The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1916-11-11
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER II, 1919
The Teachers Meeting at Grand
Junction

The recent meeting OF the Western
division OF the State Teachers assO-
citation at Grand Junction was unus-
ually successful, both from the stand
point of inspirational addresses, and
of practical talks from the successful
school men of the state on common
educational problems. The great val
ne Of such meetings comes as much
from comparing ideas with the teach
ers who are facing common aduca-
tionaI problems in different parts Of
the state, rs from the formal program
itself.
The outstanding feature of the
meeting was the generally accepted
idea that the entire school system of
this country is badly in need Of re-
vision; a revision that will build the
system up from the bottom instead OF
accepting the present system as built
from the top. This revision has al
ready been started and successfully
carried forward in many progressive
communities throughout the country.
Superintendent Francis Of Column
bus, Ohio, WAS enthusiastically Rp-
piauded when he stated that the pres
ent day report card is nothing but =
joke card, and should be done away
with; that the greatest weakness In
the educational system today is the
worship OF the three RS to the detri-
ment of the natural development Of
the boys and girls in the school sys-
TEN.
The movement for this revision 10
not new thing, but started several
years ago as a result Of the compara-
tive study of foreign and American
school systems. 1t has, however,
broadened, until the effort is to create
a thoroughly American school system
to answer the needs OF the American
democracy.
OF peculiar interest to teachers en-
gagged in high school work is the
movement for the organization Of the
Junior High school, to be formed
from the present seventh, eighth,
ninth and possibly tenth grades. This
phase of the revision is attracting
most attention at the present time.
The change is due to the growing
recognition of the fact that the pres
ent radical change from elementary
to high school comes at period in
the childs life when he Is least capa-
BILE of standing such a radical change.
The attempt is therefore being made
to spread the change over series Of
years, making the most abrupt change
come a year or two later, between
the ninth and tenth, or tenth and
eleventh grades. The Junior High
school is organized on the plan Of de-
partmental teaching as ordinarily
used in high school, covering about
the same subjects rs at present. but
with the emphasis changed to the
economic and social aspects OF these
subjects.
Supervised study is being used
quite largely in the Junior High
school in an attempt to meet the old
problem Of teaching the children how
to study. Some pre- vocational train
ing is also introduced, so that the
child at the end Of the ninth or tenth
grade may have some fairly definite
ideas as to the work he wants to do
in this world, and may begin to work
toward the accomplishment Of his
aims. Needless to say, the Junior
High school la not being attempted
in. most places, unless unusually
strong teachers are available. These
teachers should be college graduates,
and should have experience In both
high school and grade work.
O. S. Il.