Gunnison news-champion., 1919-06-27

] I. =. y. >.
After the Spanish-American war,
the Philippine Islands became n new
I field for American ideas and institu-
tions. A military government was
1 first established, and ddring the latter
part OF this regime, the president of
the United States appointed a COM
, mittee of seven TO draw up an elemen-
,ary school curriculum for the Islands.
! The members had all taught in the
United States, had supervised within
/ the islands, and were reasonably fa-
miliar with their peculiar conditions.
The islands were virgin field in
which these members were free to
recommend almost anything by way
of meeting the needs of the popula-
ton. Ii was an opportunity for them
to do magnificent and original con-
structive work.
| They first assembled copies of
American textbooks in reading, arith-
metic, geography, United States his
tory, and the other subjects with
which they had been familiar in
American schools. They also assem-
I bled such American courses of study
as they could find, and without con-
Z scious intent mobilized American pre-
judices and preconceptions as 10 what
( the elementary school course ought
I TO be. On this basis they made out a
course of study for the traditional
eight grade Of the American elemen-
tary school. They provided the ira
dltional amount of each subject for
each grade, distributing the subject
matter as in American schools, and
recommended American textbooks for
/ the work
| This plan disregarded entirely the
existing conditions within the islands.
The difficulty was perhaps due to the
fact that they did not realize the pos
! sibility of anything else. They great
lly needed something to shatter their
self-complaccncy and bring them TO
see education in terms of the society
/ that was TO be educated. Finally IN. Y
applied the principles of CURRICULUM
making which was the very thing
nee ded. Through these pr'acilles
they finally succeeded in drawing up
the necessary elementary curriculum
which was submitted later to the
Bureau of Education. The following
discussion will show the organization
of the present public school system
astNoeSu Al dNtpIuiIICe Win lUt
of the Investigations and curriculum
worked out by the committee:
| The elementary schools consist of
first four grades and the intermediate
school, 5th, 9Th, and 7th grades. The
aim of the primary school is to pro-
duce literate citizens possessing some
knowledge Of community needs; some
appreciation of their duties to the
community with respect to sanitation,
government, and conduct in general
and some skill in household duties,
gardening or household industries.
There are 4,266 primary schools up
to the present time. The intermedi-
ate school includes the 5th, 9Th and
Ith grades. Its aim is to give an
elementary education. A large per-
centage of the graduates continue
their studies in the secondary school.
The special aim of other courses are
indicated by their names; they also
give an elementary academic training
In at least reading. composition, and
arithmetic. The general courses in
clude three years of industrial in
struction. For the boy, this instruc-
tion usually covers handicraft, gar
dening, and wood working; for the
girls, housekeeping, sewing, cooking,
and the making Of lace and embroide-
,ry-
The organization of the study OF
these grades similar to those Of the
American graded schools, except that
certain parts Of the subject matter
having special bearing on the islands
are greatly emphasized. For ex-
ample, the subject Of geography OF
history deals chiefly with the local
conditions and aspects, and textbook
especially written. fon the native
schools are provided. In all these
grades, especially the intermediate
grades, hsadiworlu and industrial
arts. such rs shopwpsk. cooking, r1g-
making, weaving. basketry. etc, are