The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-09-17
Educating the Gifted Child
By Frederic J. Haskin
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"A ST. Louis boy OF ten was rest
less and troublesome in school. He
scraped his feet over the door.
scratched his desk, scrubbed In his
books and annoyed his classmates.
He seemed to spend little time In
study, yet he never failed to an
swer question In class and his
Written exercises were the best In
the room. Week after week he was
sent to the principals room for cor
rectfon. One day she took time to
talk to the boy at length. She found
that for two years he had had prac-
tically no work to do in the school
room for fully half the time be-
cause of super-normal brightness
\ which enabled him to absorb knowl-
edge In fraction Of the time spent
by the other children.
This boy mastered many lessons
Il by hearing the class above him re-
cite. He could easily have kept pace
\ with that class or outstripped 1t, but
as he was permitted to advance but
one grade a year, his surplus time
was spent in annoying his teacher
and developing a mischievous spirit
which threatened to cut short his
school term.
Advanced Rapidly.
The principal was a versatile wo-
man. "Will you behave better ifI
I put you into the higher class next
week." she asked. The boy prom
ised in some surprise. He was ac-
customed to being held back by the
other children. He was promoted
next next week. The next year by
! special arrangement he was permit
tied to make two grades. The next
lIyear he entered high school three
years in advance Of the class he had,
started with. He was large and
strong and easily passed for a boy OF
Il fourteen, and the age question was
not pressed.
In Philadelphia, an ambitious girl,
eided by similarly progressive
principal, was ready for high school
at the age Of twelve, but was re-
fused admission because fourteen was
the required high school age. She
entered a private school and at sew
enteen, in addition to some academic
work, had completed course Of
library training which for most peo-
pie required six full years. Her ap-
pltcation did not affect her physical
health. She was sufficiently athletic
to win "a tennis Championship cup
and was fond Of swimming and other
outdoor sports. II she had not been
permitted to attend this private
school she would have lost two full
years at the most important period
of her life because the public school
of her city made no provision for her
exceptional mentality.
Economic Waste.
In every city such cases are found
and educators are at last recognizing
the economic waste Of retarding the
gifted child to make him fit into a
course Of study designed for the or
binary child. Much time and money
have been spent upon the develop
ment of the backward child. Special
teachers have been provided in the
attempt to bring him up to normal
standards. The super-normal, or
gifted child, who has long been re-
cognized in Germany and other Eu-
ropean countries as nations most
valuable asset, has been neglected in
this country. and his special talents
wasted and ignored.
For seevrar years consideration
has been given to this matter, and
this fall in most large cities special
classes will be opened for the super
normal child in which he will be I'M
der the direction of special teachers
who will aid rather than retard his
advancement. This work will be ex-
detrimental at first and cannot be ex-
pected to meet all the needs, al
though 1t is the beginning Of an edu-
cational reform.
Psychologists divide school chill
dren into three classes; super-nor-
NAL. bright or gifted: normal or
average; and backward, sub-normal,
or deficient. All courses Of study
were planned for the normal child
who naturally represents the great
est number. Senta Barbara, CAL,
has recently employed the Binet test
to gauge the school children Of that
city. According to that, twenty-five
per cent of school children were SUI
4 Rark,y 49,.