENTRAL
HIGH SCHOOL
Proposed Change To City Sys.
tenn Discussed by John
SChmidtman
Our city schools consist of two divi-

ne n1gnScnOOlS.
2. The grades leading up to them.
Both will be affected by the proposed
change to city system and both will be
benefited by it.
1t should be clearly understood from
the start that highschool instruction is
one thing and grade supervision quite
another. The thorough and systematic
instruction of the 1000 grade children of
Manitowoc is of more Importance than
the instruction of its 800 highschool
students. 1t is more desirable for the
community, no less than for the child,
that the latter be firmly grounded in
arithmetic, writing and spelling. than
that it be taught algebra latin and me-
dieval history; for IL child weak in the
fundamental branches will find itself
handicapped in almost any line of work
it may undertake in after life
Not only are the people of Manitowoc
today supporting three highschools al
most completely duplicating each 9th
er's work, but the 2 900 children in the
grades roughly speaking all the chill
d-en in the city between the ages of 5
and II years-are left with only such
supervision us the principals can give
them during the time they can spare
from highschool work.
Enough Grade Children To Warrant
City Superintendent
There are enough grade children in
Manitowoc and enough teachers in
structing them to warrant city super
intendent, devoting his entire time to
this work The efforts of the best high
school faculty in the world may be
largely nullitied by children coming up
to them from the grades unprepared to
take mp Inc hignschoo, work. 1t stands
to reason that under the proposed plan
in vogue in nearly every city of the
state the grades can be watched more
closely, more regularly, and more intel
ligently than they can possibly be now,
and if they are, they mnst newt
ably improve. Any system that gives
them only the divided time of high
school principal, no matter how good
man he may he, must fall short of the
best results obtainahle.
OF Division into
Districts
The present division of the city schools
into four independent districts precudes
the transfer of" children from crowded
to other buildings. A striking
example Of this is the case of the chill
lren living on Columbus street, only u
few blocks from the roomy First ward
school, who are compelled to trndge "a
great distance to the Over-crOwded
Fourth district school, simply because
they are unfortunate enough to live ut
the east end of that district
Neither the courses of,study nor the
text books are uniform throughout the
'our districts and child moving from
)ne part Of the city to another finds it.
'elf ''misfit' in the new ward, part of |
is work possibly heing in one room and
)art in another AS ManitOwoc more
md more becomes II factory town, this |
Element in its population will increase,
md the need of II system permitting the !
eady transfer of II child from one
chool to any. other without Interrupt
ion of studies will he more and more
leenly felt
ParOChiaf School Graduates
The same difficulty is encountered by
,raduates of parochial schools desiring
o complete their education in the pub
ic schools. The parochial schools are
'owerless to remedy the difficulty, for,
hould they pattern their course after
ny one Of the four districts, they will
Ne out of harmony with the remaining
hree. Our parochial schools are anx-
ous to work in harmony with the pub
lc schools and ~ soon ~ the district sys-
EN- is adopted and n uniform course of
tudy established, they will quickly
nrrelate the rs to il. The city will then
ave system uniform throughout and
child may be transferred from one
ublic ward school to another, or toa
arochal school by the mere transfer of
record card, snch M has been devised
y Prof. Keller.
The Proposed System
Under the system proposed there will
'e but one principal and one city super
ntendent The former will have
harge Of the highschool and the latter
# the six ward schools, In each of the
after the teacher Of the highest grade,
he eighth will h, held responsible for
GENERAL good order in the building,