The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-03-27
JUNIOR SENIOR
SYSTEM GIVEN
OVERLAPPING
From sa.urday,s paIn.

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Discussion Of THE Junior-senior
system" of High School Work was
held at the Fathers :, meeting at
the high school last night, and ad.
dresses on this subject. were given
by w. ID. Willard and Supcrintend-
ent F. J. Sperry. Principal w. G.
Bate presided over the meeting.
Seyenty.five people were in attend.
ance.
Mr.. Willard spoke on The Jun,
ior-Senior System as a Step in Prog
ress in High School Education"
In opening his remarks Mr.. VIII.
lard stated that the public school
system was hardly entitled to the
name system" as il lacked that
quality, and was simply an lnstitu-
ton which had grown haphazardly.
He gave a brief historical sketch
of the public school. telling of the
first public schools which cores
bonded with the present day pri-
mary and intermediate schools.
Higher education he said, was
left entirely to private or denomin-
ational institutions. Men were pre-
pared for college in academies.
which were also private institu-
tions. The high schools are the
outgrowth of the academy. II was
through this early system that the
college came TO dominate the lower
grade schools. But Jas time went
on. and the wealth was more evenly
distributed so that more people
could take advantages of the edu-
cational facilities of the country,
there came a dissatisfaction with
the high school.
1t was then simply preparatory
school for colleges. and there was
a demand for the high schools to |
prepare children for life. This !
idea has grown. into the schools. |
and the process of making the high |
schools prepare the students for life |
work. is still going on. In the Man.
kato high school another step In |
this line will be- taken when the |
commercial course will be estab.
lished. ....... .ts--.
See Serious Faults. a-
AS we look over the system. we
see some serious faults. A, very |
large percentage of children drop
out Of school when through the |
eighth grade and do. not continue
into high school. The present, sys-
ten, has eight years Of grade work !
and four years OF high school |
work. In Mankato the eighth /
grade has been moved to the high
school building and certain methods
commonly used in high school have
heen adopted in. running II.
In the elementary school the FIRST
three years are devoted 70 acquir-
ing the tools of learning. The sec.
end three years TO develop these
tools and also certain knowledge
is acquired through them. This
six years brings the child to the
age of twelve years, which, Is the
beginning Of the adolescent period.
According to the present system
the grade school is caring for the
boys and girls two years longer
than the six years. and the same
methods are being, used in the
seventh and eighth grades as In
the second and third grades.
When E child reaches the adol.
escent period he desires TO reach
out into a wider field. Individu-
alism becomes noticeable in children
Some develop rapidly at this age.
and some develop very slowly. II
Is therefore necessary to bling diff.
ferent methods into the schools in
order to keep apace with the
child's life.
Methods Beyond Grasp.
But with the present system the
child Is thrown upon It's own re-
sources two years later, at a per- |
iod when the transition from eighth
grade TO high school. with its en-
tireiy different methods, is beyond; the
grasp OF the child. II has been sug-
gested that instead of carrying pu. |
pills forward I'm the seventh and |
eighth grades as they are carried |
IN the ioWer grades. that the school |
be divided into two parts, OF six
grades each. The six advanced /
grades, called the high school, to |
be divided into two parts, the jun-
Tor high school and the regular
high school," /
Mr.. Willard read a quotation from
the School Review, which. explain. |
ed the system In detail. He then
went on TO speak OF the three |
classes of high school students;
those who are preparing for col |
iege. those who are preparing for |
commercial life. and those who viii |
do work with their hands. at Is |
desirable, IL possible" he said. ito
begin training these latter two
classes further down In the grades |
than at the present time. They
leave the schools at an earlier age |
Tor economic reasons. and should |
be prepared better for life. |