The Ocala evening star., 1915-01-23
GRAMMAR SCHOOL ENGLISH
AS a Preparation for High School
English

Paper read by Miss Katherine Scott
before the Marion County Educational
Association, Jan. Is, 1915.
English is so thoroughly practical,
so necessary in the daily life of every
person that it/needs no other excuse
for occupying large space in the
school curriculum. We study English
to gain the power of Interpretation
and the power of expression to train
ourselves to think accurately and to
speak correctly.
To speak correctly is the first work
of an educated person. He may know
little or nothing of mathematics and
the world may be none the wiser.
But let him open his mouth to speak
and commit single blunder and he
is classed with the uneducated. The
world cannot take the time to look
into every mans record to discover
what he has studied and what he has
not. The one great test is ever at
hand-does he speak correct English?
We have only to ask a question wait
for passing remark, and very often
the matter is settled.
have been asked to discuss this
morning, Grammar School English as
a Preparation for High School Eng
lish"-just what knowledge of Eng
lish high school English teacher
may expect of the pupils just enter
ing the department.
A student must have some definite
equipment for his English work in
the high school. He cannot follow
the course without some degree of
preparation, moreover, he must be on
the alert constantly to improve and
increase his equipment. It is taken
for granted that his observations and
experiences have given him store of
thoughts opinions and convictions.
His previous education should supply
him with considerable stock of gen.
eral information. He should have
been taught to use his powers of OBJ
servation-to use his eyes and ears
to some purpose.
When he enters the high school, he
should also have perfect storehouse
Of memory gems, simple little poems
and passages from our world of great
v.iters. These will serve him as
'teuch-stones of literature" during his
manning years of school life and in
eed throughout his life. 1t is not
asking too much surely Of the prima-
" and grade teachers to ask that the
child be able to interpret what he
reads1to get the thought in the line
and occasionally between the lines
forms such large part of the course
in the grades. Is it too much to ex-
pect the child to be able to read in
telligently after eight years of prep
aration?
Then may we high school teachers
not ask-nay, deamnd-that the pu-
pills coming to us be able to spell
with fair degree of accuracy anc
that they should command gooC
working vocabulary of words that are
in recognized good use? The simpler
rules of capitalization and punctua
tion should have been so instilIed il
the pupils mind by constant practice
and drill that they have become sec
ond nature with him.
A pupil entering the high schoo
should have been early taught tn,
"habit of writing" So much of tn,
horror of theme writing is due to lacl
of familiarity with the deed. A chile
who has not had the proper training
in the grades and the constant prac
tice approaches it as a formidable de
mon in the high school.
No pupil should be allowed to leav
the grades until he is able to pre-
pare neat paper-with clean, direct
complete sentences, correctly spelled
punctuated and capitalized an
subject of his school work But j
isn't enough that he be able to writ
correctly. He should from the frs
be required to express himself i
clear, well-formed sentences in a dis
tinct voice in every oral recitation
And let me add that one of the mos
serious drawbacks in the Englis
! work is the fact that pupils get tn
= impression that correct English an
neat papers are to be used only in tn
English class and in composition
Let every recitation be recitatio
in English and you will see a mar