Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-06-20
TAKING THE SCHOOL
RIGHT TO THE SHOP
Education By Doing Rattle.
Than By Reading Revolu-
tionizes Old System.
BY William ". Aile,, Director, TRAINING
School for Public Service.

BY William n. Allen, Director, Training
School for Public Service.
bringing shops into schools has been
Tried for years. We have had manual
training. kitchens and workshops OF ev-
cry description in our schools. Dean
schneider. OF the College of Engineer
ing. University OF Cincinnati, charac-
terises the half school. half shop meth
"d as taking the school and the uni
versity to the shops"
TO see how this plan worked, 1 went
recently to Cincinnati. The theory OF
sending boys and girls from their class
rooms to work shops where the pass
.ns marx Is 100 per cent and not 81 per
rent had heard frequently described.
! was convinced. The founders aud
hackers OF the training school for pub
nc service like the idea. But to get
'he manufacturers side l went to Gin
eihnat. got 1t. l was surprised and
Siasin In the manufacturers, business
mems and public officials endorsement
OF h half and half plan than in
the convincing statements by Dean
Schneider.
The casual visitor would probably be
disappointed with what he can sos
about the half shop. half classroom
method. The engineers and the high
school boys and girls who are on the
.nalf n half" plan look Just like
Nv e''e'AieeI" anu boys ana girls who
get all their education at school. To
see where their course OF instruction
differs, 1t was necessary to go to q
large number OF shops, with two Of
Dean Schneider's instructors, where
men In each OF the five years of the
man could have told which OF the large
number OF workers in the foundry were
university men. l thought perhaps It
would be safe to assume that thise do
ing the greasiest, dirtiest work would
not be college men, but even here I
was mistaken. They did not even diff.
fer from the non-college men working
side by side with them In the mat
ter OF pay, because they were receiving,
market value for the time spent In tho
shops.
Simple Method.
The method is simple. Young John
Smith and Bill Jones wanting TO be en-
Eineers register in the University OF
It'incinnati. They go there partly be-
cause they believe that this shop work
supplement to school instruction will
earn them better jobs when they leave
school and partly because they will
earn almost enough to pay their way
through college. Positions are found
for them witt a manufacturer. John
Smith works the first week OF Septem-
Der. let US say shoveling sand. Tho
next Monday he goes up to the uni
HVlSilN duu IStenS tO lectures, pre-
pare papers. reads text books as Bill
did the first week. He goes back to
the shop the next week, and 80 on
throughout five years. only that his Job
changes several times during his pc
riod as ne demonstrates his fitness to
q practical foreman.
This work shop supplement- to orli-
nary university training weeds out the
! men who want an education primarily
20 save them from hard work. That
ms combination of work for pay half
| he time with study at the students
expense the other half is attractive to
students is proved by the fact that
Dean Schneider has over 5000 applica-
lions this year for $50 openings in tho
freshman class. The university pro-
lessons informed me that 1t works we'll
from the educational point OF view.
Every time / have old this story to
q business man in Newark or New
York they seem pleased but say, THAT
would never work I'm our city" Wheth-
n Cincinnati manufacturers are
queer In the sense that they will be-
come tremendously enthusiastic over
something that other manufacturers
will refuse to try. seems doubtful.
certainly see no reason why either the
business men or students OF New York.
Jersey City. Detroit. or Ia Francisco
cannot make II success of what has been
successful in Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati manufacturer gives
three reasons for liking this half and
half" or. AS they call it. "co-Operative'
work: %. The "co-operative stu
dents" II they are any good at all,
seem to work harder and give more for
their money h other workers in the
same grade. who are not ambitious to
get ahead: 90. C~incinnati's future
prosperity depends upon her having not
only high grade. but the highest grad.
of skill in her factories: (3). Their pub
lie spirit and enthusiasm have been
appealed to and they believe it Is good
for the boys and good for education as
we'll as good for business.
Start Next June.
A serious beginning of the half and
half or "co-opermtive'' plan will be
made next June by the high schools.
Detailed plans are being worked out
now for the last two years OF pupils
whose course. during their first two
years, has been heading toward this
half school. half field work. Superin-
tendent Dyer assured me that there
were apparently the same opportunities
for high school boys and girls as for
university men in field work. A num-
Der of business men We're convinced
that the plan would work even in many
forms of clerical work in business
houses. They ut least want to see 1t
thoroughly tried out.
The Cincinnati method is bound to
spread. New York's Chamber of Com
MERGE says. I'VE are behind all other
parts of the world in furnishing an Op-
p%ortunity for Il practical commercial
education" Chicago's Commercial club.
like those of Boston. Cleveland and
practical instruction. Similarly, citi-
zens are demanding practical instruc-
ton in public business.