Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-12
BACKWARD CHILDREN
AIDED BY SCIENCE
Penn Psychologist Gives View
OF Why Public Schools
EXAMPLES ARE PRESENTED

Several children who failed to make
any progress in the public schools showed
considerable development today when
presented before the schoolmen's week
conference in the psychological clinic
OF DIR. Lightner Wilmer at the Univer
sity of Pennsylvania.
Among the children presented at the
clinic was Sarah, a ten year old girl
who had been promoted to the fourth
grade in public school. despite the
facI tnat she could not read or write.
DIR. Frank Twitmeyer. assistant to
Doctor Wilmer. said the child had prob.
ably been advanced because she had an
ahectionate disposition or was well
liked.
AFTER demonstrating the defects of a
number OF children. Doctor Wilmer said
child who is mentally defective learns
more out Of school than in school. Such
child, he declared, is much better off
playing in the streets and would learn
more lodging automobiles or going to
the movies.
Plan Of Doctor Wilmer
Doctor Wilmer deplored the fact that
the public schools compelled uneduca =
table children to go to school until they
were sixteen years old and TO take train =
ing which did them no good.
Many children who 70 to school are
not worth educating under the present
system because they are congenital
illiterates.' said DR.. Wilmer. such
children should have special attention. -
Speaking Of older children, he said it
was absolutely fatal to compel a boy
of fourteen or sixteen to take the same
studies as children Of younger age. He
said there was urgent need of a trade
school for such children.
Regarding children who are taken
from school to work. DR.. Wilmer said
30 per cent of the children who receive
working certificates are not really cap
able and not adequately trained.
Schoolmen Amazed by Results
Educators from all parts of the state
who are attending the schoolmen's week
in the University of Pennsylvania were
amazed at the results obtained by the
methods employed by Doctor Wilmer
and his assistants.
DR.. Gladys G. Ida. who is in charge
of social service work for the clinic, and
Miss Alice Jones. an assistant school
worker, aided Doctor Wilmer in pre-
senting the children who have been
helped by the clinic after they have
failed to get along we'll in school,.
Here is Doctor winners description
of one Of the cases:
"A thirteen year old boy bent over
q table trying to read selection in the
first reader. His brows were drawn to-
gether and his mouth puckered as he
struggled with the complexities of
slow and have. The next time
he found these words he spelled them
out again. and so it happened a third
time. First grade reading was no joke
10 S.. At arithmetic S. did much
better. for he had acquired most of the
combinations in his school career. but
spelling-S-- couldn't spell. He saw
no reason for supposing that one let
ter was preferable to another in any
given instance. S. was not good in
school.
Training OF No Value
''S-- is graded "a. He has re-
peated at different times all of the
classes below that grade. and one or
two above. in an effort to get a run
ming start. His school life has been
strenuous, but not valuable to him,
and S. is now going on fourteen.
It is time he was doing better. $
thinks so himself. and is eager to quit
school and go to work. He has lost
all interest in things academic.
"The psychological clinic was asked
to try s. out. No reason was found
for his inability to read. He plans
work well. He does tests well, and
the metal equipment he uses in his
social life seems to be fully adequate
for his environment. In attempting
to teach S., it was found that he
lacked the very foundations of reading.
Drill in the use of phonics and in =.
sistence on accuracy in reading. definite
care in the study of his words for spell
ing and language have improved SIS
work so much that there seems no doubt
that he could have been taught to read
and spell properly years ago. Now
that he is almost ready to leave school,
about the best that can be expected is
that he may learn to read well enough
to read the daily paper. The years
of instruction s. has received have
not given him as yet the most necessary
tools to be used either in the acquire
ment of knowledge or as means to the
end that he may be self supporting"