Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-10-14

and seek an outlet to his ambitions in
the business or industrial world. 1t is
not necessary for us to go out Of our
own system to learn how great a
number leave school after they have
completed the sixth grade. Out of
every 100 pupils in our sixth grades,
only "a reach high school. This ire
mendous leakage is not confined
alone to Augusta but similar condi-
tions prevail in other sections Of the
country.
| The junior high school comes as an
organization calculated to check this
| loss, and in cities where it has been
in operation it has in fact material
ly checked this mortality.
How the junior high schoor does
this may best be seen by looking at
it's course Of study.
At the beginning Of the seventh
grade a pupil may be allowed to
choose the line of work which he
thinks he would like to follow. He
will have his choice of the course
which leads to college, the CONNER
cial course, or manual arts course.
II he is headed for college he will be
given the opportunity of starting the
foreign languages, Latin or French.
The preparation for college will be
consequently much more thorough
and the load will be distributed over
five or six years instead of four. as at
present.
Students choosing the commercial
course may begin at once upon such
subjects as typewriting. elementary
accounts and business arithmetic.
Girls electing tho household arts
course will also begin at once upon
that course as will the boys in the
manual arts course.
It is not claimed that any OF these
occupational courses offered can be
completed in the three years Of jun
ior high school. A good foundation,
however. can be laid and IN case a
pupil leaves school at the close OF
the junior high school course, the
years Of apprenticeship will be ma
terfally shortened.
Not every child will make a sue
cess of the course which he or she
elects, in fact. they may try out sew
eral before finding the right one.
Mistaken courses. however, are less
costly at this period than later.
Departmental teaching is a dis
tinctive feature OF the new organiza-
ton. Where one teacher prepares
and presents only one subject. or
perhaps two, much better work can
be done by both teacher and pupils.
Promotion by subject goes hand in
hand with departmental teaching.
If a pupil fails in one subject in
stead Of repeating all subjects as at
present he repeats only the one in
which he has failed.
Under this organization 1t will be
possible to arrange pupils in acceler.
ant groups SO, that each class VII.
be more homogeneous and the work
gagged to the ability OF each group.
It will make the transition to High
school easier because pupils will have
been introduced gradually to depart
mental teaching. and will have al
ready entered upon some Of the High
school studies.
have tried to tell you briefly what
the Junior High school is. Assam
ing that the institution is correct ed
additionally and that it has accom-
plished all the things that have been
expected of it, is it going to be a
practical proposition in Augusta?
This, of course, is what interests
us most. I believe that ii is en-
tirely practical and Furthermore Au-
gusta is nearly the ideal size for such
an institution. Such a school in this
city would register at the begin
ming about AS pupils, large enough