Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-01-28
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SCHOOL, { system {
WORKS N GARY
Florence Potion Writes of Day
Spent in Model educational
institutions.
WORK ALL PLAY FOR PUPILS
Family Spirit Is the Strong Feature
Of the systeE-7eaeher y Like
Mother Of FIock-Grown.Ups
Attend Night Schools.
Rx FLORENCE BATON.

BY FLORENCE PATTON.
Chicago--A day in the Gary Qnd..
schools and a half hour with William
A. Writ, educational wizard, has jus,
been my privilege.
The day began at eight and ended
at five the regular school period 81
a Gary child, and came away filled
WITH an almost reverent admiration fol
this quiet, simple man Of accomplish
ment. could understand why his
revolution Of Gary schools mad urged
his name for superintendent OF sChlGa
20 schools to succeed Mrs. Young, and
why New York city begged his advice
to the tune of $4,000, recently.
Standing in the warm family atmos'
phere Of this Gary model place, know
that had hated the ste1eotyped school
day; the stir standing shoulder to
shoulder in line to march to class; the
everlasting .sameness of that morning
assembly; the clang Of the bell; the
depression OF that watch upon Whls'
pering-I always did have SO much
to say to Mary or Sadie or Rose;
the "sit up children straight'-(it
was So comfy to lounge bit could
think better) and all the rest of 1t that
still endures and icks a child unmercl'
fully. . .s..-
Low can the grade teacher with her her
smattering of information expect "a
compete in interesting child, with the
tutor, who, through specializing, is
thorough. interpretive, intuitiye and
resourceful? =.5f.n.
it isn't the grade teacher who is to
blame. It's the system. &
It came over me SO suddenly. so re-
freshmgly in the Emerson trip, that
| confess / was ratified when William
A. Writ, superintendent OF schools q
Gary, said he was ready for 2 talk.
What is it? What is it about this
place that fits one like a rocking chair,
made to order?" wanted to know.
And,the quiet answer came pat; "lt's
the family spirit
-.,r mo OySTWOFkSO NHuNaSU' .-
/. mentioned the long period from
eight until five o'clock. Let nobody i'm
agine there are overworked children in
the Gary schools. Primarily, the extra
two hours from three to five, are
meant to keep the boy and girl out Of
the street. 1t. is a crime, according
to Mr.. Writ, to let those two hours be
wasted, when they can be put in with
interesting play in the school.
For there, is no york in the Gary
schools 1t is all p,ay, meant TO be SO
And by the appearance OF the children,
you know this to be so. The Emer'
son, like the bigger Froebel school, &C.
commodities the high school pupils,
the grade children and the kindergar'
tens, Ill at the same time. Again it is
the family idea. The younger ones
have constantly before them the ex'
ample of the older children.
For instance, q kindergarten room
may be placed next to the botany room
or the physics laboratory. How tho
Dig eyes stare into those more digni'
fled quarters, how the little magma
lions plan to reach there some day.
And / saw a high school pupil racing
along a corridor with little tad in
tow. when classes changed one hour.
As to changing there is not set or
der, no rule. no stiff lining up. In class
and out pupils are not subjected to the
constant "Sh,,'' ACCOMPLISHMENT. The
teacher is more like the mother OF
the COCK or the big sister, and down in
the shops the boys appear to he work
ing with father. 1t is just because
there are no set, prisonlike rules, that
there is no noise and 10 disorder.
Some Group Always Playing.
Aud some gr0pp is playing all q
the time. There are about five acres
Of playground about the school and =
wading pool and garden ior the spring
and summer. And the auditorium,
gymnasiums and swimming pool ara
seldom empty. j, Some group is always
playing. Wien one Of three groups
returns for arithmetic or drawing, an.
other group goes out to romp or to
music in the auditorium or down to the
city market. And things are SO ar
ranged that, il the parents Of . child
so desire, play hQlir may be put in at
the family church fer religious ins.ruc-
ton. The churches have co-operated
with Mr.. Writ in this. n
Peeping into the class rooms saw
nrithmetic pupils sitting about as they
pleased, whispering il they chose, han
ding objects freely In the shops,
in most cases, presided over by ?
union man by the way, nobody ap-
peared to be instru cted by the instruc.
tor alone. A boy appeared to be learn
ing lorge work, for instance. as well
by consulting with more advanced
student, as from thu teacher.
In drawing class, seventh graders
were lined up At easels with fourth
graders and one high school boy was
working there with charcoal. This
|. Enole -rQop by stae WAY. had been
painted by the painting boys. had been
stenciled and nlled In by otheIe; .