Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-02-28

country is at Gary, ina.
Por the first time in the history of edu-
cation. scientific methods have been APP
piled to education. scientific management
To- a school system. the educational capac-
itN doubled and the cost of education
cut in two. all at the same time.
l, is only natural that a city built by
engineers for an organization so largely
involving engineering should partake of
an egineering mind in its educational
system.
The man who accomplished this edr-
mcrlN in charge of the public schools of
Fsluffton, Ind, and he was found by the
engineer who laid out the sewer system
of Gary.
The writer spent a half day recently at
Emerson school. the largest school build
ing, on school plant as it is called. in
The system differs from that ordinarily
adanted by cities in the following major
particulars:
Emerson school has the size and APP
Ica,:tnce of the typical modern city high
school. but kindergarten, primary grades.
mn grades and the high school
courses are all taught under one roof.
Ordinarily te capacity of a building the
size of Emerson School would only be
see the operations OF the older ones. The
classes and keeping One-half the pupils
ON the play grounds, in the manual train
ing department, in the gymnasium. in
the swimming pool, in drawing or music.
doubled to 2.0sO pupils.
The school plant is in operation from =
O'Clock in the morning until > o'clock i'm
The evening. SIX days a week the year
around. hut a child does not stay i'm the
straight Jacket of one desk all day. nor
are they compelled to attend Saturdays
o, during the two months ordinarily. all
lottcI to vacation.
Very few textbooks are used.
Every teacher is a specialist i'm one
branch of education. and by the rota-
,ing system does not teach anything but
their particular speciality.
Every child has a locker. but no legu-
The whole educational system can be
summed up i'm three words:
Learn by doing.
Thu. idea of having SO many grades or
branches OF. education under one roof is
both efficiency i'll education and economy
OF operation.
In The first place it is based on the
Younger pupils learn from the older
For instance the chemical laboratory
used by the advanced class i'll the high
schou. course is right next to one OF
The Urinary grade rooms. There is a
fun l"ngth. clear glass panel i'm the door
of this chemical laboratory so that the
small pupils in passing can look in and
sec IL operations of the older ones. The
Same idea is carried out relative to other
departments and branches. There Is
clear fun length glass in every door and
same psychology is again applied by. say.
the elementary. physics class using the
An incentive is given the Younger pu-
pills they look forward To doing the work
of tn. older. ones. s. -a.t
The system of rotating classes-that is.
sending them to different class rooms
or different parts or departments OF the
building at the close of every study hour.
creates an almost constant circulation of
pupils through the building: it gives the
chilNren a chance to stretch and permits
every class of small children to get a
glimpse of what every older class is do
ing: ii permits OF q smaller number of
teachers. better teachers at better sal
aries, and every teacher a specialist in
each department of teaching: but the
principal advantage is that it doubles
what IS FORMALLY the capacity of the or
binary school building and at the same
time reduces the number of pupils of
each loom-therc are about 30 to IS pupils
under one teacher at one time under the
Wrist system. while there are from ID To
9t under the ordinary system in the
average city.
This rotating system has still another
advantage of being pliable enough to pre-
Vent any one child or group of children
holding back their class: for ii a child
shows efficiency i'm grammar and de-
ticieisc. in arithmetic he can naturally be
given more hours in the deficient study.
Then the terms are divided up into
three months periods, so that no pupil
has to wait a whole year in order to be
promoted or denoted as under the con.
ventional plan. 1t is again efficient In
the fact that il a child shows physical
deficiencies he is given more hours on
the play grounds and in physical Gull
t,re. which department is also under a
child stays Out Of school on account of
Al Gary children go to school to get
we'll.
Under the Writ system all children
undergo physical examination either at
regular or special times for Special rea-
sons. All organic deficiencies are either
corrected at parents expense. or public's
eXpei.s. and this commonly involves re-
moving of adenoids or bad tonsils. dental
work and the correction of defective
Adenoids are very common in children
and al Gary the records show that after
their removal the child increases i'm eff
iicicrcy from 10 to so per cent in six
months.
This old idea we have of holding schools
from $50 in the 1nOrning until 1890 i'm the
afternoon five days a week. with two or
three months vacation in summer. is a
In the country. children We're needed at
home from rising time till school time,
after school time in the evening, and on
Saturdays to help with house and barn
chores. and in summer they were needed
FOR three months during harvest time.
the country boy or girl derived an
tasks for defnit purposes, it instiiled a
habit Of application: it was manual train
ing in other words.
In the city there are few IL any house
and barn chores, so this time of work on
the farm now comprises the street and
alley time of the city child, which is an
evil influence.
Under the Writ system "a child does
not go to school any more hours thar
under the conventional system. but the
street and alley time is consumed in mu-
sic. drawing. manual training or physical
culture or a play ground or in q gym