The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-02-02
THE GARY PLAN.

when a scheme is proposed by
which existing school buildings may
accommodate two sets of pupils, it
is no wonder that wide interest is
aroused" declares Supt. J. H. Van
Sickle, of Springfield, Mass, in de-
scribing the spread of the Gary plan
of school organization in report
just received by the United States Blu
reau of Education of the Department
Of the Interior.
ANY plan that will lessen the ex-
pense Of housing school children
makes a strong appeal to boards of
estimate, school boards and the
press. School boards are not will
ing, however, to be hurried into
adopting, for exclusive use in a sit
uatiOn quite different from that in
which it originated, a plan so rad
ically different from the customary
one without carefully testing it's ap-
plicability"
Arguments for and against the
Gary plan are presented by Super
intendent Van Sickle. He says:
1.-THE Gary plan is advocated large
ly, 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 it affords to
the children wider opportunities for
work, study and play; that it dis
tributes the burden of teaching
more evenly over the entire teaching
staff, and that it affords prevoca-
tiOnal training to all children in all
of the grades instead of confining
such work to small group of chill
dren in the seventh and eighth
grades
"The Gary system has commended
itself to students of education for
various reasons. It promises:
1. An enriched school life for
SNCIy pupil
2. A coordination of all exist
ing child-welfare agencies and full
er utilization of all facilities in pres
ent public and private recreational
and educational institutions.
3. A solution of the part-time
problem.
4. A double school plan by which
each school seat serves two children
S. 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 non-academic time to
greater profit and pleasure.
8. A socialized education in har-
mony with progressive drought 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
embOdies such as departmental teach
ing for all children from the first
year through the eighth, instruction
of groups Of children by pupils in
stead of teachers, the grouping to-
gether of younger and older pupils
for auditorium, laboratory and work.
shop exercises, the subordination of
an auditorium period for classroom
instruction, the omission of formal
physical training, supervised play
with only four teachers for twelve
classes, the deferring of scholastic
work for first-year children until
late in the afternoon. They urge
that sufficient time has not elapsed
to test the worth of the schemes.
"A further criticism is that out
side 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.
"TO this criticism the reply is
made that it would be very unfortu-
nate if the school undertook to in
sure that such instruction should be
the equivalent of regular schooling,
for in that case the school would be
supervising 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
attend religious instruction, if the