Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-09

a graded school In other cases the
causes were less apparent, requiring pa
tient investigation Visits to the chill
dren's homes showed that heredity and
teachers efforts.
These children were at school but a few
hours each day. During the other hours
they were. to a large degree, allowed to
follow their inclinations, which were sell
dom in q desirable direction. Obviously
children backward because OF physical de-
fects should not be kept with those whose
delinQuencies brought thin frequently
before the Juvenile Court.
To teach the children satisfactorily
with these conditions the board appointed,
on the recommendation OF the super1n-
tendent. two supervisors, one from the
white and one from the colored graded
schools, to take special charge of this
work.
Experience soon showed them that, to
obtain the best results. the distinctly
atypical children must be in building
unattached to a regular school At pres
ent normal children do not quite under
stand that boy who shutters or girl
who squints is not responsible for the
action, and they are prone to worry the
atypical children, who are often extreme
ly sensitive. They saw. too, that these
because. seldom having similar defects.
there would be as many classes in a
group as there were children. Teachers
specially trained to teach in these schools
were also seen to be a necessity.
The mind Of the child struggling for
expression can concentrate attention only
when 1t directs the body. The child who
cannot fix his attention upon the reader
or learn to spell from the book can fire.
quently be taught upon the typewriter
Equally true is it that number work"
can be more practically taught with
weaving or basketry than by the usual
numerical instruction: To accomplish
these ends rooms must be specially fitted
up with all necessary equipment for mo-
tor training. The eye, ear, foot and hand
of each child must be trained through
carpentry. basket weaving, chair seat
ing, cooking. sewing and other useful
arts.
The plan of keeping atypical children
in the public school system was so new
that there were no teachers trained for
the work. This difficulty was unfore-
seen. and the moro the experienced teach
ers were sought the more hopeless did
the effort seem. Finally the supervisors
began the training of the teachers with
such assistance as they were able to OBJ
tain from specialists.
AL pOluI mo ueoU was IelL OF a
psychological clinic. where each child,
on entrance to these schools. could be
examined. With the knowledge Of a
child's capabilities and limitations thus
furnished her the teacher would waste
no time in futile experiments She could
then keep record Of each child's prog
ress. his aptitudes. preferences, attitude
toward teacher and fellow-students, and
all marked peculiarities. At regular in
tervals the child could be re-examined
and the teacher receive fresh instruc-
lions. No such clinic existed at that
time. SO regrets were idle
The directors of the work were further
hampered by the fact that the appropria-
ton for the increase in attendance, under
the compulsory education law "a sum of
$4,000, did not allow for the special
equipment and appliances required. Real
izing the importance of the work. they
bent their energies toward having the ap-
preparation made available. Only those
familiar with congressional proceedings
can appreciate what it meant to attempt