Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1912-11-22
SUPERINTENDENT TURNER
REPLIES TO MIR. NEWELL.

Sucn CRITICISM De gwen dlleI uuS
examination and not in ignorance OF
the real conditions as existing, and
! (2) that with the criticism there be
some suggestions as to how We may
secure betterment. Otherwise such
criticism will be harmful to the
schools in thus attempting to tear
down and not to up-build. Our
schools are not perfect in organiza-
tion and methods, and there is room
for much improvement, and much
/ improvement is made from year to
year. Our schools are progressing
and in right lines, and such pro-
gress must be a matter of growth.
| Ii took the civil engineers, the
brightest and most acute intellects
of our country, just seyenty-fye
years to learn the simple fact that in
laying the two strands of rails of a
railroad track, the rails of the sep
arate strands should not end on the
same cross-tie. Seyenty-fve years
for the railroad engineers TO learn
just this simple fact Then let us
not despair as to the progress of our
school. Rather than an unlind and
tearing-down criticism from the
press and others, there should be a
oneness of purpose to help and to
further the great work undertaken
by our public institutions.
In replying to the statements
and questions raised by Mi Newell
/ regarding the. efficiency of our
schools, in your issue of the 14th
inst. l desire to show that his asser-
tions are based on misintormation,
or lack of information. TO do this
let us, in a specific way, compare
these assertions with conditions as
found in our own schools here in
Grants Pass.
Mr.. Newell says, Our high
schools have only one end in view,
that is to prepare the student for
college" There We're sixty-one stu
dents in the so-,alled Freshmen
class entering orr high scnooi N
September. Each pupil is required
to take four subjects, five or more
may be taken if the pupil can do sat
lsfactory work i'm that number Of
/ classes. English the one study
! i'm which spelling. and the use of
good English is taught. is required"
|of every pupil. There is mo get
ting away" from the English; and as
we'll sewing is required of all the
girls, and manual training of all the
| bows unless they desire to substitute
| the Latin, with view to college en-
( trance. All other subjects are cleo
tive. 1t is the exception rather than
1.-THE rule that the parent shows SUI
/ fcient interest in the child's course
of study as to call on registration
/ days and aid and advise in selecting
the studies to be taken. We there
fore have a written statement of the
pupils selection of classes. which is
sent home to the parent for sigma
ture and approval before any such
selection of studies is made a matter
of permanent record.
OF the sixty-one so called freshmen
entering our high school this year.
thirty-two selected a course of study
not looking to college entrance; and
|twenty-nine took the college entrance
course; but please bear in mind that
in each case of these twenty-nine. the
college entrance course was chosen
by the pupil and with the written
approval of the parent. Not a single
pupil was required to take the col
lege entrance course. Now these are
facts which ! presume Mr.. Newell
did not know, but to which he should