The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-10-30
TEACHER DEFENDS
LANGUAGE COURSE
Head of High School De-
partment Takes Issue
With "Pater. -

! MT the language courses In the
/ Washington High Schools combine ac-
| euracy with degree OF speed above
the average, that they furnish the best
preparation for college cO;rses avail
| able, and that they represent the most
modern methods In language instruction,
are the statements made by Prof. Ar
! mold Werner-Spanhoofd, head OF the
modern language department in the
! Washington High Schools iu answer to
critics of his department
/ The particular critic whose charges
| Professor Spanhoofd takes up one by
| one is the writer OF an article appear
! ing in a recent issue Of The Times and
signed "Pater." The writer, who says
/ he was once teacher Of languages in
! q Nodhern school, declares tho system
useJ where he taught was, Ito express
/ Ii mildly, at least fifty years ahead Of
| the work done here IN Washington at
/ the present day"
| After explain lag the courses laid out
/ in thu high schools and their adapta-
oility TO the requirements Of various
/ pupils Che professor explains the rea-
sons for differences n the academic
/ and scientific courrSs.
Different In Courses.
1.-THE difference IN the academic and
/ the scientific courses" he said, lis made
| necessary by the emergency OF age and
previous preparation of the pupils. The
/ academic pupils have been grounded in
/ the rudiments Of grammar by at least
| one year of Latin. while the scientific
pupils take up German in the first year
of their high school course, and they
have mad no foreign language study at
| all
I'm none OF the scientific sections.
/ therefore. can "a certificate for inter
/ mediate German be issued after the
/ third year of study.
/ "As well as can be judged by the
! case mentioned" the professor said.
/ where the boy was refused ADMISSION
4 to Cornell, the boy must have attended
/ either the scientific course at one OF
/ the Academic high schools or at the
l Mckinley Manual Training School, IN
which case he should nave taken the
/ full course of four years to obtain
/ credit for intermediate German, three
years being sufficient for elementary
| German only.
Certificates Given.
students finishing the work Of the
/ two-year academic course are certified
I for elementary German he says.
! Those pursuing the work Of the three
/ year academic course are always credit
/ ed with intermediate German. Students
/ pursuing the scientific course for three
/ years receive credit for elementary Ger
/ man: those who complete the course are
I
| professor declared that no college &C
! cepting certificates has yet refused 10
/ credit a Washington boy or girl duly
| certified to have completed successfully
the work of any of our regu lar German
/ courses. The professor quoted an eX-
/ tract from the article which says: "Ac-
! cOrding to the Cornell catalogue three
/ years Of German is required for the
student to be given credit for major
German, two years credit Tor elemen-
1.-The catalogue Of Cornell University"
| the professor said, FOR the last two
/ college years makes no mention what
/ ever Of the time to be devoted to the
preparation Of elementary and inter-
mediate German. but simply states that
| a total Of 700 pages Of classical and
/ contemporary prose and poetry must be
| satisfactorily covered by the prospective
college student.
Ignorance of Conditions.
1.-THE assertion that students in other
/ cities 90 in three years what we take
four 10 do is based upon ignorance of
the conditions which prevail generally
ia this country More than 80 per cent
I Of all the high schools and academies
offer academic courses only. Washing
ton, 1 am happy TO say, is one Of the
few progressive cities where the study
I OF a modern language may be pursued
for four years without a previous
/ knowledge Of the dead languages. There
. Is evident CONFUSION III the nina OF our
critic regarding the scientific sections
/ of the Washington schools and the
academic sections Of the high schools Of
other cities.
1T is further maintained by the
critic" Prof SpanhOoid continued. that
IN other cities the book employed IN our
! beginners classes IS always covered IN
one year, and besides that reading
book is used. The same is done in all
our academic sections. II a scientific
/ section. however, composed OF younger
/ students. grammatical ideas beyond the
/ comprehension and metal capacity or
the pupils are reserved for the second
! high school year, Being the author of
the book in question, / am IN touch with
those using 1t IN other schools, and and
that the majority OF teachers OF scien-
tific section follow this plan OF gradual
| advancement"
Prof. Spanhoofd puts himself on rec
ord as being opposed TO the study OF
grammar exclusively IN the early stages
of the course. He cites as an example
! Of the evil results OF this plan a class
he attended In another city who could
coniugate verb after verb Elibly, but
had no idea Of the shades Of meaning at
tdChed TO the various lenses, and la
some cases did not know the meaning
of the root verb. He maintained that a
/ knowledge of the meaning of varying
| forms should go hand In hand with the
study Of them.
Reading Matter.
II is maintained BY the critic that
n pupils lose interest In their school
II work" and the reason is given that not
I sufficient reading matter is provided In
the first year ami when introduced in
the second and tHi:d year is too diff
cult.
The question of lost interest is dis
posed OF by figures which show that in
Central High School. out of a total OF
SO students In the second and third
years, 42l elect modern language study,
making II a close second to English,
which is required OF all.
AN academic section reads about $50
pages during the .'COnd year" he said.
"A second year scientific section of aver
age standing not only reads all the
matter IN the 'Lehrbuch' Ohe text
book IN question:. but a book of short
stories short novel. and not iufre-
IQuently q German play"