The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-06-22
FIND CONTINUATION
SCHOOLS GOOD
Give Youthful Workers
A Fair Show
Traditional System SO Modified That
Rows Can See Relation Between
Education and Contents of Pay En-
Yel0pe.

gulf which generally separates Tue
school system from the industrial ana
commercial life of community. Inc
success of the departure has attract
cd the attention of progressive think
ers all over the country, ana encouf-
aged the city fathers to extend the
each year A natural
outcome of this was an invitation for
the Cincinnati superintendent OF
schools to address the Boston con-
yention of the National Society for the
Promotion of Industrial Education. Mr..
Frank b. Dyer, the official above
accepted, and with REFER
ence to the continuation schools I'M
der his direction said:
"The Continuation School for ma
chine apprentices was opened sep
tember |, 1909. 1t runs as weeks
year. eight hours day, four and a
half DAYS week besides two halt
DAYS which are spent by the teachers
in visiting the boys in the shops, see.
ing the conditions under which they
work consulting with the foremen
ahout the needs of the boys, and get
ting ideas and materials for their
guidance in teaching. This is an es-
sential part of their work, Tor thefe
is no handed-down course OF STUDY
as vet. 1t must be worked out as
they go along. ~
The students keep a complete fle
of their work so that the details OF
the course lie behind them instead oil
ahead of them. The course runs
through four years and consists OF
one hour of blue print reading, Tree
hand and mechanical drawing, one
hour of practical mathematics, one
hour of shop science and theory, ana
one hour for reading, English, spell
ing. commercial geography and GIVES;
the last hour takes the form OF stere-
opticon talks. readings from Industrial
history. biography and geography
and discussions of civic and labor
questions. :.
There are about 200 students, dl-
yided into nine groups, according TO
proficiency. They come one-halt DAY,
four hours week, and are paid their
usual wage for attendance by their
emDloyer and are locked for absence.
The immature boys come on Monday,
the most mature on FRIDAY, ana
graded groups between.
The grading of the students must be
somewhat elastic, owing to the diff
Guilty of arranging a program Tor the
individual boy that. will best suit the
of the manufacturer ana
also owing to the great difference IN
the mental attainments of the boys
some having been in high school, and
some not able to repeat the multiple
cation table or spell the names Of the
days of the week This necessitates
having two teachers to a group of 70
to %, one to conduct the general work
and the other to give much individual
instruction.
The entire cost of the school is
about $4,000 per year or about $l5 per
pupil, based on the average number
in attendance.
chers.-Strange as 1t may seem
to you, the chief difficulty encounter
ed in the operation of public schools
for apprentices is not in securing the
interest of employers, the approval OF
labor organizations, the willingness OF
boys to come, or the necessary funds
from the Board of Education; the
chief difficulty is in securing properly
qualified teachers-teachers who will
command the confidence of foremen
and employers by their knowledge of
shop conditions, who will secure the
interest of boys by their enthusiasm
and skill in instruction, and who at
the same time meet the demands of
school authorities as to scholarship
and character. We must steer clear
of the eharlatan on one hand, and on
the other of the school pedant who
has his knowledge in watertight com
partments After corresponding with
technical schools all over the country
and finding no suitable person, | set
tied to study the shop men of our own
city and found a man who had worked
nine years in the shops and had left
to prepare to be teacher. His old
love for the shop came back to him
and he had been for several years
teaching apprentices in the shop. He
had worked over his whole scholastic
outfit in terms of shop practice. He
had studied the machines to see the
problems they presented In mathema-
tics, science and drawing. Elimination
of waste and economy of ouptut was
the guiding principle Of his investi
cation and instruction. He trains his
own teachers and now has three un-
der way who are assisting by night
or day. The school operates at night
for the Improvement of adult machin-
lists. On Friday night the class is
composed of foremen-36 at present
and their discussion illuminate all
phases of shop work.
Method.-The work of the school is
closely applied to the work of the
shop. 1t is designed for the intellec-
tual improvement of the boys, and to
give them intelligent interest in what
they do in the shop, but there
is no machine work In the school, For
suppose the drill press Is
under consideration. They first read
the catalogue description catalogues
are supplied in sets OF rs by the man
The technical names of
parts are noted. Different machines
are compared and their respective
merits examined. The scientific prin-
ciples involved in their operation are
described. This leads naturally to a
study of the blue print. This is fol-
lowed by a mechanical drawing OF
some part of the machine. In the
discussion, the mathematical relations
receive especial consideration. For
instance, the speed Of the spindle as
determined by the relation OF the d.
ameters of the cone pulleys Is a prob
lem In complex fractions and the boys
for the frat time in their lives dis