The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-01-22

themselves, they feel very learned sitting behind
4 table with books at hand quizEing tho pupils
who sit in front Of boolkless desks. It would re-
quire much moro effort on the part Of the teach
er to make rational test, hence they have elung /
to the easier plan. But that Is no slam ON the /
teacher, because are all as lazy as we dare
be-. It is simply fact about human nature"
On the morning after, one or two school
teachers stormed our sanctum with irate pro-
testations They denied the charge Of lazness"
and declared they were in no wise responsible for
anything. They suggested that newspaper writ
ers know too much about everything to know
anything. And they advised that hereafter GER
tain parties had better mind their own affairs.
After such an assault what is poor editorial
writer to do? Had he better not crawl into that
hollow log of which the revvalists sometimes tell
and wait for it to swell him in?
We confess we were grieved to think we had
fallen from grace with these estimable ladies be-
cause there are no ladies (outside the family cir
Gle, of course) for whom we feel warmer devo-
tion than to the school marms. Do we not owe to
them in very large degree what poor fragment
airy mental proficiency we do possess? We feel
that the fault of the above paragraph lies, not in
it's intent, but in it's ambiguousness We fell
a victim to that habit so mercilessly scored by
the French wit-using language to conceal our
thoughts.
In saying that the teachers themselves, often
times, could not pass the exams we had in mind
the ultimate intent of the method. Is it not to
reveal the degree of pupils mastery of a given
subject? And is it not true that many teachers
could not pass such examination without
special preparation who, nevertheless, are most
proficient? And does not that show that merely
passing final exam does not reveal students
real proficiency?
In saying that the teachers are responsible
for the long continuance of the final exam meth
Cd we have in mind, of course, not the teachers of
Richmond, but teachers in general We have in
our desk a recent letter from an eminent edu-
Gator who has found, by actual Investigation,
that majority of teachers the land over have
opposed the abolition of final exams.
The reason for this, we believe, is that more
rational and thorough method of testing the pro-
ficiency of pupil will be much more difficult,
delicately difficult, might say, and so much
more burdensome that teachers oppose it
consciously for that very To estimate
the ability of pupil by truly psychological
method requires far patience, more tact
and skill than to use the comparatively mechani-
cal method of written test at the end of each
term.
Taking this fact into consideration it speaks
much for the teachers of our own schools that
| they have heartily concurred in the Innovation
In spite of the fact that the new method will
transfer so much more of the responsibility of
testing pupil to the shoulders of the teacher
our teachers have shown a rare conscentiousness
in adopting the more difficult method with little
Or no opposition.
In the "Explanation which he has had
printed on the back of each report card, Supern-
tendent Giles says: I'm grading pupils the marks
is satisfactory and U Unsatisfactory, are
used to indicate the teachers estimate of the
pupils work, not in terms of per cent, but with
means that the pupil is making reasonable eff
fort to do the work required of his class in school,
Neither is promotion based on per cent
grades. Pupils may be transferred at any time
from grade to grade in order that the work may
be suited to their capacity
Regular attendance is necessary to satisfy
school progress. Parents urged to cooper
ate in every way possible with teachers in order
| to promote the health and efficiency of the
pupils
This is very advanced ground. It gives new
test of school work. 1t places the whole ability
of pupil as the basis of estimation rather than
the work of some faculty such memory
| And it brings the parents into the educational
scheme and links the school to the home. Rich
nond may we'll congratulate itself in possessing
SO progressive school administration and so act
i've group of teachers.