The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-03-28

say they have so little time with their
children when they are out of school
This isn't universal. you understand
because many parents would prefer
that their children be made to study
at home, but the majority prefer free
dom for them when they are out OF
school. I warmly advocate the parent
assisting his children with their les
sons. 1 think il is IN excellent plan
for the child to req his lesson aloud
at home; not have the parent read to
him, but the child read to the parent
Often the teacher doesn't have as
much time to give to having the chill
dren read aloud Clearing 40 children in
class daily as she would like ia
give to each individual pupil and the
idea of the child reading at home is
an excellent one
And does the parent who demands
that her children study at home have
in mind that recreation is necessary to
the child after long school hours?" !
asked.
"One of the important items in mod
ern school affairs is the brevity of the
session." said DIR. Phillips. Formerly
we had two distinct and separate ses-
sions at school, the morning and the
afternoon. A long recess was given,
whereas now the school session con-
venes at S:45 and terminates at
O'Clock This of course is the result
of many conditions. The children now
have no place to play as they used to
have; if they are allowed long recesses
there is much danger attached to it.
II they play in the streets there are
the street cars, automobiles, motor
cycles, and railroad tracks, all of which
are dangerous. This applies, Of course
to city schools. In the country and
small villages, it is different"
"And the old idea of keeping the
child in after schooP seems to have
disappeared along with other good old
ideas?'' 1 remarked.
''The school is made primarily for
the child and not the child for the
school" DR.. Phillips said. The whole
idea is to make the school attractive
to the student and by imposing duties
on him that are burdensome is GER
tainly not the way to popularize the
school Take child who fails in one
of his studies and keep him in and
make him learn that particular study
is forcing upon him a task that is
distasteful to him. Why make it more
disagreeable by forcing it upon him?
1t is like making a person eat certain
dishes which do not appeal to his
taste. FGTndDS one may nave a
talent for the languages or mathe-
mates and dislike the other branches
and in these he is deficient so that
he fails in them and is forced to learn
his lesson by being kept in after
school That question rests largely
with the teacher, however, who is the
best judge of how to manage in such
instances"
EVERY step that we take in educa-
tional methods" DR.. Phillips told me.
"is progressive. We study the child
and his demands and the social life of
the child in school today is one of the
essential details. The school must be
attractive and to prove that the mod
ern method appeals to the children
there is scarcely a girl or boy in the
high school today who could be driven
away from his work. Why? Because
the work is not burdensome. 1t is
pleasant and agreeable. Take, for in
stance, the various branches that have
been introduced such as music, draw
ing, physical culture and manual train
ing. Alb these are diverting and in
teresting, as we'll as instructive. The
nature classes-flowers, trees, shrubs
of civic duties to our city.
are neighbors to ourselves, to animals
and to God, are taught in the public
schools today. Formerly the school
had but one idea and that was culture
for the mere sake Of culture. Today
the main object of the school is Gull
ture through usefulness. The modern
methods tend toward use
fulness, both in the commercial and
the social world. No longer is 1t de-
manded that Latin and Greek be
studied unless there is a specific reason
for 1t; unless they are vocational. If
a student intends to become teacher
or a stenographer. then Latin is de-
sirable. So with higher mathematics
If geometry and trigonometry will be
of benefit to the pupil in years to come
in the commercial world then it is
deemed advisable to pursue these
studies, as the modern educational
idea is to educate the boy and the
girl for a life of utility through the
school and the schools influence"