Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-01
CHOOL FOR THE UNUSUAL, BOY
Hy FREDERIC !. IIASf<IS

Iout of the public schools because he
couldn't get along la them.
Here they study the Individual They
d" what II Is impossible to do IN a
big machine such as The ordinary pub
!it school has 10 be This Is a special
school for special cases. There are
boys Of all types rcprescntcd Tho
unusually bright boy is just as hard
Tor the big school 20 handle as tn.
unusually stupid or the unusually mis-
chIeN"us boy Miss Campbell tells OF
one boy that she taught "a good many
years ago, who has since brcninc on,.
81 IA" leading profcaslouul meu IN
nc. Shb"riaE n!s clt> Ylat boy was
c"nt!nuaiiy IN ,roU0le. much of IT Sc
r'"na tir was cvoH up before the
court Ills trouble WA. that he WAS too
bright II" could finish his lessons in
haif Inc time allotted. and spend In.
other half doinE lh!uEs better left un-
done lie could play truaut two on
three day" running. and sum keep up
"lth the class. and he knew IT, He
rrnbao!y hAd " certain coricmp, for the
"'ii"pl program, ana those who had 10
labor over IT. :. rcsgl; his school
days werc ono continual turmoil
Ia the broadwnY School they will
i.ecli a boy busy II he has the brain
Of " Webster They study each case
and GiNc II rs much To do AS necessary.
The school ia not divided into grades
hut into Groups, That gives Il loon
hole ANA renewed sclf-rcspcci 10 the
| bog WI" is low for his age and size,
and WI" Otter quits because he is
aShnmra to br classci Win the little
| boys II also gives "A chance Tor the
boy whose abilities arc acattcring-
not rar" type. and often one OF um-
usual ability along certaiu lines
The big pubic school takes a cross
section OF II dozen subjects and Of
feis II AZ q year, work. such q cross
section contains part OF each sub
irc, that is as difficult Ia it's way as
thr parts uf all the other subjects.
IN" boy who can master one can master
al! Thrr - the theory and ~ works
/ with the averaG" child. II doesn't work
/ ia certain cases. Thcy have boys IN
| tn" broadway school who can't spell.
/ Thcy may n"vcr learn TO spell. Tha,
weaisncss held thcm down in grade.
Ker' ,hcm lrom promotion They
{ couldn't pass i0 spelling. Yet one
OF them - i!nc ari,hm"rlciau. a branch
/ calling for higher type of brain than
| spelling. He may grow up unable 10
/ spell words Of a!N letters, but that is
/ really no reason for holding him back
! IN other branches II ho has capacity
/ he can get somebody 10 do his spelling
I 10. him tpr SIS 81 week
/ To give any comprehensive idea OF
/ the various types tina; a school like
I The Broadway Will naturally get, in any
/ big city. would mean giving a sketch
, Of every ono OF the thirty boys, and
/ then tho next thirty that arrive may
I be different. They probably Will be.
! That is what is the matter with these
! boys or what they are blessed with.
! they are different,
The theory OF the school consists in
I individual attention and continual
/ supervision Each hoy VIII get the
f! work he needs. even II THAI means :.
| combination Of Grst-gradr arithmetic
! with Savcnth-Gradc geography The
| supervision is a tribute TO the fact that
/ not all Of them arc her. on account of
unusual mentality some OF them have
been unable 10 get along on account
| OF a genius for getting into trouble.
The motto OF the school IS ~ chance
{ fox every boy and the record of the
newcomer is not even investigated. He
gets chnnce TO mako Il new one.
! As an experiment, the school is in
tcrcst!ns and significant. II is a pub
waite schools do. but IT. combines tho
advantages of both systems The pub
lie school may tend too much toward
the machine occasionally, hut there is
q fine discipline fov anybody in being
lart of machine. There is n certain
impcrsonality and ruthlessness about
she laws of big public school sys-
toir that give the child y foretastc of
the laws OF the world. Even for the
on; of the ordinary boy whose parents
can afford to send him to u priva e
school, such ~ school as the broadway
would seem 10 be Il good thing. And
V. nen the family can't afford private
schcol--wcll, the state owes an educ: :
ton to the unusual individual just as
much as to the average