New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-15

= EolNt 20 De pIs over on them
which will make this passing BUSH
ness harder.
Children Easier to Teach Under the
Gary Plan
From my knowledge CT the Gary
schools ! can say definitely that chill
dren in work-study-snd-plsy schools
are easier 20 teach than those in the
traditional school Teaching Is hard
when children 10 not want 20 learn.
In a work-study-and-play school chill
dren want 20 learn. They want %
learn because their interest is excited.
ne boy on the playground who wants
20 keep score and Is not allowed 20 be-
cause he cannot add is eager for the
arithmetic hour. because u will give
him something that he wants and
needs. \ boy or girl who IL getting
punctuation and parsgrsphing in tho
printing class Is easier 90 teach in the
English class. and the boy who needs
20 be up on his arithmetic before he
can take 10 certain fascinating physics
experiments Is no trouble 20 his arith-
metic teacher.
When a Child Learns.
Another objection made by the
teachers is that under the Gary plan
you do not know whether a child is
learning anything" Behind this cues
ton again IL the fear that the teacher
may not be r5le 10 pass the child.
But DO you know when a child 10
learning under the present systeml
Children always think exactly what
they choose. A boy may sit with fold
Cd hands looking az you with solemn
az d H.. Ii, -.
Your words. but his mind is enjoying
itself just as il pleases. He may be
able 10 repeat after you IN parrot
fashion your exact words. but again he
Is thinking exactly what he pleases.
Adults really know this. In fact. u is
the lurking suspicion IN the adult mind
that the small mite standing before
him is not completely under his domi-
nation, which prompts him TO say to
the recalcltrant one in moments Of
stress and tension. with possibly an
added shake. DO you hear what | say.
JohnT or course, John hears what
you say; he can't help II; he is stand
ing only two feet away-or worse. per-
maps, ne IS imprisoned on your knee.
Yes, johnny hears what you say, and
ne can even repeat your exact words
IN voice void OF expression and eyes
looking straight before him. but
though he IS on your knee his mind
may be far distant. surveying the
scene. untouched by your argument
and arriving quite definitely at conclu-
slons OF ms own In regard 20 the Jus
tice Of the whole affair
An investigation made by the Voca
tional Education Survey in 1912 OF 500
children who left school for work
showed that in most cases children
left school because they were not in
terested In IL. When pressed for
reason Tor their lack Of interest they
SAID that after the fourth grade ut
was nothing but repeating" While
those children were repeating" their
lessons they were thinking about the
tsings that interested them. Their
Viiu" as vorkerI and citizens depended
Upon their thoughts and not upon the
repeating"
The only criterion that the teacher
ever has that = child is learning any
tnlng Is that he Is interested in what
ne = DONG and is doing IL with a con-
centration that totally ignores every
ming and every one for the time being.
hat is the way children work in the
Gary schools. A. matter of fact.
children do not notice the "noise on =
playground" Il they are vitality inter
csted ln what they are doing. and the
teacher does not notice the "shrieksD
because children do not shriek an tbs
playground il they get enough time 10
play and enough activity during the
day. It's when they are kept strapped
Tor hours 20 school seats. with only ten
minutes recess Ia which 10 let off
steam, that bed!am is let loose. More
over. m reorganizing schools on the
Gary plan IN New York Fairgrounds
are 20 arranged that they do not inter
tere with the classroOms and only 500
children play al once.
The chief difference between the Writ
school and the traditional school /,
that the Writ schools are founded upon
belief m children belief that they viii
develop self-reliance if they are given
responsibility; belief in their power 10
tnink Tor themselves when they have
problems OF daily life 20 solve; belief
IN their power 20 work on these prob
.eNs with concentration and interest.
Ut you do not have that belief you will
probably be- appalled, by the work
) study-and-play plan until you try i.
Locker Keys and self-ReIiance.
- i' at actual TACT tnat some teach
ers are skeptical Of the whole Wir,
plan because in the Gary schools chill
dreE have 70 carry their locker KEYS
about with them, and children would
always lose their locker keys" When
you suggest that learning not 10 lose
locker keys is educational in itself-snd
u children can't learn things like that
IN school, how are they going 20 hold
their jobs when they get out Of school?
they smile pityingly and tell you that
from long experience they know that
children could never learn not TO lose
their keys" Not al teachers are Like
that. Some are. Criticism of the Wit
p.a1 from such teachers is actually .
searching and scathing criticism Of he
present public school system, whose
autocracy and iron-clad rules have not
only worn the teachers nerves 70
shreds, but bereft them Of faith in
children and in the efficacy Of their own
Job.
other questions from teachers In re-
gard 10 fhe Writ plan will be answered
~, Thursday