The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-11-09
HAWAU'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Problems Work and Results.
.ATIoNALITY OF PUPILS.
By E. w. Thwing.


NATIONALITY OF PUPILS.
There are one hundred and fifty pub
lie schools in Hawaii, with over 400
children enrolled Twenty Of thes'
schools, with about 5000 children, arr
found in the district of Honolulu alone
About one-third or more. of all these
school children of the Territory, arr
Chinese and japanese. For example
the Kaahumanu School of Honolulu
with over 800 pupils, has nearly 2O(
Chinese children enrolled, and alst
quite large number of japanese. AND
the testimony of the teachers is thai
they are among the best students OF
the school In some Of the smaller
schools, the proportion of children Of
Asiatic origin is much larger. About
one-fourth of the public school chill
dren are Hawaiian, and nearly one
fifth are Portuguese. Korean, Porte
Rican, German, Scandinavian. negro
Spanish and many other nationalities
are also found in the schools. Some
schools have from seventeen to twenty
different nationalities represented, be-
sides many and varied mixtures. No
where in the world can there be found
such a collection of splendid public
schools, with such varied and mixed
lot of school children. Among the
teachers, also, many different nation
alities appear. While the largest num-
Der are American, the Hawaiian, part
Hawaiian and Chinese teachers, as
we'll as others, are doing excellent
work in the classrooms of Hawaii.
AGE OF THE PUPILS.
Besides the problems of the many
nationalities found in the schools an
other one is found in the fact that
so many of the school children of Ha-
wall are just beginning their school
life. The last report of the Superin-
tendent of Public Instruction, Deem
Der, 1906, states that twenty-nine per
cent. of the public school children are
found in the receiving room. More
than half of all the pupils are in
this first room and the first grade. The
Japanese have not been in the islands
SO long as the Chinese, and nearly all
of their children are small children.
Many other, even older, children are
coming to school for the first time this
year, because of the enforcement of
the school law. A very large part of
these children do not speak the Eng
lish language in their homes. and are
for this reason just beginning it's
teacher here much harder than in SIM
liar schools on the mainland.
THE SCHOOL WORK.
Anyone who will visit the schools
of this Territory will see that, in spite
of the difficulties Of many races and
many languages, the public schools
are doing most excellent work, are
the problems, and truly Amer
icanizing the children of Hawaii. AS
has been said, more than half of the
students are in the receiving room and
first grade. What do they learn? First,
they are taught to love their native
land and their country's flag. They
begin their school exercises with the
dag salute. We give our heads and
cur hearts to God and our country.
One language! One country! One
fag!" The instructions to the teach
ars of the receiving room say:
Teach the children TO talk about
what the mother does in the home; as,
he care of the children, the care OF
he house, the cooking of food, the
making of clothes. Teach them to talk
bout what the father does to supp rt
he home, the tools he uses in his
york, etc. Teach them TO talk about
he games played at home. at school,
he things seen on the way to and
rom school, the work in the school
md school yard. National stories
dapted and used as subject matter for
alking, reading and writing, as, The
House that Jack Built, The Little Red
len, etc.
Keep a list of incorrect forms each
hid uses Give short drills each day
II the correct form. Teach Incidental
v such forms as, If you please
Thank YOU May I go?' Excuse me,
tc.
PLANT and observe the taro, the
ice, the bean, the cane, the coffee. |
'oIlect seeds found about the homes |
f the pupils. Study the life history |
f the dog. the cat, the goat, the |
len, the mosquito, the moth, etc.
Attend to matters of personal |
cleanliness; as, care of hands, feet, |
ace. hair, clothes, etc.
Copy sentences selected from the |
'oard. When necessary drill on sin |
lie words, on letters or parts of let |
ers, trace, guide the pupils hand.
illustrate stories. Represent objects
onnected with nature study. Aim to |
evelop the power of observation and