The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-04-05
PROMOTIONS, THEIR USE AND
ABUSE

playIeIoWS 1Or the tnlngS ne valued
When he got a new sled at Christmas
his father instructed him not to lend
it. When the family apple tree was
ready with fruit his mother taught him
to keep his playfellows out of the
yard. When he was so fortunate as Ia
get a sack Of confectionery, it perhaps
was not large enough to go around
and after standing by and watching it
he cried owe the empty sack and was
rebuked for being a BABY by the bigger
boys. When he took an apple to school
the big boys took it away from him,
and when he told the teacher the boys
waylaid him. He put a high value on
these things. In such a way, a bow
must put a high value on his grade to
which he may be promoted. The big
boy was promoted according to his
size, not for what he knew, was my ex-
perience when | was a boy. 1t has been
a competitive one all the way through.
To be personal, | myself, was sadly ne.
elected on certain phases of the ele-
mentary course of study, thereby max
ing it doubly hard for me to master
the unknown when | reached the adj
vanced grade. believe in a standard
of measurements whereby we can bet
ter our schools.
Only about one-half of the children
of the United States who enter the
first grade complete the fifth.
What is the reason, then? Can we not
lay 1t to the lack of civilization
bringing the home life in touch
with the school in these grades?
Only one-fourth complete the eighth
grade work.
Few of those completing the eighth
grade ever enter or go far into the
high school.
No two per cent of the young men
and women of the nation who start in
the grades receive a college education.
Where shall We begin to offer adj
verse criticism? Can We not lay much
thoroughness and accuracy, in the
grade work from which they come?
We may say then. true expression is
self expression, and self expression in
wolves first of all the s~pontanity, indi-
viduality. sincerity, and finally clear
ness, accuracy and correctness, that is,
have the pupil work on the problems
in his OWL horizon to meet the every
day situations of life. Pupils should
possess these qualities before they are
permitted to aspire to the advance
grade.
Years ago when some of us began
teaching in the rural schools of other
states we longed for something def
mite by which to gauge our classes.
The beginning of each year seemed in
adequate. How much arithmetic, gram
mar, geography and the like should be
taught with the different readers as
the basis, was a problem many of US
longed to solve, and the plans We work
ed out and found the blind cropping of
the real thing. Today we are trying
to vo~cationalize the schools with the
real thing, getting away from the n
practical side, by teaching manual
training, domestic science, sewing, ag-
culture to solve the community prob
lens of whatever nature they may be.
A noted lecturer once said: Never
laugh at the invitations and affections
you see in the young, for later they
become real" No doubt, We have all
heard the joking remark Sears Roe
bucks" catalogue is the ~"sheepherd-
er's Bible" Having this in mind the
course of study is the teachers bible,
she believing it will guide her to ul-
innate success. whether it can meet the
needs of the child or not. 1t seems
strange that our final examinations
should e such a bug-bear to intelli-
gent wide awake children. There must
be reasons for this. Non-attendance
and lack of interest tell us the story.
A sixth grade final examination would
prove very. beneficial to the pupils be.
cause they would begin in the fall to
prepare for the spring tests, if not
earlier. Believing such examination
would partly fll the gap where pupils
can be neglected on the part of the
teachers. A fifth grade and sixth grade
test at the end of the school year
would more to the parents, 1
mean thru the county superintendent
office. graded by him or his examining
board. Parents would urge and keep
their children in school Is they should
do. 1t is better to fail them there than
in advance grades If they do not show
efficiency.
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