The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-12-05

in the teaching ~force-aIi these have
encouraged superficial experiments.
Y have no generally made for thor
ough scholarship and persistent inves-
LEGATION.
while the difficulties In the way of
some haphazfad trial OF new ideas In
single institutions or localities are al
a minimum In the United States, this
very freedom makes the general intro
Iductfon of any desirable rovcme
in The United States exceptionally DIFF
hcult. General change can be brought
about only by the independent action
OF hundreds OF thousands Of govern
ing bodies, and the failures Of even
2 few weE-considered and local expert
ments, OF which the most erratic often
gain most lnotoriety, tend to make
those governing bodies hesitate to III
thorize any experiments whatever, no
matter how well-considered and prom
Using.
Taken as a whole the country is very
conservative in the matter Of change.
IL may appear to be teeming with x
periments. but n school striving to
pioneer a new and supposedly better
road attracts more attention than a
thousand quietly following the beaten
path. 70 introduce a change generally
throughout the country requires not
anly that the same question he argued
out in q thousand independent forums,
but also that in each the spirit OF con-
servation be overcome.
In the elementary schools expert
ments have been decidedly more nu-
n1erons and more varied than in the
secondary schools. There are obvious
reasons for this The elementary school
takes its pupils without preparation:
the overwhelming majority OF them
receive nc education beyond the ele-
mentary school: n the next follow
ing type of school, the secondary
school, exercises little influence on the
work OF the elementary school. The
secondary school, on the other hand.
rtust receive its pupils at the stage at
which the elementary school turns
out, n the mex following type OF in
stitution. h college, exerts q deter
mining influence on the curriculum and
work of the secondary school. Since
the equipment with which pupils are
received and that which they must
have on leaving are fixed by conditions
practically beyond the control of any
single secondary school, very definite
limits are placed upon the possible
range OF experiments and the character
Of changes.
Further, experiment or change meaus
disturbance, temporarily increased diff
hculty for teachers in their work Of
instruction, perhaps more or less dis
satisfaction with the innovation ON the
part Of the pupils and their parents.
with the attendant possibility of loss
of pupils; and private schools at least,
which technically are the most inde-
pendent of all, would look askance at
q plan involving such q possibility.
Still further, the great majority OF
secondary schools, acting singly, justly
feel that their work Is, primarily,
teaching according to the existing
standards, and not the initiation OF
educational reforms: that their gov
erning bodies and their teaching staff
lack J time and ability, the train
Ing and the breadth OF view, necessary
70 deal adequately with the general
questions involved. Consequently, edu-s
experiments in the secondary
field are by no means as frequent or
as effective as the complete freedom TO
undertake then might lead one to ex-
pect.
Even among the states that have a
strong central administration none has.
as a matter or fact, ventured to put
into force an educational program
varying materially from those current
In It's sister states. So that a country
which In m is SO alert and
progressive, whose men OF business are
constantly replacing the good enough
by The" better" is In educational mat
tiers among the most conservative OF
the worlds leading nations, generally
moving along lines OF least resistance
frequently clinging to the good
enough" because the way to the bet
ter" is not authoritatively pointed out.