Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-01
BIG SCHOOL CIRCLE
District Officials Invited to Join
National Movement.
FOR EXCHANGE OF IDEAS
Pupils Also Asked to Participate by
Writing Letters to
Other Cities.

Officials of tho District public school
system today received letters from Viii
liam II. Lucas. assistant superintendent
= Of schools of LouiSille. Ky, asking them
to join "circleS" for the discussion by
!. letter of topics of Importance and inter-
terest to those engaged in educating the
young. Among the subjects which are to
be taken up by the circles are the follow
ing: Visual instructions, employment of
specific PURPOSES in class study. obtain
ing educational results by means of eX-
hibits of pupils work, conduct OF eXcur-
sion lessons. school festivals. continuous
guidance of individual reading. recon-
struction of courses of study through
committees including teachers. teachers
weekly schedules or daily programs, les
son plans after-training of teachers and
criteria applied in the rating efficiency OF
teachers.
BY this correspondence. it is pointed
out. educators of this city may pront
by the experience of educators of other
cities. even educators in other cities
may in turn profit by the experiences of
the schools of Washington. 1t is not
known at present whether any OF the
members of the school system here in
tend to avail themselves OF this GORE
spondence system" or not.
Tup1lS luV1CeO. LOO.
Not only is the interchange of ideas not
to be limited to the school heads and
teachers, but the scholars as we'll are to
participate in a similar system, by which
they will learn from the children of other
cities what these other cities are like.
A. r. Stuart, superintendent of public
schools, said today he is constantly re-
ceiving letters from children in various
hot
sives be given to some fourth or SlXth
grade pupils so the children. living miles
apart, may correspond. Il always see
that one of the local children get let-
ter" said Mr.. Stuart.
According to Mr.. stuart. the exchange
of letters between the children of this
city and some distant one Is productive
of good results, inasmuch as the chlldren
are broadened by the experience. In All
cases, he said. the letters were written
in the schoolrOom and read py the 'each-
ers before being sent
BY means of these letters, it Is clalheo'
the children, being able TO see now an
other city appears from the viewpoint OF
a child. are more interested In IL than III
the mere reading of geography
Broadens Their Views.
Not only from the geographical stand
point are these letters playing part IN
modern education, say local school OFF,
Gals. but they are also important be-
cause they make child take more in
terest in letter writing. 1t stands to
reason. they say, that the pupil will do
his best to make these letters entertain
ing. to write them we'll and to see that
every word is correctly spelled and the
proper punctuation is given.
Picture post cards and photographs are
exchanged also. BY means OF these the
children have numerous views or the
cities, while the average geography sell
dom contains more than one or two OF
even the most important cities, The To-
cal schools it is said. are not benefited
as much as is possible by these views,
as they are not provided with 'refiecto-
scopes" as the schools of many other
places are 1t is hoped by those inter-
ested i'm local educational work, however.
that the day is not far distant when
these machines will be installed in the
various school buildings.