Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1911-12-27

multiplying In their heads before they
even knew figures. Picture books with
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 Inn
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 a place that the pupils will come
early and stay late.
Defense Of the Project.
"Radical?" said Mr.. Coryell, 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
the same principles laid down by Her.
bert Spencer and by Froebel. which
amount to this, that 1t is useless to try
to teach children about matters IN
which they have no interest. (
I'VE believe that every child inher-
parents, and that it is our duty as
teachers to supply such environment
as will best aid the child to develop
itself along the lines to which it is
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 its
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
J atize everything and to teach children
certain prescribed subjects. whetheH
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 child's stomach
full Of variety Of indigestfble 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 emetfc to find
out what he has retained.
From Ounces to Great Thinkers.
THE fact of a boy doing well or i'll
at the ordinary school or college has
no bearing on his future success.
Many Of the greatest thinkers the
world has even seen were counted
ounces by their teachers. That was
merely because the teachers were try
| ing to make them learn things for
which they had no taste.
| II told one Of my old professors at
| Harvard recently that the university
men who had made great successes in
life had done 1t in spite of, and not be-
cause of what they learned at the uni
versity.
when sent my three sons to Har-
ward told them to disregard marks
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 does
not mean that they may not achieve
as great success in life as their broth
er.
1T is just this principle that We are
applying here. 1t is an experiment
in education. 1t may fail for lack OF
support, but do not think 1t will. The
school has been open only ten days,
but we have Is pupils, few of whom
have not yet come, but are expected
in a day or two. They pay nothing for
tuition. Their parents subscribe or
not, as they like, to the support Of the
school. AS matter Of fact. they all
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