The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-02-02

ton, on account of the tact thaG there
is large element of personal animus
displayed and because of the many in
accuracies and the assumed signature
does not warrant an answer, except on
two grounds ~ that il is type of
many of the charges that have been
made and second that it is grouped
with the communications on educa.
tional subjects received from Others
over their own signatures.
Graduate Condemns System
The first charge made is that the
teachers in the normal school are or
dered by the principal not to discuss
the methods of the school outside.
This is absolutely false. The term
outlines of the school are printed and
spread broadcast all over the Territory.
The detailed lesson plans are in the
hands of four or five hundred teachers.
The old plan books are loaned to any one
asking to borrow them and are scatter
ed all over the Territory. The methods
of the school are fully detailed in the
various reports of the superintendent OF
public instruction from 1899 to the
present time, in the published an
nouncement of the school, and the daily
press. Teachers come to the school by
direction of the superintendent and
are shown the details of every part OF
the work.
"Not Authority's Methods
The writer of this article claims that
the course of study and methods of
the Normal School are not in accord
with DR.. Brown s views.
In 1897 DIR. Brown came here at the
request of the department of public
instruction to help in the study of con
ditions and to assist in drafting a
course of study and to advise as to the
work of the normal school. AS a result
of the advice and assistance of DR..
Brown, course of study, rich in con-
tent work, was adopted that year. The
present course is an outgrowth of that
one, along the same lines. In 1906 l
consulted with DIR. Brown in Washing
ton and received his hearty approval
of the general scheme of the work in
the normal school.
Quoting again, the writer says, 81
am in position to state emphatically
that these methods as taught on the
mainland are totally unlike the system
as carried out here. -
Dean Russell of Teachers College,
Columbia University, under date of
August 2, 1911, says, "Your plan for
teaching English, which is indicated
briefly in the course of study is sound
in principle and has proved successful
in the foreign districts in our large
cities.
p. p. Claxton, commissioner of edu-
cation, Washington, d. c., August 10,
1911, says: 81 want to say that you
have done well in trying to adapt it
(the course of study to the needs of
the children of the Islands. l want to
commend most heartily your plan of
trying to base the development of Ian
guage on the child IS understanding of
nature and occupations, the language
thus growing out of its own experience.
] wish also to commend your use OF
what YOU call national stories, also re
peated stories and rhymes. | know
nothing quite so good in teaching Ian
guage to small children as such stories
as the old woman and her pig. The
house that Jack built, etc.
DIR. McMurry's series of books on
methods of teaching the various sub
iects in the elementary school was and
is used as the basis of the work in the
normal school, and DR.. McMurry is one
of the leading authorities on methods
for the elementary school.
''The Procedure
The writer says, "the real fault Of
the method pursued here at the normal
school is that under ii education is
impossible Education means to lead
out the mind, that is, to draw out the
thoughts and ideas of the pupil and
to give them direction
The writer is wrong again. The
word educate does not mean to draw
out or unfold the mind, but it does
mean to bring up to nurture, to foster,
to train. The Century Dictionary,
Volume III, under the word educate
saws, "There is no authority for the
common statement that the primary
sense of educate is draw out or unfold
the powers of the mind. The word
education is the Latin word educatioi
anglicized by appending the letter n
This is derived from duco-avi-atum'
are, to bring up, to nurture, to train
and not as stated from educoxi-ctum,
ere, to lead draw, or bring out, how.
ever closely allied the roots of these
verbs may be. This discussion is time
honored and was supposed to have
been settled years ago.
For the last part of the second para