New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-18

School IS; there is not IN Public School
50, Brooklyn.
The Gary plan does not Involve the
supervision OF classes b. pupils. in
stead Of by teachers" Il permits old
CT pupils TO help younger ones, but the
teacher has charge of the class, and
even this helping Of younger pupils
by older ones is not necessarily in
VOWED in the Gary plan.
THE promiscuous grouping Of older
and younger children in laboratory and
shop work. is not necessary under the
Gary plan. II is permitted If the
principal wishes it. Il is an excel
I lent means Of breaking down artifi-
al grade barriers, but it Is not
necessary in work-study -and-play
school. The younger and older children
DO attend the auditorium together, be
cause the auditorium group is not a
class; II is an audience, and the OBJ
iect Of the work is TO stimulate the
interest and curiosity of the younger
children in the work OF the older tnes
and TO give the older children the OPP
portunity to explain certain expert
ments in science, shop work, or his
tory work 10 children who do net
\ know about it; that is. 20 children IN
other classes.
The Gary plan does not Involve
the omission Of formal physical train
+ ing" There is formal physical train
: ing il Public School 50. and it has re
Gently been put in in Public School 40
for certain parts of the play hour.
/ The above quotation also states that
| the Gary plan involves "the deferrlng
/ of scholastic work for young children
until very late in the forenoon or AZ
/ ternaan." The facts are that in Pub
. lie School AZ all academic work in tho
Y school stops at 2:10, and in Pub
| lie School SO at 1850. In the Y
/ school in Public School 45 the AGA
demic work is arranged as follows:
2:lO to 1850, history; 300 TO $3.50,
geography The academic work IN
| Public School SO also stops at $3.50.
Under the Ettinger double session
plan on which both Public School IL
and Public School SO were working
/ before the reorganization on the "irt
plan. half the school had classroom
exercises up to 4:30 p. m. According
( to tho Ettinger plan schedule now 81!
operation. more than half the school
have academic work up to $3.50. but
the work-study-andpl play schools Keep
children wholesomcly active and inter
ested all dav long. Under those cir
cumstances there is no reason why
they should not study history and
geography from 2:30 10 2:30 in the
afternoon.
Out Of all these points made by the
editor of the school page OF "In3
Globe" and by Mr. Grady in regar@
TO the Gary plan only one Is correc,'
Yet these men are the chief. and oic
ten the only. speakers az meetings u
parents associations called to discuss
he Writ plan. II is not SURPRISING
that parents associations are report
cd ns protesting against the or"
study and-play plan. a.. ..,,h
about work study -and-play SCHOOLS !,
would seem as II their FIRST step wouie
be TO get Mr. Writ. the originator OF
these schools, to speak or tina, suoJec''
Information on the Gary Plan.
"Dear Madam: In the current dis
cussion Of the Gary plan one often
hear from both teachers and laymen
that information on the Gary SCHOOLS
Ia vague and manufacturing; that they
have no accurate data on what the Gary
plan really is and how II operates IN
Gary. how the social conditions ana
school problems in Gary compare WIN
those in New York, what the Gary
schools cost and how these costs com
pare with those in other cities, etc.
at occurs to me that you might per-
form valuable service to your reader.
by printing in your column list Oh
easily accessible books, bulletins and
articles which deal with all these CUES
tions in an authoritative way. May
suggest the following list?
"Many Of the questions which ! near
constantly concerning the Gary plan
could not be asked il these sources OF
information had first been consulted.
Much Of the criticism which is now
being made could not be INDUCED III in
good faith if these books and bulletins
had first been read:
al. For the sociological setting and
a discussion Of the social and economic
problems Of Gary see the book 'Satel-
lite Cities By Graham K. Taylor, pub
lished in 1915 BY d. Appleton & Co, OF
New York. Chapters and Z give a
first hand and up-to-date account OF
the city and suggest the important
place the schools play in its life.
"2. For a detailed account of the
workings of the Gary schools. with the
whole educational background. written
especially for teachers, see the book
Schools Of Tomorrow by John and
Evelyn Dewey. published in 1915 by L.
p. button & Co. OF New York. Chap
ter I deals especially with the Gary