Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-29
The School Teacher.
ny DIR. FRANK CRANE.
Copyright, 1913. by Frank Crane.)

The trouble with the school. If you real
ly want to know what is the matter. is
the teacher
whole list OF antiquated. exploded. and
abandoned ideas in pedagogy.
In word, it implies that it is the bust
ness of the adult in charge OF the educa-
ton Of the child to tell him things he
is supposed to know more facts than the
pupil, or at least to know better where
to get the facts. and to guide the young
mind in examining itself full of knoWl-
elge.
Hence, we set examinations for candl-
dates for the teachers position to see II
they "know'' enough facts to qualify
them. Now. in very truth. it makes not
the slightest bit of difference how many
facts a teacher knows: the only question
is does he have the gift of inspiring
youth"
So also we grade children according
TO the amount Of history. arithmetic ana
geography they have memorlzed from
books. -,
The entire out-of date viewpoint Is that
there is a body of knowledge which TO
know is to be educated. This may do Tor
Nahometans or Chinese. but hardly FOR
America.
The rational theory is to send chiidreh
to school. not to study, but to Ie stuuieu ,
not to lay them on Procrustean neds OF
..the system and to lop them OF II they.
are too long and to stretch them out II
too short When the washlady SAID 70
the schooma' am. Il send johnny ~
school for you to learn him. she uhWit I
tingly stated the truth oi ""a' '"sn'
to be-
Charles Dickens. who was 4 sNnioa
thetic student OF Froebel. in one or ms
works makes Esther say: II did doubt
whether Richard would not have prohted
by some one studying him little, instead
of his studying Latin verse so much.
Instead of teachers Of children We need
students of children. patient, trained.
gifted men and women who try TO mo
out what is in child and to develop
that
The child-teacher stands the children
up in Glasses and gives them a dose OF
geometry mucn as We use the process Oh
Qayage with chickens. The child student
stimulates and influences the child to get
his mental food for himself.
There is no true child-trainlnS that IS
not individual. The class system is as
bad in the schoolroom as in society.
The class system i u labof-saElns uc-
vice for lazy teachers. i nloneS-saSlilS
scheme for stingy taxpayers. But IL does
not work. A child trainer sIoGld have no
attention and constant conpanlonship
The child trainer is born. not made: as
in the case of animal trainers. One must
be endowed by nature for il. as Nioilnists
or public speakers are for their PROBES
sions One must be called OF Goa, as
preachers are supposed to be.
COLLABORATING should be the most nom
orable and the highest paid of all pro-
LESSONS. The very cream of the human
race should be drawn to 1t. Think or an
actor becoming a millionaire by playing
the fool while teachers are paid the
wages of clerk work
We have not yet begun TO appreciate
the value of child-trainng 10 the state
We leave ii to rlnderpaid agents We
manage it by the cheap methods of
CLASSES and examinations. The
whole thing is artificial. uascient'f1c anl
ineffective. Children develop in spite OF
it. not because of il.
In the coming democracy there will be
no TEACHERS: then the ''child-trainers
will take the children in hand and by
personal contact cause them To grow In
morals. intelligence and bodily strength
The child observation-disclosures will be re-
regarded as the true Levites. entitled to d
tenth of all our wages.