Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-12-23

even knew ngureS. picture DOCKS Win
animals, flowers, letters, and so on are
scattered about the table and the chill
dren take them up and ask questions
about they just as they please.
One day when a visitor called to
see the school at work he was told
the children were playing. In any
other school it would have been les
son hours. In this school lesson hours
are those in which the children want
lessons, play hours are those in which
the children want to play. 1t being i'm
possible to have any unanimity, some
of the children play while others have
lessons, and vice versa, just as the
children please.
They arrive when they like and go
home when they like. But the teach
ers try to make the school SO attrac-
tive place that the pupils will come
early and stay late.
Defense of the Project.
Radical?' said Mr.. Coryen, when
asked if this was not radical depart
ure from the ordinary school Yes,
radical in the method of teaching, but
not radical in the things taught. For
We teach the same things that are
taught in other schools We go upon
bert Spencer and by Froebel, which
amount to this, that it is useless to try
to teach children about matters in
which they have no interest
I'VE believe that every child inner
its certain abilities and tastes from its
parents, and that it is our duty as
teachers to supply such environment
as will best aid the child to develop
fn xyhi oh ic
best suited. We never teach doctrines
or opinions. We teach facts and their
meanings. We try to show the child
how to think for itself and to form it's
own opinions
'This can only be done in very small
classes. for the work involves careful
personal study of each individual
child. The large classes of the public
schools make it necessary to system
atize everything and to teach children
certain prescribed subjects, whether
these be useful or beneficial to them
or not.
| I'VE agree with DR. Saleeby of Eng
land that modern educational methods
are like examining a child's stomach
| full of a variety of indigestible foods
! and then giving him an emetic to find
out what he has retained-the emetic
OF course, being the school examina-
| ton We give the child only that
| which his appetite Graves. then we
need no examination emetic to find
out what he has retained.
| From Ounces to Great Thinkers.
THE fact of a boy doing well or Ill
at the ordinary school or college has
no bearing on his future success
| Of ha he
world has even seen were counted
merely because the teachers were try
ing to make them learn things fol-
which they had no taste
Il told one of my old professors al
| Harvard recently that the university
men who had made great successes IL
life had done 1t in spite of. and not be
cause of what they learned at the uni
versity.
When I sent my three sons to Har
ward I told them to disregard mark,
and to study what they liked best
One of them went through with hon
ors. the other two were. from the col
lege standpoint, failures. but this doe.
not mean that they may not achiev,
as great success in life as their broth
err
1T is Just this principle that we ar.
applying here 1t is an experiment
In education 1t may fail for lack O
support. but I do not think 1t will. TIL,
school has been open only ten DAYS
4 hut we have 5 pupils. few. of whom
have not yet come -b1t are expected
in day or two They pay nothing fol
tuition. Their parents Subscribe o.
not. as they ike. to the support of ths
school AS a matter of fact. they al