The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1917-02-02

citation Of Carroll County met and Te-
organized ON Friday, January 10th, ln
The assembly hall w the Westminster
High School, and tine teachers enjoy
ed one OK the most interesting pro-
grams ever rendered at one Of these
meetings. The order of business was
as follows
a. Organization by election OF offi-
GERS. Mr. III. R. Young was elected
president. ana Mr. J. F. Reese was
elected SECRETARY.
2. Music BY Westminster High
School Orchestra
These boys are deserving Of much
praise fOr the amount OIL time and
hard work they have put in their
music. They are under the direction
of Miss Ida F. LOckard-
g. Superintendent Unger then IT.
troduced Prof. W. ". Clifford, OF Gou-
cher College, whose work iS particu-
larIv concerned with the training OF
high school teachers in GOuCher. Prof.
Clifford said in part:
"I think that every one or us must
first of all have in the background of
his thought at the time the general
situation as regards high school. Its
present status iS one that has come
upon Us with marvellous force. As
you are doubtless aware, IN has only
been ninety-six years since the first
high school was established In this
country. "a number Of families are
sending children TO high schools and
this means great changes OIL high
school functioning, a. there III quite
variety or children, some foreign,
some otherwise What the high
school should do about it. problems
Or how IL should ~ about solving
them IL al very grave question with us.
High schools five, certainly ten years
ago, in most Of the states Urn this
Union were principally preparatory
schools FOR high school teachers.
Nothing of that sort is true now e.
cept here and there In certain states;
there has come new demand, new
requirement, and think this meeting
| is an indication of II. I am going to
bring before you three questions
First, What is the nature of the
psychological problem? Second, What
are the goals which social life de-
mands must be met by the youngster
who comes out of high school? Third,
What are some of IT, reconstruc ctions
that seem w " demanded 1H rne mUd4
ern high school?
What impresses me most about the
adolescent child, ~ the fact of his in-
dividual ability, the fact that mo two
children at that age seem at all alike.
Often children are very much alike
because they are members of the
same family. OIL course you have
studied Kings High School Age" In
going further into individualizing the
high school one must b. impressed
seriously with the fact that at the
present time 1t must be done In a
sympathetic way. Then again it IL
necessary, it seems to me, to make up
our minds that adolescence IL not q
synonym for excessiveness, or a
synonym for a period or life that Is
really abstinent We cannot 10 to the
extreme, and I think that one can see
that brought out I'm much of the early
literature There are also the physi-
cal changes. we know the adoIes-
cent child develops in growth, de-
velops in weight, etc.; his voice
changes over night. We are recog-
nizing on the other hand that there
IL distinctive development that Is
comparatively novel in high school
children. From my own experience
III recall those high moods and low
moods, that feeling Of being able to
tear the world upside down, or to
get out of sight from extreme bash
fulness. These are the basis for the
civic ideals that guide and direct the
social life, and they are more prevail
aent in the high school age than in the
adult The MOST interesting changes
are the changes of independence and
activity. I find 1t very clearly in my
youngest boy of eleven, because he
has had a variety OF experience in the
city, country and town The desire
for intellectual independence and for
actual activity are characteristics
which you and I find make good
teachers in some Of our high schools.
We are disappointed with the results
we get out Of some of our College
students just as you teachers are dis
appointed with the students OF the
high school. The children have not
been trained to do the things for
themselves, have had this large de-
gree OF energy not directed, but sub
dued them These are among the
many things that will have to be ad-
justed i'm our supervised systems we
need to see what il changing, intel
ligence, instinct, etc, and until we do
We are not solving our high school
situation nearly as fast as we might
Probably we have not gone about the
thing in the way we should. What
are the aims? What are the goals?
Compare our problem with that OF the
farmer who goes out to plant his
grain i'm the spring; 1t seems To me
he has comparatively definite aims.
He thinks he Is going to have the best
crop possible. His outline or aims IL
definite. The merchant who sets I'D
a corner grocery store, the man who
is building houses, the real estate
problems are simpler
than ours We are dealing with life
which is more diversified, much more
than these matters of ma
terial life and that makes a very diff
ferent problem for us
What does modern social life de-
nand of the product WE turn out of
high school. We have not consider I
ed this question al fully ID We ought |
a. We have not always had the ath-
etics that we ought To have had, and \
vet this H. the sort of thing that So n
eiety wants does it not? We must K
Keep i'm mind that the child must have
b sound body and if W. fail in that, if n
we do az I have known many high
schools To do, neglect that part, we
Ire not getting the best out Of our