Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-22

number of teachers at Mckinley. ana
would teach at least six additional SUD
jects, namely, freehand drawing. matn-
ematics. physics. chemistry. steam engi-
neering and English. Glasses In car
pentry and cooking are recommended 1or
| the jefferson School, the night school
center of the southwest.
Teachers Pay Too Small.
Mr. Murch urged upon DIR. Davidson
| that teachers who give up three nights
| week and do their day school work and
preparation in addition are paid too low
| for their night work. Three hours for
| each session is the average time given at
! night, and this is in addition to prepara-
| ton for the classes. This work, urged
| Mr. Murch. is paid for by the District at
| the rate OF s. night. whereas private
! tutoring is usually paid for at about the
| rate of a dollar an hour
We select the very best teachers FOR
the night work., said Mr.. Murch. The
work is wearing. the responsibility great.
! Only the fitteSt survive. l urge that the
salaries OF the grade teachers be increased
to $3.50 a session. and those of the high
schools to So session"
This recommendation brings the total
estimate of Mr.. Mnrch's needs for next
year. covering the white night schools, to
$1sG0o. DR.. Evans, principal OF Arm
strong Manual Training School, and at
the head of colored night schools, has
asked for $1,000 AS he estimated for
- or 50 nights. his figures would be in
creased should three of his schools be
run 80 nights.
In closing his request for this enlarged
appropriation Mr. Murch sad: Il think
the time is coming when our right
schools will provide voca tional work
along other lines titan those now pursued
at the Mckinley. and that our night
schools as we'll as our day schools will
furnish all the opportunities for advance
mcnt, intellectual and manual, that the
PEOPLE may Justly demand"
Night School Instruction.
Night school instruction assumes that
the lowest average pupil will enter about
the fourth grade. The instruction. there
fore. beginning at the fourth and fifth
grades, starts off with fundamental proc
esses of arithmetic and practical matters
in which the United States currency plays
a star part. The subject of English is
presented by night school teachers in the
iourtn and fiitn grades so that sentences
may be correctly formed. There are no
"frills' on this night school work. His
tory is taught by the pleasant method OF
stories of historical characters Geogra-
ply is taught in the. sixth grade in con-
hectlon with history. The early discov-
cries settlement and colonial period. the
revolution. are exploited by the teachers
so that the night scholar will have a
mental picture of the first years of the
republic The rights and duties of citi-
zens are given careful consideration.
Spelling and penmanship are carefully
taught. Night scholars are very ambi-
tious along these liEes.
In the seventh and eighth grades the
same practical instruction is given
Night scholars in many instances are
successfully following trades by day,
have business acumen and sound COM
mon sense. All they lack is the in
struction which they failed to get when
they had to leave school and 60 to
work They want to be sure they will
make no breaks" in their speech and
letters. They want to be able to read
Well They want to know how to maze
hgureS, and how to manipulate them in
terms of dollars and cents. feet and
inches. so as to couple their schooling
with the affairs OF their working day.
The high schools give technical in
lines. Cooking schools are popular.
steam engineering classes have actual
firemen attending them. Millinery
classes are crowded, as are dressmak-
ing classes. Business classes are al
ways popular.
Growth in Popularity.
The night schools have been in existence
here over a quarter of century. B. w.
nected with them since 1888, when he
was made a teacher in one of them.
The night schools had an enrolment last
year of 4,370. of which 1884 were colored
The year before the enrolment was 4,27I,
of which 1859 were colored. That slow
increase has been noted year by year for
twenty-five years.
The spirit of Washington teachers was
we'll shown in 1910. when teachers of
Mckinley Manual Training School volun-
teare0 their services night teachers
There was no money available and there
was a great demand Tor instruction there
at night. The board of education paid
them nominal salaries to comply with
the law, and the teachers worked about
sixty nights with steady increases in
their classes to show that there is really
a great popular cry for that sort oil
schooling.
Ell. THQRP TO RESIGN.