Imperial Valley press., 1915-10-27
MONTESSORI SCHOOL
MAY BE STARTED HERE


sori educational system, as taught
| by DR.. Marie MonteSsori, now in
San Francisco, is called an emo
tional fad that will be laid away to
rest with the CRUDE method and
the dodo, and be forgotten in
few years, is the statement of Ed
ward Hyatt, state superintendent
of public instruction, in the Cali
fornia Blue Bulletin, just issued.
There may be something in ii
! for the downtrodden babies of Eu-
rope" said Hyatt, "but nothing for
our conditions. 1t is only what
we had before, under a new and
fascinating name"
Movements to inaugurate school in
which the system of DR.. Marie Monies
sori, the noted Italian educator, will
be an integral part just became known
this morning. Mrs r. B. Vale, herself
member of the county board of edu-
cation and a close follower Of what the
pioneers of new methods of education
movement and strongly endorsed DR.
Montessoris system.
81 am basing my endorsement not so
much on my own judgment as on the
Judgment of Others" Mrs. Vale said
this morning. "a daughter of Mr.. and
Mrs Walter Packard attended a Mon
tessori school in San Diego last year,
presided over by DR.. Montessori her
self, who was conducting normal
school for teachers Of the system. and
Mrs Packard expressed herself as
more than satisfied with the merits of
the system" she continued,
With respect 10 state superintendent
of schools Hyatt's remarks on the Mon
tessori system Mrs. Vale said:
THAT is merely the expression of /
man and it is not the first time the
Montessori method of educating chill
dren has been criticised. | have read
articles which bitterly denounced the
system, but, like every new method of
education, it is arraigned by some.
II understand that Pasadena is go
ing to adopt the Montessori system in
its schools, and Pasadena bears the
reputation of standing well among cit
les where the foremost methods of edu-
cation are in vogue"
Mrs. Vale emphasized the fact that
kindergarten schools had at one time
been bitterly condemned, but now form
an important step in the educational
systems of the country>
She declined TO state how many
mothers had signed contract to pay
Sc month for months to give the
Montessori system a trial in lei Cen
tro.
Every mother we have approached
to sign the petition has pledged herself
TO pay Sc a month for the period in
which we want to give the system
trial, but il would not be fair to say
how many we have already secured, az
only one afternoon has been spent in
the actual work of securing signatures.
We have called on quite a number eX-
planning the system"
A. p. Shibley, county superintendent
of schools, declined to express an
opinion on the Montessori method. 81
am not well enough informed on the
system" he said.
He recalled the controversy which
arose against John II. Francis in Los
Angeles several years ago, in which
the educator announced that the es-
sentials of the system were emb odied
in California educational systems when
he was pressed to include the Monies
sori system in the educational meth
DDS in vogue in Los Angeles county.
There is no doubt that there is some
merit in the system advocated by DIR.
Marie Montessori," Mr.. Shibley said.
"She has had wonderful success with
II in the slums of large Italian cities,
and years ago, when the press and
educators all over the world took cog
nizance of what she was doing, DIR.
Montessori announced the system of
education which bears her name" he
continued.
Later she published a book In which
she stated that she had made new psy-
Geological discoveries and which also
contained the theory of her system OF
teaching.
THE Montessori system seeks 70
teach individuality to the child and
also to impart independence in per-
forming his duties. For instance, the
pupil is taught to button and unbutton
clothing and from that stage he is
taught to dress and undress himslef
More complex ideas are developed i'm
later stages"
Mrs. Il. C. Walker, n graduate Of
the University of Minnesota and for
merly teacher of science in the Cen
trail Union High School, expressed her
self as heartily in favor of a Monies
sori school for FL Centre. She Is one
of the leaders In the movement and
] this afternoon expressed the opinion
that as soon as the school has been
started the enrolment will be all that
can be cared for
IAN the mothers I have approached
have expressed interest but there has
not been great deal of enthusiasm"