Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1911-03-23
THE CONTENT AND MOTIVE
OF THE ELEMENTARY
CURRICULUM.
By l.. ID. STONE. Daviess Co

/ There has been a spirit of unrest
III regard to matters OF education
from the very beginning OF our pub
lie school system. This spirit OF un-
rest has been the result of our in
adequate educational system, in
asmuch as it does not furnish such
mental development as can be prdc~
ticed i'll rural life. This spirit OF I'M
rest is still i'll operation. trying to
develop the schools into institutions
that will more FULLY meet the needs
Of the mass. For long time it was
the secondary schools that received
attention OF the educators. but now
attention has shifted To the element
airy schools as well This spiri; Of
unrest spread from Germany To Eng-
Land. and thence 10 America. where
such men as DR.. G.. Stanley Hall,
DR.. VIM. +. Harris, Col Francis w
Parker. Pres. Chas. w. Elliot and
number, oi other, were eager to
grasp the new learning" as IT were
and demand something in our school,
that shall be real and vital. rather
than Artificial or Indifferent.
i'FIC - 81 StICIdl agreement ~ ~
the most important fundamental pri H-
ciples underlying our educational
structure. 1t is only when we a in
dividuals put the principles into Drac-
tice. that serious. inadequacy !, dis
covered. The purpose of the school
has been clearly stated and almost
universally accepted. In actual prac-
tice the work has not competed with
the stated purpose of the school. It,,
seemingly. has not recognized the
fact that its present stated develop
nent does not meet the requirements
il future citizenship.
As our schools do not meet the
demand, OF the mass for rural citi-
zenship, they find instead, work bet
ter suited, and practically fail to en-
ter higher mental development in
| the secondary schools With the
proper adjustment OF elementary
courses. great mass of the boys and
girls. who leave before high school
age. would enter high school and
! be much better prepared to meet the
strenuous problems with which they
are sure to come in contact. To
reach the great mass OF pupils. or
rather to keep them i'll school. is the
problem that we are now facing. To
solve this problem, consists i'll the
placing OF such subjects in the cur
riculum as will give the pupils such
information as can be put into prac-
tice. BY this. | do not mean to
augment the curriculum, but to elm
mate such that is not practicable and
insert practicable ones.
To continue the nearly same sub
jcct. wish to repeat that it would
be inexpedient to add anything to our
ovcr-full curriculum without some
elimination. Better to relax the i'm
practical part and introduce some
practical subjects. Let's have filter
ing out of some subjects; or portions
al subjects. so that we may teach
! the essentials lar better. Let lis in
troducc agriculture and industrial
arts. etc.
Our schools. for the most part,
have been inadequate, from the fact
that the minor schools have been de
pending or arranging their course OF
study to suit or meet the needs OF
the larger schools. rather than for
the good of their own environment
They. perhaps. have been dominated
by their obligations to the larger
ones, inasmuch as the students could
not enter the secondary schools I'M
less they had done a certain kind and
prescribed course OF study. BY these
means the development OF the small
cr schools was prevented.
\ great part of the arithmetic that
is now taught i'll the school would
naturally come to the student with
out the aid OF teacher or school il
we would only be patient. As d
rule too many things are taught to
the boy while in school that will never
be oi use to him elsewhere. II has
also been suggested that adjustment
is needed in language as well as
arithmetic One OF the chief func-
tons OF the elementary school is to
give the child desire for reading,
and an appreciation of good litera-
turc. To train in the use of simple
and correct language is indeed ne
cessity. But above all else the boy
or man who is not a lover of good
books, who does not put himself in
! touch with the best literature and
who does not draw inspiration, en-
thusiasm and power, has been robbed
OF the best that the school can give.
That these may be wrought out to
fulfill the law OF individual activity,
and to have their effect in making or
marring human happiness. there
must be expression. We cannot know
what mans thoughts are, or his
ideals or his character, except as
these are made known to US through
his words and acts. His true thoughts,
his real character, may not be en-
pressed always, but something that
has been thought and felt in him
shows forth in expression.
DR.. Dewey said, that the curricu-
lum should be so selected and or
ganized as to provide the material
for affording the child conscious