Norwich bulletin., 1911-05-06
EASTERN CONNECTICUT TEACHERS
Thirty Fifth Annual Convention Held at Methodist
Church-Larae Number in Attendance From all
Sections-F. J. Working Made President-Fine Ad-
dresses
Pupils Reading Circle.


At the request of c. H. Hobson there
was brief report from W. G. Tarbox
on the success of the pupils reading
circle in Norwich. who advised that
more principals ought to learn of the
plan of work. Mr.. Hobson also en-
directive influence upon the pupils
reading. and Mr.. Working referred to
it as a workable scheme that was well
worth while.
Officers Elected.
The list of officers presented through
Mr.. Hobson was elected as follows, the
secretary casting one ballot for the
ticket:
President, F. J. Working, Taftville;
vice president, G. w. Hathaway, North
Grosvenordale; secretary and treasGr-
err c. E. Wheeler, New London; ex-
ecutive committee, w. H. Perry, Ston-
linton, chairman. Miss Frances G.
Cow1es, Willimantic; Miss Sarah T.
Palmer, Colchester.
Vocational Training.
The address of the afternoon was
by Charles Fl. Prcsser of Boston, dep
uty commissioner of the Massachu-
sets state board of education, and
concluded the convention. Mr. Pros
ser spoke for more than an hour and
covered his subject in a comprehensive
manner, speaking upon Standards and
l.
The home. he said, was the original
vocational trainer, then the factory
took over portion of this work, and
now we have come to schools to give
the boy or girl knowledge of the things
they need to know for the pursuit of
some definite line of employment. We
began on our vocational training from:
the top downward, which was the
wrong way around. Industries today
cannot train the boy for the pursuit
of those industries and we must come
to properly conducted schools under
public direction to give a voca tional in
dustrial training. There should be vo-
vocational schools at the close of the
lege course, but there should also be
vocational schools at the close of the
high schol years for the purpose of
giving the children who may end school
there an equal chance in the battle of
life with the children of the more for
tunate. This will be hearkening to the
call OF those whose interest has hith-
erto been neglected
The problem Of the vocational school
is the tying together of two elements,
the practice and the thinking about
1t, the how and the why. This must
be accomplished from the very begin
ming and all the way through just as
the medical schools have found that
their clinics must begin with the first
day, the law schools and normal
schools have found that actual prac-
tice must he given from the start in
the things in which their pupils are to
make their life work. The student in
vocational industrial training must ac-
tually do the thing itself.
Real and Productive.
Vocational training must also be real
and will have to be productive. You
can't keep the pcpifs interest if you
smash up on the ash heap or the wood
pile the thing that he has put his time
into making. In the all-day industrial
school this is the big problem and
means that the boy must work more
hours and conduct himself as an ac-
tual workman. The thing he makes
must measure up to commercial re-
auirements and be able to sell in the
open markets if required. He must
make something real, tangible and use
full from the first day he is in school.
He said that the boy who comes to
the industrial school can only be reach
ed on the apperceptive basis, leading
him from the known to the unknown.
They have gone down in school be-
cause they could not be reached on the
abstract side on which the book ap-
preached them and we are to build
UP courses in science, arithmetic, draw
ing and other subjects on the things
the fellow needs to know in the shop.
To accomplish this he advocated the
project method which he explained
was the doing of something in the do
ing of (which q definite educational
training was achieved, such as design
ing, drawing the plans and specif1ca-
tions, figuring the cost of labor and
stock for making a table and then
when completed comparing the actual
figures with the estimates. All this in
volyed trai1ins in English, arithmetic,
and drawing. and was thoroughly ed
ucative.
Vocational schools should be finishing
schools and not preparatory schools, or
they would miss their purpose. The
time they have in the boys life is pre-
cious and the school is to be measured
by the effectiveness with which it turns
the boy out fitted to push him for
ward in life. He referred to the prob
lem in Massachusetts and in New Eng
land generally Of the unskilled work
err. particularly the girl in factories,
who might spend about six years in
an unskiHed occupation. then to marry
at about the age of 20 and be for bout
forty years the home maker. He sug-
gested that there might be some way
devised to give these girls at about the
age of II in school some practical in
structions in the household arts, in
volving zeal cooking, sanitary house
keeping, needlework, elementary nurs-
ing, and first aid to the injured, things
which would not only mean most for
the girls life but for the improve
ment of society as well, and for this
the project method was adapted.