The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-06-02
FAILURES IN
HIGH SCHOOL

If you, Mr.. Editor of The Times
will give this article space in yom
paper, l shall be pleased. This is my
first attempt to speak through tn,
press to the patrons of Union or of
any other town in which l have evel
taught. This may prove an utter fail
ure, but l hope to be able to handle
this question so that some light NAV
be thrown on the question, "Whv are
so,o11s SO many ny pupils failing in high
4, 1t would be much more of a pleasure
to me IT l could speak to the mothers
and fathers who have boys and girls
IN the building of which l am princi-
pal. But if should announce that |
would speak in the high school audi
Gorium some evening OH this subject
can onl y wonder what response l
would get or what interest mother }
and fathers would show. However, [
am taking the safe route, hoping that
every patron of the high school will
read and think about what l have to
say, whether you agree with me or
not.
If l could get someone else to write
this article, certainly would. While
l am writing with the Union high
school as basis and with the endorse
ment of the superintendent and the
nigh school teachers, | feel sure that
it will be read by other teachers and
patrons outside of the town.
But let us go on. l want to be
thoroughly fair and square in what
have to say. l have been studying,
watching, thinking, trying to diagnose,
the trouble. 1 Wish to get at the
causes of so many failures. The first
move l made in studying this question
was to look at self. In teaching, for.
mulating questions, and correcting pa
pers, l find that am using about the
same system that l used before the
war. If anything, l am more len
lent. l came to Union November II,
1920. . 1t always works some hard
shipS9to change horses in the middle
of stream. So / wanted to fit in
and tighten down gradually.
After l left Union last June, I
learned that it was the same old story
of failures in Laurens. That was the
subject of conversation. When l ar
rived at home several informed me
about so many pupils failing in the
nigh school. About this time, no.
ticed that Mr.. Flora, principal of the
high school in Columbia, had found it
necessary to open summer school
because so many pupils had failed
The same thing happened in Rocn Hill
and other towns. Mr.. Jeifries, feel
ing that something must be done in
Union, wrote me and l returned and
we began n summer school. While
there l talked to numbers of our pu-
pills who openly told me that they did
not study last year. Some told me
that they seldom ever opened a book
away from school. They did not tell
me anything new, but l appreciated
the truth coming from the pupil.
While l was in Columbia towards
the last of the summer, l discussed
the school situation from various an
giles with numbers of teachers fron,
over the state and with members Of
the department of education. / asked
questions bearing on the subject of so
many failures in high schools. The
answers were, "Samc books, same
teachers, better equipment, and same
system of grading yet larger num-
ber of failures" We have taught prac-
tically the same books for years. I
have taught the same Latin Gram
mar, Algebra, Arithmetic, History,
English and other books which are
being taught in the high schools and I
feel that am familiar enough with
the texts and the method of teaching
them to have an idea of when the
book is being taught properly or of
whether the examinations are In rea-
son. have visited the rooms and OBJ
served the work as far as ! have had