The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-24
CITY SEEKS DEFECTS
IN SCHOOL TRAINING
Bureau Of Municipal Research
Reports on Investigation
on East Side.
ABSURD METHODS EXPOSED
Conditions Reveal Neccs>it, far
Recording Teacher,
Efficiency.

When a boy In the SIKH grade - .,.,...
ing girl" G-i-r-i-l, Ia putting two "r..' IN
"around" and can see no harm. IN
"comming," cottage" "beieave' "..r....
and "afaer'--when everyday words bal.
ie him. what's the use OF compIet,y
overpowering him with such words Al.
'ductile." "amphibious." "commuu can't
neuralgia" "infrangible." "buoyarc,r
and "etymology"7 Why not give him /.
chance to master the simple words first,
This 10 one Of the questions asked with
the help OF a cartoon. In a Bureau o.
Municipal Research report OF n survey OF
big East Side school. Public Schoo,
1883. made at the request Of the pr,nc
pal, Edward Mandel. Mr.. Mandel. who /.
| in charge OF $500 boys. asked the bureau
| to help him make practical tests to dis.
cover definite points where changes ar.
| desirable and where individual children
| can be helped"
Ono Of the facts disclosed was that N.
average boy In every grade went home
| every day with his arms full OF book,
! and studied there from ifty-seven minutes
to two hours and ffty-three mlnutes
| Even the eight and nine-year-od boys
| Of 3A grade reported one hour and three
minutes home study. The reason was
that less than 1 per cent OF the time al
school was free for study--less than AZ
| teen minutes week.
The bureaus investigator, Mr. Farmer
learned from stenographic reports o.
| eighteen typical recitations that the
teachers spoke 1895 words and the
| pupils only 5.675 words. Instead OF try
| ing to improve the boys memories teachers
often asked questions suggesting their
own answers
.ha LAT ~ ma ~
$4,000. 900, is almost half the people in
the United States. isn't it, one teacher
asked, and of course the bright pupil
answered Yes, sir"
Another Sort Of Suggestion.
incidentally Mr.. Farmer noticed that
| questions that stumped the boys AZ ers'
were instantly answered when the teacher
was able to apply It TO the boys e.
| perience
How much do 9 and make" asked
| teacher In n IA arithmetic grade. one
boy said S, another Q and anot- Then
the teacher asked how many and or
anges made then and . boys. Noygl
| knew. But when she said II y1g air.
8 cents and earn cents more bow Ul.h
will you have the whole class cn..l''f
Eight cents"
1t seems that fractions are st.ll atI
| dening. OF 1856 pupils who wer, ,..t g
divide 2,+53 5-i6 by as. s47, OF 73t l.-
cent. got the wrong quotient Try j. !u-.
self IL you think It's easy.
In 5B spelling class thr words .-.
signed were "evade.' excitement sv.'
dent" and exhausted Tne boy
/ TO use them in sentences. some ~ Poo
/ results were: My mother told 80
I eyade from the Water." TIE hp, ,..
because he chelt" "A boy got me- 81, ...
ment and ran after him. There R4-
big excitement by the IRE" when r..
! goes from a eccideDt he is ec!teuer.' -
hausted my mother" THE robbers O.. 'y
exhaust the police" Il exhaust 4 NA-l
days work with taken rest" art q
! have read evident book"
Alien ldioms In English.
II was found that large perre-ta-e
of mistakes In language papers Was 5It
! to idion.s that the pupils bring from r7r'
such as starved for hunger" "my rr'
parents" "all In a sudden" "a suC1 good
/ time" and that composition took ue 70
write 1t twenty minutes"
Three-fourths OF the foreign boz .fI'
dren were behind their grades. The -
port says the course OF stud 4.
stretched" so that the foreigners rscav-
far more English work than s rsg-.-ei
officially. II helps them to eihelcrc. 20
other branches.
tons of age OF entrance 10 progress o.
every ten children who began sohoo, 0U'h
or years old only three were ir'
crossing rapidly and three We're tar.'-
On the other hand. Of every ten wno 3d.
tered school at the ages Of fr'" l'
to ~ years eight were making ror' -n'H
half a grade In half year. ana og.t .'r
| was retarded.
Whoever taught the u class r ra0t
ing mentioned In the report s..".f I7
happy. for the report says "The pupils
were confident. eager and rtIn ''-
evident pleasure. They found no
in grouping the words into phrase .
to give the thought with good eNr',.-.'
and apparent understand ng Thes' :
had been trained 10 use I,
ically the elements OF phontcs tau-
all primary classes But I'M eight ..''
classes the pupils called "'.7
a hating. uncertain manner. fame.
get the thought and seemed 800 derive
no pleasure from the stories rood
six geography Rotations 1.-The tvfG.t- ...
all the work, asked leadinE ..rs' H.s ..
get the desired replies, and fyI'1 r- age
the material OF the recitatior 'N" '.
lives OF the pupils or srn-. p. '
interest"
1t Is estimated that the progress ~''.
by 80 per cent of all the pupils
school was rapid by 81 per cent, H"t''
and by 20 per cent slow
The Bureau OF Municipal Res'l-..
pliments the school on having ..r..
that prevents overcrowdtns ms
the pupils on through the uuf'f
whereas in the average schro
a great falling or after N" s.''" ..
There Is no buhhling foun'' - '
school. ami only 81 prt 'r.t
boys have individual drinking f...
rest must use n common cup