The Washington times., 1913-12-13
DR. DAVIDSON RAPS
PRESENT. DAY PLAN
Declares Method in Educational
Matters Is Unfair to Pupils
and Teachers Alike.

"A school system which arbitrarily
sets certain rigid standards for pupils
to meet, regardless OF their mental
qualifications. is altogether unwise.
The antiquated idea that a boy or
girl must have a certaip amount OF
mathematics, a certain similar amount
OF literature and still another of SCI
ence in order to become educated is
fast being discarded by progressive
educators l hope to see the time when
our schools over the country genera ~
will have more elastic courses, ana tnat
the system will be adapted TO the
child's needs, rather than vice versa
DIR. William Davidson, outgoing super
intendent of schools, T who Will soon
head the Pittsburgh schools, paused
long enough between supervisors meet
ings and long appointment scheau e.
to rap topsy-tGrvey educational methods
which have no other merit than that OF
tradition to support them; x ,-
II thoroughly agree with PROT Per
-rine. of BROOKLYN he 'continued, that
the season why so MANY pupils crop I oHt
of high school is because OF the lhei"s'iS
requirements of the courses
Some Hopelessly Deficient.
..As he points out. some children are
hopelessly deficient in mathematics, yet
they may be positively brilliant In IAN
guages.
".Why cram n child with algebra, for
which he has neither taste nor apiilly'
when he can attain his mental dlsci-
Milne through another medium more IN
keeping with els talentsZ
II personally would graduate pupll
from high school who .~had a certain
number of credits attesting to his nom
EST efforts in scme line. whether it In
cluded mathematics or not.
''I consider il all matter OF dlscl-
pline-a discipline that seeks to orlng
out the Individuality of the pupll rather
than to suppress Whatever nal"e po"
ers he may possess. 50
I'VE are still handicapped with these
educational ideas handed down TO US
from former years. when condluons
were not SO complex, though daresay
human nature vas just the same!
1FWhen a boy went to school years
ago he was grounded in the Three RS,
which were only amplified by his college
Coy Now iGe well-equipped university
offers a field of more than hundred
different subjects, covering the widest
possible rance.
Why Pervert Efforts.
If the Youths natural trend is in one
particular line, why discourage him, and
perhaps disgust him with the whole
curriculum by TerN erting his efforts and
calling it mental training.
81 do not believe In intellectual
straiehtjackets, which in effect. many
OF our courses seem to be. / am. striv-
ing diligently to bring about more cleo
tive studies, and ] believe this is the
ideal which progressive educators every
where are seeking to attain. ! do not
mean that the pupil may be allowed to
select only the easy things. I do mean
that he should be allowed to pursue
tasks which lie within his ability, and |
not waste time on things which are
wholly foreign TO his philosophy.
The sooner school authorities and
teachers get over the idea that a school !
is e factory which must turn out GER
tain number of uniform products, each
with a certain amount of this and Ger
tain amount of that, the better our chill
dren are going 20 be educated" i