Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-06


New York child went back to school on
the LIST OF October he met with a new
anu ulSconcertinE experience. He WAS
required TO open his mouth and say
An while his teacher carefully cx-
amined his molars 10 see that they
were in good condition. Then he was
requested to unfastcn his collar and
urn ms head from side to side while
ms neck and ears were ininutcly in
spccted 1t has not yet been announced
~, ny the board Of education whether
'nere VIII he an adjacent waShroom
where he may remedy any defects in
ms morning toilet, or whether he Will
DC sent home for repair. but /, has
announced that from now OF absolute
personal cleanliness is To b. tn. idco,
Oh the New York schools and ,b,t
teal basis
Every child Is going 60 know the
necessity of the toothbrush the value
Oh INC individual towel. handkerchief
.'"u COMB before the New York school
gets through with him" said one .du-
cator In DISCUSSING the now plan In
ADDITION to this, he VIII also learn IN.
SCIENCE or food, SO that a!l-day suckers
ana scent pastry viii lao longer an
peal To him II has "!tcn been pointed
OUT by child authorities that IL children
understood the valuc Of good food tbcv
would become quite amcuabIo =, dis
Slpiinc in the matter Of diet. so<th.
New York board OF education is t.oiu,,
10 put the theory TO she test
ms Is only one OF the numerous
reforms and experiments that are roi,I,.
forward in public schools all over th,
country this year Vocational schonis
are opening for the first time i'm n,,ny
cities under different system of man
"EcHl.h'. In Minneapolis. FOR example
the Tree and arbitrary choice OF vocu
llohai courses for children Will be tried
ou' IN "A practical manner this wear
lhere are two junior-scnior hirh
schools in Minneapolis having vocn
!i"hal training courses. and in one OF
THESE the student Viii he asked Ia
choose what he is going Ia do and
now and when he is going tn do :, >,
ana in the other he will he told yha,
I" 40 ana now and when to 10 it." Rv
.he ehd OF one year the school officials
believe they Will be able TO asccr,ai,,
"hich system is the more efficient. and
pF the end Of three years. they feel
thcre VIII be no doubt. Each school
Is TO nave a vocational guide who viii
nave nothing 10 do with the classes,
nut who VIII act as an agent i'm placinr
graduating pupils and followinp nm
their careers ~
Theories Are Dcinr Tested.
me pubic school authorities have
nj last started in to test the various
,hcorles which have been propounded
by psychologists and medical men .rhc
hrst complaint was based on the in
adequate physical facilities Of Inc
sch9ols. The desks were either too
low or too high for the children: tho
rooms were badly ventilated. causing
them 10 take cold, and the quarantine
inspection was not strict enough. ono
by one all Of these faults have bccn
rcmedied, but now the criticism is az
rected TO the question OF the cduca-
tional system itself. After eight years.
stated the critics. the majority of the
public school students left school an
solutely unprepared to meet the obliga.
tons of the world. Why were there
no vocational schools? Others com
planned that after eight years Of school.
ing their children could not add 4; sim
pie column OF figures nor write an In.
telligible letter.
To these criticisms, the school au.
thoritics replied that the schools had
lifted the past generations admirably
and that they did not see why they
should not suit the modern child. But
secretly. n few progressive educators
made some inquiries in the CONNER.
cial world concerning boys and girls
who had left their schools at the end
OF the eighth grade to help support
themselves. In great many cases
the children had succeeded very well
but ii was usually with the help O..
classes established by their employers
who desired TO promote the efficiency
of their STATS. 1t was then that tho
nation began to criticize the old ira
ditions Of education themseIvcs\ and
to cooperate with the psychologists
and the medical men and the parents
in working out new methods and maxi
ing new experiments
ReBetitiOns aud Omissions Common
In innumerablc instances It was
brought to the attention Of various
educators that Il great deal Of the
school work was repeated in different
grades and that many children wcr6
quite capable Of skipping whole grades
In one school I'm the District OF Co.
lumbia. for example, a large number
of children were promoted to the eighth
grade from the seventh grade when
they had accomplished practically no
seventh grade work at all. The teach
or had been singularly inefficient, but
for some reason had escaped the at
tention OF the school authorities. When
the children came to the eighth grade
teacher she was at her wits cnd to
know what to do with them to get
their attention and to make them work.
Upon questioning 81 few of them she
discovered the astonishing fact that
their afternoons OF the year before
had hcen spent in bicycling and roller
skating when they should have been
in school. ct was very simple" said
one girl, you climbed out the window
OF the cloak-room and had your skate.
and just before the afternoon roll call
was taken you climbed back In again.
The teacher never knew the difference"
In spite Of this seventh-grade handi-
cap, however. the majority of these
children had no difficulty in complete
ing their eighth-gra work and maxi
ing high school the next fall.
How many cities have removed the
age requirement OF fourteen years for
entrance into high school, and IL