South Bend news-times., 1915-09-02
BACKWARD PUPIL
To GET TRAINING
Special Glasses For Those Slow
to Learn Arranged by
Supt. Montgomery.

That special classes for children who
are slower in the grasping of their
school work would solve the problem
of caring for the retarded child was
the decision reached Thursday after
noon at the meetings of the principals
of the ward school buildings in Supt
i. j. Montgomery offices. As eN-
planned by Supt Montgomery, differ
ent boys and girls have different ca
pacities for grasping school work, and
it is for the boy or girl who has diff
hcultv in this direction that these
special classes are being organized.
The classes which will be known as
retardation classes Will endeavor TO
take the grade pupil who has been
compelled to drop back a grade or two
and by special direction being given
TO them, restore them 10 the classes in
which they formerly received instruc-
ton. The first restoration class VIII
be located at the Laurel school, it was
decided Thursday afternoon, and Mrs.
Nina Doc title, who has been spending
the sumner in New York university
preparing ior this work will have
charge. Miss Grace Babbitt, kinder
garten director at the SAMPLE ST. port
ables, will assist in the afternoons
with this work. She will teach in
various parts Of the city.
Should be Given Chance.
Supt. Montgomery urged that the
principals do not attempt TO get rid
of the retarded pupils but help to
place them in the classes where they
normally belonged. Too often, a re-
tarded boy or girl, he said. because
he can not keep up with the progress
made by other children, drops out Of
school discouraged. This" said the
superintendent, lis one of the prob
lens that we must work out this
year"
schools stand for equal privileges
and opportunities for ALL" Mr.. Mont
gomery continued in his talk to the
principals" but until we realize that
to give them equal privileges we must
see the Inequalities of the capacities
OF the children, public education will
never Sill its true mission. Not only
must we study the problem of the re-
tarded boy or girl, but we must study
the problem of the precOcious child
VINO Srasps things more quickly than
the average, and who is in turn re-
tarded by the normal advancement Of
his fellow school mates This is a
problem which l would have you
teachers think about seriously this
year that we may come to some solu-
ton of the problem"
Two Lines OF Progress.
MI. Montgomery pointed out that
there were two definite lines of prog
ress being made in education at the
present time. He said that one was
the extension of the scope of the pub
lie education and the other was the
adaptation Of the schools TO the vary
ing needs and capacities and needs
or the school children.
generation ago the three "R's"
were taught with a little smatterine
OF grammar, and geography Now the
puDhc schools and particularly the
high school has developed so RAPIDLY
that we must determine whether the
new factors such as vocational educh-
Ion, nlght schools and extension work.
medical and dental inspection of the
school children. are here TO stav We
nave the lunch feature in the high
school at cost, and penny SOUP and
Iree soup for those that are unable
To- pay for it. We have civic and So
clal centers. and the night schools
nave an enrolment of some thousa1d
o1u students. We have the foreign
eIement to educate into American Cit
-.,IIs lzeIls tnat they may get a sufficient
command of English to take ont nat
uralzation papers. All this we must
STUDY and consider whether it has
come 10 De a permanent feature of
our educational system.
Must Adapt Studies.
another thing is the adaptation of
the schools to the children. The great
est problem of our system today is to
see that all children are provided witn
schoolng best fitted to their capac-
ltles' want you administrative of
icers or the schools TO study the oues-
ton and see that the capacities of
Chlluren are unlike, each child hav-
ing definite capacity for work diff
I ierent from another child. We must
nave form Of rounded out education
LOT To-, younger people at a certain age.
Nahy can not go to college. and we
must give them a broadened deveIon-
ment. SiOP
In this matter of retarded stud
( ehts' II was formerly believed that
me uIne element was the big factor
nraI,o ~ uoW so considered. The
pToDlen hinges on the different meth
% %ous OF treatment and the different ma
.erIals with which we work. In the
inauguration Of this new movement IL,
Z N frar