Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1919-05-23

low grade work was found to be due to
defective vision, malnutrition, or other
physical ills.
We regret to note falling off in the
school improvement associations in many
localities. The war and the influenza must
soon be discarded as alibis for neelecting
such good work, but alas, there remains
with US, like the poor, always, the servant
problem, looming larger now than ever in
these days when running elevators and
wrapping bundles are so much more al
Turing than the cook stove and the tub,
and tending to keep mothers from attend
ing meetings The committee feels, there
fore, that probably a strong education
committee in each club. reporting at every
meeting on conditions in local schools. and
planning regular visiting of the schools and
friendly intercourse with the teachers, is
the best substitute for the larger commu-
nifty gatherings at present. In several
localities. community leagues have been
started for the furtherance of all civic &C.
tivities, in which education sections are
planned of both men and women to give
special attention to the schools. Such
leagues were ably outlined by DR.. Henry
E. Jackson, of the Bureau Of Education, at
the recent annual meeting of the State
Federation in Baltimore.
A word as to the curriculum of the
Maryland schools. Trained pedagogists
have informed us, that the course of study
for our schools compares favorably with
the best in the country. and where criticism
is made of results the blame is due the
teacher for not having been able to get
the best out of it, and to the patrons of the
schools for not seeing to it that she does.
The chief criticism is in the teaching of
English, which is the chief criticism also
of the schools of the District and Virginia.
to my knowledge, and of many other
States to my supposition. 1t is the most
obvious defect. We may cleverly conceal
our inability to add the ice mans monthly
statement to his satisfaction or our own;
we may camouflage our knowledge of the
location of Czecho-Slovak republic I've
may evade discussion of obscure dates
and historical occurrences. but we are
Obliged to either speak or write our native
tongue constantly, and there is no hiding
whether we speak or write the language
as it should be or not. Too many people
can keep tab on us. Here is where the
club woman can prove her value in raising
the standard of English. She is the wom-
an who has had advantage of family and
training, of reading and travel. She should
make 1t her business to help the teacher
by correcting bad English among servants
and children whenever she hears it. and
among adults, when she dares, to the end
that no teacher may confront one with a
tale like this
A certain teacher had spent much time
with boy for whom the past lenses Of
the verb had no real message. His per-
sistent crimes were, II taken" and Il have
went" and the like. In despair, finally
she kept him after school and compelled
him to write II have gone" two hundred
times on his tablet Being called from the
room before he had finished, she returned
to find him departed, but the two hundred
exercises we're correctly completed. Alas
however. he had appended the following
note to the work: Dear Teacher: have
wrote Il have gone" 200 times, and
have went home"
As the teacher told me betwixt smiles
and tears. Whats the usei" We must
make such occurrences impossible in the
generation to come, and the womens clubs
can and must exert their best influence tC
see that our children improve on theiI
parents.
The committee feels that the federated
clubs should deem it their duty and priv
lege to back every effort to improve thu
schools, and to that end clubs should maxi
it their regular business to know
/. What is worth while in educationa
systems in our county and in other States
2. To see that children in every commu
nifty are getting what our taxes are payinl
for, namely, the best education to which
they are entitled.
3. To use every effort. personal. organi
rational, even political. to see that onl!
officials who have the best interests of thu
schools at heart are appointed.
A. To cooperate in every way witt
teachers by frequent visits to the schools
and. finally. to destroy any personal illu
sions they may be cherishing as to tn
superlative merits, intelligence and deport
ment of their own offspring as compares
with that of their neiehbors' children. On,
star may differ from another in glory. &C
cording to the Scriptures, but child natur
remains about the same. and the chill
doesn't live who has not suspected tn
teacher at some time or other Of "pckin
on him" and so reported to his parents
From my own experience. both as teache
and parent. can truthfully state that
never investigated one of these "pickin'
on" cases when did not find that tn
only mistake the lone-suffering teache
had made was in not 'pickin on" tn,
young one with shingle. Go to the teacherl
in friendly spirit and they will more thar
meet you half way. to your mutual advan
tage and that of the children.
One recent proposal, seriously made b.
a Western professor, is worth our consid'
Grafton fsr the future. 1t is that children
in the grades up to high schools be paiC
for attending school. This astonishing
idea is based on the conviction that al
children cherish. namely. that going Il
school is waste Of time that might other
wise be spent on really profitable employ
ments like driving trolley car, operating
a soda fountain. or catching the fish TO
Fridays dinner. do not now include
girls especially in the category, since the,
are fully compensated, in the opinion o