New-York tribune., 1922-11-20
Il up. and Il no isn't he Just doesn't
learn
Orders Yersua lfusy

| Ia to be done7 If the teacher keeps q
1 large number OF children back the
4 principal win conclude that the teacher
1 hasn't done her duty. So the teacher
! just promotes nearly all Of them, and
/ thatss how 1t starts. Besides, large
classea are coming to her, and the
principal frequently instructs her Co
| promote all but two or three of the
1 pupils In her class to make room for
1 the incoming classes, irrespective of
| the educational progress Of the chill
dren.
''you can see from this how, as the
| child Is forced up from grade TO grade,
| he understand less and less OF what is
going on In the classroom, If the teach
er attempts TO adhere at all to the
regular studies Of the grade. He just
prattles through the year in mental
daze.s'
This teacher said that IL Was che
general experience Of all teachers that
under present conditions 80 per cent
Of the pupils in Che various classes
are unfit TO continue with the work of
their grades and are not prepared to
go on with the work Of the next term,
/ AS the child goes higher and higher he
| becomes less and less able TO grasp
4 what Ia being taught The principal
/ tells the teacher to do the best she
can, and the best she can is to drive
| home the fundamentala--simple read
1 ing, simple writing and simple arith-
! metic.
She added that about three to six
| pupils are kept back each term, but
these, she said, are hopeless--the pu
| pills who are on the verge Of mental
! deficiency. II the child shows the
slightest glimmer Of intelligence he Is
promoted, she said. She herself had
advanced pupils who had test marks as
| low as 81,
| put some questions TO the Seventh
A class. asked q boy to name city
IN France; 1t is geography, taught in
the fourth year: He couldn't even
think Of Paris. The teacher asked him
After a full minutes thought he
blurted out Jersey City. New York,
| II appears, meant nothing in the life
of this child. Asked why he hit upon
Jersey City, he explained; II was
sure it was city because it's name is
Jersey City"
The class had been told that fol-
lowing the reign of Charlemagne in
France there were confusion and chaos.
| In reply to question as to who sue
ceeded Charlenagne as ruler of France,
Sourteen-year-old answered.: king
| Chaos"
Promoted as Matter Of Routine
visited another of the Seventh A
classes, Of which there we're thirteen
| in this school. Only about five Of
them, however, | was told, were able
4 TO grasp the normal studies for that
year. This class was what the teach
ers called sn opportunity class"
where the teachers frankly recognized
that the bulk of the pupils were unfit
to go on with the regular seventh year
work, and were giving the pupils a
'How did these children ever reach
! the seventh grader l asked.
"lt's the crowding. They were just
prom oted, that's all"
| saw that little attempt was made
| to teach these children seventh grade
work. 1t would be incomprehensible.
! The students Of this grade are sup
posed to read such works as Cooper's
"The Pilot" the "Lays of Ancient
Rome BY Macaulay; Bryant's "To 8
Waterfowl" excerpts from Lowell's 8
| Democracy" Mark Twain's 'Life OH the
Mississippi," Roosevelt's american
Ideals" Lincoln's Address at Gettysburg
and other works Of equal standard.
Nevertheless, the teacher told me
| that they could not read aWashingtor
! lrving's Grip Van Winkle,'' that to then
| 1t was mere puzzle Of words strung
/ together. The best she could do wa.
| give them fourth and fifth year read
| ers, 80 that instead Of Webster's Lib
erty and Union address these pupils
| were reading such stuff as:
so little lame Peter stayed for din
nsr at the Blisses' and sat at the head
of the table. 1t was a surprise dinner
Mother had helped Susan-from- down.
the-lane, and had made huge fire.
cracker for dessert. 1t was larger than
the largest cannon cracker. 1t was
made Of raspberry sherbet, and was
very, very good"
educational status Of these seventh.
year pupils and was handed sheaf oil
| intelligence test papers. These were
written tests, according to which chill.
dren Of the Seventh A are supposed to
be promoted into the Seventh B term
4 Answers Are 'Miles OFF,
| TO the question, "How much are
cents and cents?" one pupil answered
900 cents"
To the question, ga girl earned rs
cents and spent 48 cents. How much
did she have left?" another boy an
swered "31 cents
To the question, "John paid S. for a
watch and SIS for chain. How many
dollars did he pay Cor the watch and
chain r. another answered "S15."
/ To the question, "Five cehts make q
nickel. How many niekels make q
dime r. q scholar answered 40"
To the question, zone quart Of ice
cream is enough for five persons. How
many quarts OF ice cream ara headed
for twenty-five persons1" a pupil in
this class replied 1925"
! Asked what Ia the cost of twelve
] cakea at the rate ioS six cakaa Rar a..o