The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-10-12
New School Methods
By FREDERIC J. HASKlN


to school on the first of October he met
with a new and disconcertirg ex-
perience. He was required to open his
mouth and say ''Ah" while his teacher
carefully examined his molars to see
that they were in good condition Then
he was requested to unfasten his collar
and turn his head from side to side while
his neck and ears were infinitely inspect
ed 1t has not yet been announced by
the board of education whether there
will be an adjacent washroom where he
may remedy any defects in his morning
toilet. or whether he will be sent home
for repair, but it has announced that
from now on absolute personal clean
illness is to be the ideal of the New
York schools and that hygiene is going
to be put on practical basis.
Every child is going to know the
necessity of toothbrush, the value of
the individual towel, handkerchief and
comb before the New York school gets
through with him." said one educator
in discussing the new plan. In addition
to this, he will also learn the science of
food, so that all-day suckers and five
cent pastry will no longer appeal to
him. 1t has often been pointed out by
child authorities that if children under
stood the value of good food they would
become quite amenabe to discipline in
the matter of diet, so the New York
board of education is going to put the
theory to the test.
This is only one of the numerous re-
forms and experiments that are going
forward in public schools all oyer the
country this year. Vocational schools
are opening for the first time in many
cities under different systems of mana
cement. In Minneapolis, for example,
the free and arbitrary choice of voca-
tional courses for children will be tried
out in a practical manner this year.
There are two Juniors enior high schools
in Minneapolis, having vocational train
ing courses, and in one of these the
student will be asked to choose what
he is going to do, and how and when he
, is going to do it, and in the other he
will be told what to do and how and
when to do it." BY the end of one
year the school officials believe they
will be able to ascertain which system
| is the more efficient, and by the end of
three years, they feel there will be no
doubt Each school is to have voca-
tional guide, who will have nothing to
do with the classes, but who will act as
an agent in placing graduating pupils
and following up their careers.
The public school authorities have at
last started in to test the various
/ theories which have been propounded by
psychologists and medical men. The
first complaint was based on Inadequate
physical facilities Of the schools. The
desks were either too low or too high
for the children; the rooms were badly
ventilated, causing. them to take cold,
and the quarantine inspection was not
strict enough. One by one all of these
faults have been remedied. but now the
criticism is directed to the question OF
the educational system itself. After
eight years, stated the critics, the
majority of the public school student;
are left absolutely unprepared to meet
the obligations of the world Why were
there no vocational schools? Other;
complained that after eight years OF
schooling their children could not add 6
simple column of figures nor write ar
ineligible letter.
! To these criticisms, the school au.
thorities replied that the schools haC
fitted the past generations admirably
and they did not see why they should
not suit the modern child But, secret.
", few progressive educators made
some inquiries in the commercial worC
concerning boys and girls who had left
their schools at the end of the Sth grade
to help support themselves. In great
many cases the children had succeeded
very well, but it was usually with the
help of classes established by their EN-.
ployers who desired to promote the
efficiency of their staffs. 1t was Their
that the school teachers and educators
of the nation began to criticize the ole
traditions of education themselves anC
to cooperate with the psychologists anC
the medical men and the parents IL
working out new methods and making
new experiments.
In Vulnerable instances it was brought
to the attention OF various educators
that great deal Of the school work
was repeated in different grades anc
that many children were quite capable
of skipping whole grades. In one schoO
in the District of Columbia. for ex.
ample, large number of children were
promoted to the eighth grade from the
seventh grade when they had accom-.
plished practically no seventh grade
work at all. The teacher had beer
singularly inefficient, but for some
reason had escaped the attention of the