The Penn's Grove record., 1913-03-14
What Was The Matter With Our Schools
A Personal Explanation

jill "hO 0SS viz Va AhpO Wiz
high school were not considered having
the knowledge they should have. Many
believed the high school should be abol-
ished to keep the pupils repeating the
same studies in the lower grades. In fact,
the supervisor recommended that all
pupils from the 4th to the 9Th grade
should repeat the same studies the next
year.
authors and publishers, it was learned
that all pupils in the 1st and I'd grades
spent a whole year OH one book. There
was one extra book for SO pupils in the
first grade. The Sd grade pupils had one
reader and a speller. All the other
know ledge and entertainment was to be
impaired by the teacher, aud when that
failed the pupils lost.
When they got to the 18th grade they
were expected to pass all examination in
reading, writing, spelling. arithmetic, ge-
ography, history, hygiene and language.
The geography did not contain answers to
some OF the questions, and the aritlime-
tic contained methods that confounded
the teacher and endeavored to make
mental acrobats of children who had had
little preparation in the Sd grade.
From the 4th to the 9TH grades there
was one kind of arithmetic from which
the children learn little, because it did
not teach topical methods. They jumped
from a 9th grace arithmetic with a spiral
inductive method which twisted the chill
dren's brains out of thought for the
standard Brooks arithmetic in the 8th
grade with the old fashioned rules and
explanations which normal minds can
comprehend and do recommend. With
only one year to get a normal understand
ing OF arithmetic many failed.
From the 18th to the 9Th grades there
were five biographies by three authors;
five histories by four authors; three pliys.
loloeles stretched over five years; three
different gIamnars with two kinds of
definitions and explanations. Some
rooms went partly thru a book and the
pupils were put into another kind the
next year.
On calling a former teachers attention
to the lack of uniformity oil books and
methods which COMPOUNDED the teachers
as well as the pupils we were told that
there were eight different schools run on
different lines and that one teacher did
not know what the others were doing. IT,
took a teacher two months to learn what
the pupils learned the year previous in
the grade below and the pupils had TO
unlearn some of the methods and learn a
new method. Consequently more failed
than should.
The policy to reform is not to DESTROY
all the good at the top, to make the
bottom better, but to put out the bad
and restore the good. Thereby the high
school pupils became better qualified to
pursue higher studies.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE
We consulted all home teachers, visited
other schools, consulted teachers and
learned what books were used.
In the fist three grades was the Ward
phonetic method where by pupils learned
to read without learning their alphabet.
1t was an advance over old methods. but
very hard for pupils and the teacher. Ii
was discarded years ago in Ohio because
hlndered children from learning to
spell well. In fact, persons have ad vanc-
ed under such a system and did not know
tile alphabet well enough to look for a
word in the dictionary.
The Aldine method has been introdnc.
ed instead. While it is phonetic it is not
so hard. Action words are Taught and
pupils are given exercise by walking,
running, jumping, where by thought is |
expressed. 1t breaks the tired moIotonv
OF a child keeping still. More than one |
book is used below the fourth grade
where the child should learn to read.
The 4th grade examination has been |
In the grammar school, 9Th to Sth
grades, the Biographies were reduced
rom three to W and two years spent on
theb book to meet the state examination
Instead OF one year. Physiology was re-
duced from a four year to a two wear
study and agriculture from a two wear to !
II year study.
The old-fashioned Browns grammar
was put III because the teachers who had
studied others declared they could get
better results from it. A uniform series
Of aIlthinetlcs We're put in, but not with
our approval nor the desire of a majority
Of the teachers. Parents have learned
they contain catch questions fitted only
Tor learned persons. One of the authors.
John q. Stone, told us he would not mt
Them in a public school.
Elementary manual training was intro.
tuced in the l, 2 and Sd grades last wear
and i'll the 4th and 5th this year.
Each teacher now has an outlined
of studies from the LIST to the 9th
and know thereby what was lone
in the grade below and what is reonired
10 advance to the grade above.
Formerly the pupils in the 9Th GRADE
had to pass county examinations in read
Ing, writing, spelling, grammar. compo-
'itlon, arithmetic, U. S.. History, Ciyics
geography, physiology, agriculture. eleven
subjects. Some were books with differ
emit methods to be studied in one wear
Now geography, physiology and apricnl-
ture are finished in the 7thr grade. With
same kind of history. grammar and
begun in the 9TH grade the
pupils are better qualified to meet the
state examination in the 9Th grade. As
clvlcs Is a half year study. there is room
Tor another study. Algebra has been in
troduced because there were some old
available.
We proposed adding book keeping to
he 9th grade. Each pupil is now using
IN there $l.I6 less books than former
~. bookkeeping will cost ST. 20 a pupil
ma last Tor three years. This would be
restoration OF a needful subject which
Is not reached until the I'd year i'm the
llgh scilool commercial course, which
many do not take. OF the So pupils in
9th grade not one-fourth will ever
reach the I'd year commercial course in
high school. Consequently most of
!lem Will never get to study book keep
ing, a subject they need in every day life,
when 1t will cost only 80 cents to do so.
Further improvements should be made
whereby all subject matter below the 8th
grade can be gone over in half a wear and
pupils who do no need to re-
peat can DC promoted half yearly. Such
are made in other schools.
1t is up to the people to elect members !
Of the Board of Education who favor edn-
advancement, instead of retro
grafton. ever tho being members of patri-
otto orders who proclaim great love for
the public schools. If the parents do not
take a ilveiy interest they need not ex-
pect Others to do so.