The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-14

comes strong and impelng. Working
with motives that are strong, the time re-
quired for the mastery of these processes
is markedly reduced. They are so clearly
disable and valuable that there is no ques-
ton of their worth by the child.
That we squander hundreds of hours in
attempting TO teach number facts be-
fore any need or appreciation Of their use
IL felt by the children is evident from the
few definite experiments which have been
made in postponing formal number until
the second or third grade ana IN reducing
the time i'm some of the upper grades.
In one of the 'schUo.s in New York city.
arithmetic excepting casual counting and
the real number problems which came up.
was omitted from the first years work In a
number of classes In the second year the
work was taken up and at the end OF the
year the same tests We're given to these
classes and TO the other classes which had
taken number work formally through both
the first and second years The exact ratings
IN the tests were reported by superintendent
Taylor i'm the Journal OF School AdHiHistrd-
ton and Supervision. and clearly support his
conclusion when he says:
"The classes which omitted number work
during the first year of school not only held
their own against those that had number,
but actually outstripped their competitors.
Hence it is hard to escape the conclusion that
the time now given TO arithmetic in the first
year is worse than wasted.
II is worse than wasted because the time
that had been given 10 arithmetic in these
classes was devoted to reading, with the
result that in the b grade the classes, hav-
ing no number work, devoted thirty-siX
per cent more time TO reading than the
classes with arithmetic. They read l6S per
cent more matter than the classes that had
number and were entertained by five times
as much material read by the teacher"
BY forcing upon children work for which
they are not ready. or work which has no
meaning for them i'm terms Of its use, we
not only waste much time that could he put
70 most valuable use but we develop habits
OF dawdling and create attitudes Of distaste
toward such work and toward the school In
general.
The majority Of children who drop out Of
school in the grades are literally driven out
because the work IS 80 mechanical and out
of harmony with their natures and needs
that II makes no appeal 20 them. OF the nu-
fnerous careful studies on tho reasons for
withdrawal Of children from school, not one
has found that more than &c per cent drop
ont because OF economic necessity The re-
naming numbers drop out because they
want 10 or because their parents cannot sec
relationships between school work and life
values sufficiently large 10 justify keeping
them I'm the schools after they have learned
minimum Of tho so-callcd fundamentals.
Broader Working Aims.
Tho practical, wording aims OF tho school
bv which It's results must be tested should
bc in broader terms than tho mere tool SUBJ
jeots OF modern life These tools arc essential
but they are means ana not ends. The life
purposes which include tho various facts
and processes Of tho school subjects. may be
expressed under the inclusive terms: health
practical efficiency citizenship and the
wholesome and satisfying use Of leisure. In
the fun achievement Of these purposes by
the best methods. all OF the life aims ex-
pressed I'm tho more intangible terms ~ char
acter. morality and personality are de-
Vclopcd
Life and health are maintained by Ahe
propcr uaas of food clothing and shelter md