East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-03-23

from such material?
Our school curriculum is not sat
isfactory. The studies in the 7th and
Sth grades are but repetition. a
plowing an inch deeper, as 1t were,
of the studies of the preceding grades
Yet this is at the age when students,
repeating the history of the race, are
inclined to leave school and go out
into the world for themselves. In
these grades we need such subjects as
English history, modern languages,
English classics, sewing, cooking,
wood and lathe work freehand and
mechanical drawing--in short, new
subjects to provoke the students in
terest and hold him, and subjects that
appeal to his practical and utilitarian
mind.
Practical Studies Needed.
The break between the high school
and the grades is too abrupt and many
boys and girls therefore fail to cross
it. The high school curriculum has
not enough practical subjects in it.
Are we not teaching too much Latin
and similar subjects to the exclusion
or the practical, the industrial, the
hygiene. the sanitary, the civic, when
as matter of fact the majority of
| the students are, or of necessity must
belong to the work-a-day people?
! Our high school circulum is still too
much determined by the higher insti-
| tutions-by the normal school and
college professor who sees every high
school student as an embryo fresh
man in a higher institution. Our
school system needs to adapt itself
more and more to the needs of our
pupils. We need more and better
medical, dental, eye and physical in
| spection. Japan. yesterday a Pagan
nation, has for fifteen years made
compulsory the medical inspection of
all school children and all school
! teachers. The United States Is far
behind all other civilized countries in
the matter of medical, dental and
physical inspection. All teachers, too,
shoul be required to pass rigid ex-
animation in school sanitation, NY
giene and kindred subjects.
Our athletic activities today are not
the best We are over-emphasizing
the spectacular and advertising phas-
es, which must be practiced for un-
der the direction of a highly paid
coach, whose efforts are confined tc
very small percentage of our students
We. therefore, are neglecting entire
ly the great body of our students. We
need inter-institutionaI athletics. sucl
as tennis rowing, bobsleighing, folk
dances, etc, in which all the students
and the weak more particularly thai
the strong may take part and thereb!
get great value. In short. our who'll
system of athletics and play shoul
be for two purposes-corrective an
recreative. Therefore, We need spe
cial teachers for, and a well-worke
out curriculum in play. We need t
recognize the Necessity of this care
fully differentiated curriculum i
play, which is as important as tn
curriculum in mathematics, science o
l the languages with an equal educa
tional value.
Some of the Needs.
We need to recognize work, too, a
, a great factor in the education of ou
= children and should cooperate wit
e parents as much as possible, urgin
them to see that the children are civ
, en- the right kind and amount Of Ia
r Dor to suit their ages and develop
q ment, and thus give the childre
themselves that very necessary phas
of education.
We need more education for parent
: hood-particularly education of We
men for parenthood. Eighty per cer
of the girls will become wives, 70 pc
e cent will become mothers. Are W
s properly conserving in the girls of tC
K day the mothers Of the children of t
morrow, unless we educate these gir
e for their life work?
e Our rural schools need bette
: teachers, better school houses, so fs
r as light, heat and ventilation are COZ
cerned. We ned better rural scho
o supervision and longer tenure Of Sc
s vice for the rural teachers and
- stronger cooperation among the pa
- rons of the districts and between pa
rons and teachers.
We need more hygiene in theol
. and in practice in all our school wor
Wisconsin now compels all schoo
to have drinking fountains. 9th
ii states are now moving rapidly alor
sanitation lines.
= To make our school system mo
Is efficient will not be expensive or di
lg ficult. This body today can advan
Or such movement if it will, and if ea'
le one of us present will do his pa
earnestly and courageously, the mort
Dr. west will soon take even higher raj
W than it does today, because of
i'd work in education.
t. The man who chooses the thing {
of which he is not fitted; the man w
fails to make the proper preparatic
:, though he chooses the right occup
80 ton; the man who changes from v
~ cation to vocation; the man who TAX
.o life too seriously or not serious
~ enough: the man who fails to get t
right attitude, or viewpoint, iowa
life; these, all these, fail of the hig
OF est conservation, and fail, too, in t
ne proper direction of their sons a
n daughters.
y ne The Only Remedy.
These, then, are some OF the CO
Oh ditions as I see them, and the rem
n dies lie at our own door yard. Pa
X ents and teachers must sacrifice,
need be, to study and understa
their boys and girls, and to give the
ES a square deal. Teachers must sta
for the STRENGTHENING of the educ