New Britain herald., 1918-01-23


 people it is not dealing with homo geneous mass but with graded scales ! of capacity. To meet this fact and to 1 defeat retardation differentiation in ! the courses of study has been planned and special classes have been organ 1 iZed by it's educators, so that each 1 child of school age in a community may find work in school suited to his powers.
 The result of non-prom is hu- man waste, and every means to meet the needs of limited capacities and to i awaken interest and enthusiasm is being provided for in the school. For democracy realizes that it's public can. not be ideally responsible unless it's l individuals-an of them-are intel 1 ligent informed, skilled, and resource full up to the limit of their respective capacities. Thus, the school has | formed classes for the over-age and | backward, for the precOciOus and the 1 able, for the immigrant, for the atyp- | ical; and industrial, vacation, evening, and trade schools are meeting future needs. The change that has effected the subject matter is, one not of name but of content and application. Read l ing, writing and arithmetic hold an | important place in the curriculum, | they still contain facts that must be | taught; drills are 9 necessary part of l most exercises; and a serious attitude 1 of pupils toward all assignments is 1 expected; but these subjects together with history, geography, and civics, | the sciences and the languages, and the domestic and industrial arts are | all so closely allied with social ac | tivities that an exercise conducted without the social touch can only be 1 partially successful. The appeal of l President Wilson to give phases of our national and community life and in terests a prominent part in the school , curriculum is a timely challenge to 1 dem ocracy's educators to minimize abstract and isolated teaching, and to emphasize the concrete, the useful, | the human.
 'Traditionally, formal discipline of mind and body, which was prescribed through dogmatic methods, tended to curb initiative and to emphasize the | organization of the school and curri- 1 culum. The child, so governed, be- came docile and receptive and very | dependent on routine. The fact that the pupil was a social being was often 1 disregarded. Discipline and good or der are essential in every school, but l their place is that of directing the | freedom and independence of the whole child for the good of the whole 1 class through real tasks. Orderly passing, erect positions obedience and self-respecting attitude toward work and authority are all phases of a good | will socially controlled. This control is effected through opportunities to | judge and act, through freedom to question and experiment and through trust in a wise and firm director and helper.
 "The physical and mental develop ment of the whole child cannot be separated from the development of the spirit or soul and while society has left the responsibilities for les ] sons in spiritual conduct almost l wholly on home and church, at tho same time, the public school, so closely related to the home and so sacredly entrusted with the care of the hearts and souls of the children for a great part of the day, cannot neglect it's obligations toward moral growth. The moral and spiritual lessons of right and wrong taught 
 ment example, and personality arc those that assist church and home in strengthening character and prcpar-
 ing youth to be fearless defenders Of
 truth and justice in evil days, and
 promoters of true liberty and progress in peaceful ones.
 'DemOCracy demands that the
 school hold close relations with the
 home and it's environment. and pro-
 vide educational opportunities for the
 community in which it is located
 The social service cooperation be-
 citations, while, yet unOrganizeG, is
 nevertheless, a potential factor in
 understanding tho home and in assist
 ing it to fulfill it's duty to democracy
 The evening schools, the provision
 for playgrounds and public recreation
 the parent-tcacher associations and
 the use of the school plant as 8 com
 munity center are all dcmocracy's agents for raising the plane. of intelIi- | genCe, and for preparing it's people l for efficient service and keener sense . l of public duty. And since demOcrac cy procaims the right of every human ; 1 being to life and equality of oppor- [ tunity, and since it expects from him responsibility and service, it places trc l preparation for this end on that strong, moulding, compelling, national infuence-the school"