The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-07-16

Mrs. Carrie X. Schlmck, formerly Il
resident Of Cleveland. Ohio. who spent /
last year and the year before on her
property in the valley, graduated last |
month in the class of kindergarten |
teachers selected as representative of |
every civilized country IN the world TO |
be taught by DR.. Maria MOntosse Mon |
tessori at her school in Rome. Mrs. |
Schmick is now in Geneva, Switzer- |
land. studying the Cassersnd system |
of teaching music, which is beginning |
TO attract as much attention among |
teachers and the Montessori system Of
kindergarten teaching. The article
appearing below was written by Mrs. |
Schmick for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
We come TO our FIRST observation day
at the convent school Of the Via Guisto,
with its lovely gardens and flowers and
white rObed sisters and the little OTph-
ans-2O0 Of whom were taken by the
sisters after the great earthquake.
As we we're admitted, armed with
our notebooks and doubly armed with
prejudice and skeptieism, systems and
theories of our own, we entered
large sunny room opening into the gar
den and seated ourselves in a double
row around the room where the little
white tables and chairs of different
sizes and heights were scattered about.
Vases of flowers and growing plants
we're on the low cupboards and draw
ers. Pictures and low blackboard were
on the wall and there was table of
dolls and toys.
As we were looking at these things,
the children, from four to six years of
age, dressed in pink and blue aprons
according to sex, came in offering their
hands to US, without stiffness or shy
ness, but in a natural, graceful manner
and wished US "Buen GiOrnO"
While the children were laughing and
talking and we were all buzzing to one
another in a confusion of tongues
worse than at the tower of Babel,
there was a sudden hush and looking
up we saw the sister writing the word
"Silencia" on the board. Instantly,
quietly every child went to a little
chair and sat, some with closed eyes,
others with hands over their faces.
The silence grew more intense. Not a
movement, except ours, was heard
from the garden the song of the birds,
the faint noise of the city and even the
rustling of the leaves flOated in.
We heard a faint whisper from the
sister who stood at the back of the
room and a wee baby, carefully and
lightly as thistledown almost floated
to her side. AS their names were
called, some ran lightly and quietly,
others, boys larger and with heavy
shoes, carefully and painstakingly tip
tOed each step, as If treading on eggs.
Some, too close to their tables,
swung their little legs over the chairs
in truly acrobatic manner, while
others lifted the chairs back and care
fully, gently set them down again.
Can you imagine high spirited, bois-
ferrous boy doing this?
When the 20 odd children were gath
cred around her she said something in
a whisper, at which there was deeper
hush, an almost breathless silence
then at a word from her, talking and
laughing, some ran to their chairs,
others to the cupboards, when each
selected what he or she wished tC
play, or rather work with.
Several tots ran and got soft rolls OF
colored felt, which they spread on the
floor and began constructing pink
tower; others lying prone on the mats
we're grouped around the coloreC
sticks, busilY engaged in sorting
counting, figuring with their slates
and pencils, or copy books.
i Some had taken the boxes of color.
which contain GA reels of coored silks
/ Ins snth inns nd Il oil .,
shades of each color, almost imper.
ceptible in the difference of gradua
ti0n, but in short time the children
had them all beautifully arranged like
] a rainbow, on the white tables.
When we tried this we made the
most ludicrOus mistakes.
Those boys will never be scolded bS
their wives for not being able to match
Il goods. A few months later, when they
come to drawing, they do the most ex
Il Quisite and correct shading of flowers
landscapes and birds as a result of this
simple exercise. and they are never
taught as we know teaching.
/ Some called to the sister to be blind
folded and we watched them take {
collection of silk and velvet and cottor
goods of different texture and pail
them together.
Others, also blindfoded, balanced
tiny blocks Of wood. of different
weights, on their fingers and rapidly
u placed them in proper heaps.
The very small children were lacine
and hooking and kuttOning and twins
bows on frames.
Several took the boxes of pink let
ters of the alphabet and began to make
words and sentences on the tables, ever
on the mats on the floor.
Several were at the blackboard writ
| ing and such beautiful writing III,
/ letters were so perfect that it seemed
i impossible to better them, yet these
babies would erase over and over agar
/ until one became weary watching, bu
they were never satisfied until the,
i had formed the absolutely perfect let
ters they had learned by tracing tn,
sandpaper letters with their fingers.
When thought of the awful scrawls
Il and potthooks, the years of laboriou.
copy books at.home and the result, no.
one good writer in a thousand -
gasped in bewilderment.
All the time the children accompan
led their efforts with little exclama.
tons of joy" bella, BELLA" beautiful
beautifully or with frowns - and
/ "brutto, brutto, (ugly ugly -anC
: swipe it would be erased
- Some with states were doing tn,
same, with the sandpaper letters be
fore them.
And this went on hour after huu
without any suggestion or advice, ap
proval or disapproval, from the teach
| er, or scientist, as we must now cal
her, unless the child calls to her I,
come and see for herself. Strange t
say, it is the child who calls the teach
er for instruction or help, or approval
or to have lesson, or wishes wort
to spell or write. or a pencil sharpeneD
the only thing the child does not do fo
himself.
| Aside from this the teacher,iS neve
| heard one would not notice her in tn
room, as watchful, alert, observing
| when the child needs lesson, or is i