The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-10-23

one child in the allotted time would
make old Socrates catch his breath.
In the first case it would seem that
the course given was measured by
the physical endurance of the teach
ers-ten teachers pitted against ten
sets of children. In the second case
the physical endurance of the teach
ers was no limit-four teachers pit
ted against ten sets of children.
I am far from advocating only tbs
three RS in the common schools, but
our schools are undertaking too much
in the quantity of work and the kind
of work. School work must be cir
cumscribed by time, space, and the
ability Of the pupil. Take the 9Th
grade course already mentioned. OF
the eleven texts prescribed, nine are
10 be pursued at the same time. 1t
Is no figure Of speech to say that
if child's time, is the dividend Of
long division, the quotient, or re
suit, must be small. For instance.
in the first two years of child's
school life the schools very properly
/, devote much time and energy to oral
reading. But by the time he reaches
the fifth grade, so many things are
crowded upon him that he does but
little orala reading while under in
structionAa few minutes each day,
perhaps. Hence when he reaches
the high school his oral reading is
scarcely ineligible, and he is often
unable to get through from the print
ed page. Indeed, many college
student and not a few teachers In
our common schools can not read
as they should read on entering the
high school.
These crowded courses of study
have another fatal weakness. In the
same school and in the same classes
is wide range of ability, taste, and
opportunity, among the pupils. The
bright and precocious mind. the slug
gish but retentive mind, and the dull
mind are found side by side The
pupil of robust body and vigorous
health. the one Of feeble body and
delicate health, and the one with
ample time for every task and the
one with scant time for any task.
all go to the same school. The un-
pardonable sin of the schools is t.,
bunch them together, give them the
same work, and require all. to meas
ure up to common standard. Goi
made them in different molds, and
it is useless for the schools to try
to ignore the differences. 1t is un-
natural and it is wrong. To march
abreast twenty-five children in one
grade up to given dead-line IS
neither possible nor desirable. ClE'
dren with diverse abilities. tastes
and opportunities should not be re.
quired to progress with even ster
through such diverse subjects as
mathematics. language. history. and
drawing. II a boy can do the lam
guage work Of the 9Th grade. but
is prepared for only the 4th in math-
ematics, put him just where he is
fitted to so. "Oh, he would not
fit into my program" says some
one. Then make the program fit the
boy. The possibility of doing this
is one of the great advantages that
the small country school has over
the closely graded school.
There is another thing which needs
to be dinned into the ears Of oprica
both teachers and patrons-that
1t is folly for a school with nine
grades and two teachers to under
take to do what a school with nine
grades and six teachers accomplishea
The two-teacher school may. be the
better school within its limitations,
but it must keep within these limi-
tations. a one-horse farmer who
would claim to be able to grow as
many crops and as large GRIPS as
four-horse farmer would grow, would
be laughed at. Little David could
not fight in big Sauls heavy and
cumbersome armor. but with sling
and a pebble he did effective work.
WILLIAM II. HAND.
University of South Carolina.