New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-27
Pcnrod and School.

/ in fact. he had been told, ana tolu an"
| told. but the words conveying this m
formation. meaningless at first. as
sumed. with each repetition, more ana
more the character OF dull and IN
solicited insult
ale was wholly unable 10 imagine
circumstances, present or future, un-
der which any Of the instruction or
teaching he was now receiving could
be of the slightest possible use or
benefit 10 himself. and when he was
told that such circumstances would
frequently arise in his later life, ne
bu, felt the slur upon his coming man
hood and its power to prevent any
such unpleasantness.
"To Penrod. school was merely a
state Of confinement. envenomed by
mathematics. For intcrminable periods
he was forced TO listen to information
concerning matters about which he had
no curiosity whatever. and he had TO
read over and over the dullcst pages
in books that bored him into stupors'
while always there overhung the pre-
posterous task Of improvislng plaus-
lille evasions to conceal the fact that
he did not know what he had no Wish
to know. Likewise, he must always
he prepared 10 avoid discriminating re-
niles 70 questions which he felt no
bodv had a real and natural right to
ask him. And when his gorge rose
and his inwards revolted, the hours
became series of ignoble adventures
and petty disgraccs. strikingly lacking
in privacy"
That strikes us as a pretty accu-
rate description Of the average school
and the average boy. We commend
il TO the thoughtful and prayeriui
consideration of parents. Nhen you
come 70 think Of II. were your school
DAYS ANYTHING like that? Can II be
that your own small bov is feeling
like Penrod? Can you blame MN II
no does? Penrod was not stupid; ne
was A bright boy, as your boy doubt
less is. But does school make MN
brighter? Or does II drive nm me
DESPERATE scrapes 20 let off steam u
so il would be worth your while 10
find out about the Gary plan. Gary
schools create child world IN when
children have a chance for norma
outlet of their energies ell day long
in wholesome. healthy activity. iheF
are kept 50 busy and interested m
work and study and play Tor whlch
they see some reason that they nave
neither time nor inclination to exercise
their desire for activity IN all sorts Of
ilegitim-te ways
WHY the Auditorium.
Dear Madam: Please state IN Der,
mite terms just what work you "oulu
eynoct twelve classes Of forty TO MY
children each. say 500 children 10 90
when supervised by four teachers ID an
auditorium? How would you MAKE
the work progressive from day 10 uay
and from week 10 week Please state
how YOU would accommodate 5,OOO pn-
nils. conservative estimate OF tne
number who would need to be accom-,
modated. The majority OF inc aud'
forums have p seating capaelty o.
about 600 but not more than 300 could
we'll hear any address or explanatory
remarks. Very truly yours.
"%nry York CITY. A TEACHER"
Well. in the first Place. should not
evnect the children TO be supervised
nv teachers in an auditorium. Appaf-
o1tlv the most difficult thing about the
Gsry plan for the average teacher, or
lavman. to understand is the audlto-
INN neriod. The only explanation is
nat for years the school has been
"merely a state Of confinement en-
veroned bv mathematics" and other
lessons and classes. until we have come
70 bolieve that children are not learn
inc ANYTHING unless they are IN "A class
reci,inc lesson which we have decided
they ought 10 want TO reclte'
Auditorium Not a Classroom.
Rut the auditorium is not class
rom and the four teachers are not
oxnected 10 teach" the children as they
would in q classroom. The auditorium
il An assembly room What is an as
semblv room for US adults! u IS
room where an audience assemblies ana
is addressed by one or more people
who want to tell the audience some,
thing that they think the audience VII
no interested IN hearing about. nat
j. exactly what an auditorium - TOT
children. II is an assembly room when
bolds a, audience Of three or four
hundred children, and. on the Stage
ono or half dozen 20 twenty chlldreh
toII this audience, by means OF ara
mates or story telling. or lectures win
lantern slides or motion pictures, aDou
tho activities which they have oeeh
carving on in the shops science
Laboratories. studios and classrooms.
Rut isn't this radical departure
from school procedure? Not at all on
tho contrary the work done IN the au-
ditorium has been approved by educa-
TORS for wears. Every teacher tres 70
dramatize stories IN history or htera-
,ure because she knows It is an eNcei-
lent way Of fixing IN the MINDS OF cni-
dren the significance OF the Things 'hSl
arc STUDYING. The majority OF teach
ers try TO vary the monotony or theH
work by story telling and lantern
slides. Everyone agrees that these are
Legitimate methods OF educating cHH-
drcn. but the average school has never
heen able 10 do the work effectively pe-
cause il has tried 10 have the plays
and story telling IN the classroohs'
which. with their screwed down seats
and desks. are ill-adapted O. the dram
atization of anything. obviously me
auditorium is adapted TO this hlhd OF
work W.,
The only new thing about the WEI
use % the auditorium is that under ms
MAN the auditorium is used for th'
purposes for which ;. was bult- u Us
used all day long for dramatics'
spceches. story telling. lantern sides
80, n;r,ures instead OF fifteen MIN