The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-09-22
LOCKSTEP BROKEN
IN CITY SCHOOLS
Pupils Promoted at Any
Season of the Year
MODERN PEDAGOGICAL METH
DDS APPLIED IN THE HOMES
DALE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.


=" What are you doing to break the
school house lock step '?' Such
was the question a Citizen man ask
ed Supervising Principal Harry A.
Oday, Tuesday afternoon. And this
is the way he answered it:
We promote wherever pupil is
ready to go on. We watch our pu-
pills very closely, and whenever we
ind that one can skip a class we
let him, her or them go on. We
need pronoun there don't we?"
The reporter agreed that he did
That's just what a boy came in
to see me about minute ago. He
is going to skip one class.
" Then our grades are divided in
to classes, so that there is but a
half years difference in our work.
In many schools their work is divid-
ed into eight steps. Ours is sixteen"
A timid feminine rap on the Of
flee door interrupted the flow of the
conversation.
" Are you very busy? Can | see
you for minute?" the caller sweetly
! asked.
" Why, l guess you can" answer
! ed the polite professor.
! | come on very unpleasant er-
rand" she continued, and, thereup-
on, she went on to relate the sad
details of Tommy Jones' mishaps
and peccadiloes in acquiring a COM
mon school education, of the assaults
made on the dear, good little boy by
the bold, bad, bigger boys.
The reporter caught himself
humming Amt shame, a measly
shame" and pinched himself Just in
time.
The caller, properly Modified by
the diplomatic professor, departed
and the interview proceeded.
There are few pupils,' remark
ed Mr.. Oday, who have been work.
ing and have labor certificates and
are not working now. They arc un-
der sixteen years. The mere fact
that they have a labor certificate
isn't an excuse for staying out. I've
got to- look them up"
The professor showed the reporter
splendid specimen of flying squir-
rel that boy named Kenneth Bry-
ant had brought him. Flying squir-
rels are not very common in Wayne
county and Mr.. Oday intends to have
the animal stuffed
6 When is the library open?" was
asked.
''All the time" he answered, "that
the school is open. It's for the pub
lie too. We would be glad to open
it nights if we could get any one to
come.
" hardly think I shall have a
lecture course. The town doesn't
seem to be quite interested enough.
| shall run few separate lectures
we are planning to have a picture
exhibition soon. | am thinking of
having Prof. Ronald P. Gleason,
principal of the Technical High
school, Scranton, to deliver an illus
trated lecture on the Philippines
He was teacher five years in the
Philippines.
Some of our last years gradu-
ates are coming back to school, and
taking postgraduate work. One who
graduates from this school doesn't
take one-half of the studies in the
school. If one would take everything
we teach in the school, it would take
eight years to graduate
The reporter wanted to know
what was being done along the gen.
eral lines of medical inspection of
the children.
There is," replied Mr.. Oday, "a
general inspection of the eyes by
the teachers. We have the regular
eye chart to test their eyes. We test
their hearing by means of a watch.
teacher with pupil day by day
knows of any difficulty.
The new School Code makes the
borough line the same as the school
district line. A lot of people in the
borough for years for school pur-
poses are now thrown out of the bor-
ough, and some are very much pro-
voked by it,"
The reporter, as he left the profess
sor's sanctum, saw one of the teach
ers at work in the book hospital, re-
pairing volumes that were too much
worn to be given out. She was fix
ing them up to the queens taste,
too, and with an eXpertness that
many professional bookbinder
might well envy
Also he saw sad-faced Johnny
Jones, awaiting a reprimand or may
be something worsel The reporter
was sympathetic, What's the mat
ter?' he asked. Did you get in
wrong?"
81 just showed some papers out
from under my desk" boohooed
Johnny, and he sent me down"
That's what they all say! Did
you ever see a boy that couldn't
frame up good excuse when caught
in the act?
NeVerll