The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-10-14

That the new things in education
are not whims and fads, but progress
sive steps forward was a strong point
made by Miss Lila Z. Payne, elemen-
tary supervisor of the public schools,
when she spoke before a small group
of women interested in progressive
education Thursday afternoon at tea
given by Mrs. ]. Brandon Griffis and
Miss Mary Nicholson at Campfield
hall, where an experimental school for
young children is being conducted by
Mrs. Griffis, assisted by Miss Nichol-
son.
They are fads and whims no more
than the first telegraph instrument
was a fad or Marconi's wireless was a
! fad. Those first instruments are not
| like those of today, but each was a
step on the way to progress. which
made possible the greater steps that
| have been taken today" Miss Payne
said
| Schools have changed entirely in
the past % years, she continued land
in the past 10 years there have been
queer happenings in education. The
! old schoolroom with its desks, fasten-
| ed to the floor and not even adjustable,
It's blackboards, and meagre, stan
dardized equipment of pencils, books,
globes, and maps, is passing.
! In its place is coming the school
room in which chairs supplant the
desk and in which a variety of equip
ment is found The purpose of these
schools is to give to the children
something more than knowledge of a
I few academic subjects"
Compares Schools.
Comparing the old school and that
to which it is giving way Miss Payne
said that the definite allotments oil
time which had been given each sub
] ject, making definite lines of demarca
ton between the studies, were disap
pearing Speaking of the changes
which the educational system in the
grades of the Richmond schools have
undergone, Miss Payne said that the
passive attitude which children of for
/ mer days were forced to maintain was
not demanded any more. Whispering
was not treated as a crime unless il
was done in manner disturbing tc
others in the room, nor is the child tC
sit still.
/ Commenting on the new tendencie:
in education, the speaker asked three
questions:
as this a good tendency for the
community? Is this a good tendency
for the children? How did it come
to happen?"
Should Enjoy School
Answering the third question first
Miss Payne said that the change ha.
occurred because the educational sys
tenn as it existed in this country hal
not been functioning. For a Ion:
time" she continued, educators il
their conferences have been admitting
that education is not functioning."
ut is not functioning," the speake
added, when we have to go to war
when there are as many illiterate PEG
pie in the country as has been showl
in the army; when people gain none!
and other comforts at the sacrifice O
others. AS DR.. Hosic, of Chicago an,
New York, aptly said in approvin!
changes, 1t can't be any worse thai
it has BEEN"
Children do not like to go t
school. That is a serious fault" Mis-
: Payne pointed out. Shouldn't pei
sons enjoy life?" she asked. "Educa
ton is part of living, and shouldn'
the children enjoy it? If you do no
believe that people dislike schools
look at the cartoons in the newspa
pers. They represent the averag
feeling for the teacher One teache
wrote and asked cartoonist why hi
pictures were always so unkind to tn
teacher The cartoonist, replyins
said Why not change the type?' Man
teachers have deluded themselves i
! regard to the opinion of the publ
concerning them as teachers. The
are not appreciated as they think"
Cites Further Proof
As further proof that something ha
been radically wrong, the speake
noted the fact that in periodicals art
cles and talks on vocations and prc
fessions for men and women that @
: the teacher is either not mentione
at all or touched upon Indifferent,
ut is one of the finest profession
open to men or women and should b
T regarded as such,' Miss Payne said.
1t has been found that the needle
subject and the child's own -exper
ences are not so far apart" Mis-
Payne commended in answering tn