The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-05-25

public school institutions. The system
Is wrong. And in order TO overcome
that condition, we are securing the serv'
fees Of u man who will devote his en-
tire time to making II special study Of
the apttudos of each and every child,
and when this special aptitude Is as
certaincd, that boy or girl will receive
special instructions in the work for
which they are best fitted.
1--WE are wasting precious time. To
day. it is the boy or girl who is trained
efficiently, and without undue length
of time, who are making our nation the
most progressive in the entire world.
The fathers and mothers of these boys
and girls are going to demand that less
time be used in educating their children.
1t will be our purpose that the depart
mcnt of vocational guidance will fit the
boy and girl so that when they leave
school they will be able to take up their
work, not just begin it, We also eX'
pect to have this department in close
connection with the business men of the
city. At any time employers may have
the privilege of using the tests, and
the services of this department. This
will be of mutual interest, and our chief
aim and desire viii be to maintain co
operation with the business men and
institutions, in order to help the school
boy and girl"
Year Round. School.
TO Mr.. Richards also belongs the
credit of instituting what is call the
"all-thc .ycarround-sch which is be-
ing adopted throughout the United
States, as indicated by the several let
ters received by him from school super
intendents in Oregon, Milwaukee, Grand
Rapids, Mich, and other states. This
plan has come under most favorable at
tention of Dr. Frank f. Bunker, of the
city school directors of the bureau of
education. who has directed the atten-
ton Of others to Mr.. Richards plan as
carried out in the Ardmore schools.
In speaking of this particular phase
of the school work, Mr.. Richards said:
1T is my ideal that we finally adopt
"a plan of having twelve weeks of school,
ona week vacation, and so on through
out the entire year.
ave are still cinging to the old ways
Of having an allsummer vacation that
originated in the pioneer days when the
children were needed at the home to as
sist in all of the work pertaining to the
housekeeping. We have grown away
from that age and that demand, and
today our schools must meet our pres
ont growth ana needs
Il think the time win come when the
present system, Of summer school work,
will be provided free, as in the winter
term. We have now four terms, with
examinations every three months. But
we need the perfect establishment of
the 'allthc-y year-round school such as
{ have outlined.
There are many reasons for this,
among which is the ever present and
crying need Of time'-and then, there
is no other business institution in the
world, that invests such an amount of
money as we do in our schools and use
them so little of the time. We use our
buildings six hours Il day, five days out
Of the week. and only thirty.siN weeks
Of the year, including Christmas week
Of vacation, and all other holidays.
81 trust the time is near when the
children of the nation will be provided
according to their needs, and the old
customs of three months vacation, done
away with"
Visiting Teacher Department.
Another especially distinctive feature
of Ardmore public schools. instituted
by Mr.. Richards, is the establishment
of the visiting teacher department. This