Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-02-04

a plan so radically different from the
customary one without carefully test
ing its applicability.
Arguments for and against the Gary
plan are presented by Superintendent
Van Sickle. He says:
THE Gary plan is advocated largely,
but not exclusively, on the ground of
lower cost. There are those, however,
whose approval is based upon the claim
that by means of a longer school day
l. affords to the children wider oppor-
tunities for work, study, and play; that
it distributes the burden CT teaching
more evenly over the entire teaching
staff; and that it affords prevocational
training to all children in all of the
grades instead of combining such work
to small group of children in the
seventh and eighth grades.
"The Gary system has commended
itself to students of education for var
ious reasons. 1t promises:
/. An enriched school life for every
pupil.
oo0rd;not;o, oe al o,.;4.,, -.
childwelfare agencies and a fuller
utilization of all facilities in present
public and private recreational and ed
ucationaI institutions.
8. A solution of the part-time
profile.
4. A double school plan by which
school seat serves two children.
5. A wider use of the school plant.
6. An increase in the school day
through coordination of work, study,
and play activities.
7. A program that would invest the
child's nonacademic time to greater
profit and pleasure.
s. A socialized education in harm
ony with progressive thought of the
day.
"On the other hand, those who op-
pose the immediate and wholesale
adoption of the duplicate plan for the
elimination of part-time express
doubt as to certain novel features of
school administration which it en-
bodies, such as departmental teach
ing for all children from the first year
through the eighth, instruction of
groups of children by pupils instead
of teachers, the grouping together of
younger and older pupils for addition
ium period for classroom instruction,
tie omission formal of physical
training, supervised play with only
four teachers for IL classes, the de-
ferring of scholastic work for first
year children until late in the after
noon. They urge that sufficient time
has not elasped to test the worth Of
1.-the schemes.
"A further criticism is that outside
instruction in the home or in the
church is permitted, but that no
means is provided for seeing that
such instruction is the equivalent of
regular schooling.
ITO this criticism the reply is madt
that it would be very unfortunate if
the school undertook to insure that
such instruction should be the euuiy-
aIent of regular schooling for in
that case the school would be super
yising religious instruction which the
law expressly prohibits. The program
simply provides that the child can
be excused during the DAY to take
private lessons at home or attent.
religious instruction, if the parent so
desires. These periods are never talk
en from the academic work and there
fore do not detract from the regular
work of the school AS in the case Of
play and auditorium, it is simply time
which in the traditional school. the
child would spend upon the street,
What is taught in these outside class
es and how it is taught is not and
should not be the concern of the