Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-08-14

j. The employment of a school nurse |
at salary of $1,000 for the first year. |
Organization of Junior High Schools. !
Any school system to be effective
must be organized to meet the needs Of /
all classes of pupils. In the past schools
have been maintained TO prepare Young
people for the college or university.
Indeed, any historical summary of the
reasons for the establishment of the
public school system of the United
States must show that sucn demand
grew out of the necessity for prepara
ton for advanced educational institu-
tlons. The Boston grammar school, pos
slbly che first public school to be estab |
lished in the United States, was urged
Tor the sole purpose of preparing stu
dents for advanced work.
1 1t is not until within the last few
years that educators have come TO real
ize that the school must not only pre-
pare for the higher institutions of
learning, but it must give training and
preparation for those pupils who are to
be denied the advanced training and
who will, upon the completion of the
elementary school, the Junior high
school or the senior high school, be
compelled to begin some occupation. Al
school system, then, 10 be effective,
must be b0tn cultural and vocational.
The organization of the junior high
schools and specialization below the
fouryear high school is in response to
demand for more rational curri.
culum, including cultural and vocation
al subjects, and what is of even greater
Importance, vocational direction and
! guidance. Too many junior high schools
$ are not Junior high schools, but only
! Seventh, Eighth and Ninth grades re-
l organized as grammar schools The
Junior high schools to be effective must
be organized on an elective basis. Eng.
lish, including writing and spelling, the
= ancient and modern languages, higher
D mathematics, history and civics and ele.
mentary science must be offered for
> those pupils who are planning to do
z work in advanced institutions, while
English, including writing and spelling,
history and civics, arithmetic book
. keeping, manual training, plain sewing
and cooking, printing, typing and ele.
\ mentary science, should be offered 20
u those pupils who do not seek an ad-
:. :. vanced education. The present ten.
dency in school curricula indicates that
J it will not be long before the ancient
y languages will be offered only in the
y higher institutions of learning, while
|, in the public schools only those subjects
= will be taught which nave vital rela-
a ton to the civic, social, economic and
a Industrial activities OF the community
u , in which the schools are maintained, In
the past, the school has been organized
effectively only for the few The new
Z school must meet the needs of all the
children Of all the people
The cultural value of the so.called
y y vocational subjects must not be over
u Looked. Much power in expression
, beauty Of diction and accuracy in thC
y use of language may be developed il
Y writing out the solution of some loca
o industrial problem. Indeed, it has beer
y found that the pupils who take onl!
the vocational subjects can do the ad
vanced work in the cultural subject
i with as much vigor and success as caI
y those who have come up through tn
. : regular curricula.
I, Great liberty should therefore, b.
" given TO students in the choice Of sub
- jects, and interest should be the basi
~ of selection. 1t is unwise to insist upo
=, the study Of ancient languages whe
~ the pupil is more deeply interested /
20 mechanics and science.
W Nor would the number of student
- who attend the higher institutions 0
" learning be decreased by this freedoI
y. in the choice Of subjects In school
10 where this plan has been developed
- has been fCund that larger numbe
Il i Of students attend the classical as we
u, as the technical institutions. The stl
y dent soon realizes the Importance q
av knowledge and the value of genert
w culture, and as 9. result decides to pc
ls sue more advanced courses. The essei
@ se tial thing is that pupils form the hab
uo Of continuous, intensive, concentrate
y effort. Educators have come to beliey
a that the program OF studies counts fl
VI " less than forming the habit of persis
IS ent industry.
s.e De The organization Of the Salem scho,
ll system on the "six and six - plan, pr
lu viding for a junior and senior hip
us school, makes II possible to offer Il
es vocational subjects which are in ha
"S mony with this advanced tendency