The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-04-24

Bear Upon the Necessity of Such
Supervision If the Public Schools
are to Progress.
The following communication from
one who is not only parent but who
is likewise interested in all public
questions affecting the welfare of the
future generations, was brought to
The Republican office last Thursday
by the writer who requested its publ
cation:
Dear Parent:-Do you want your
child to be so thoroughly grounded
in reading, writing and arithmetic
that for him they will be lifetime
tools?
Do you want your child to be able
to grasp the thought of what he reads
quickly and accurately? Instead of
having to spend whole hour read
ing few pages he could, with proper
training, grasp the thought in a few
minutes. Think of the tremendous
saving of time in your busy life if ~ou
could read the newspaper or a bust
ness letter, or an article on the care of
chickens, or sign by the roadside,
three times as fast and at the same
time more accurately than you do
now.
Do you want your child, instead of
working for the answer" in arithme-
tic, to look upon arithmetic as means
of using his reasoning power?
Do you want your child to become
quick and also accurate in number
work?
And, dear reader, do you want your
child to form, in his early school days,
the habit of using proftably every
minute of time? Your child is in
class only one-fourth of his time in
school. He should spend the other
three-fourths in educative occupation.
He should be led every day to make
use of the four and a-half hours at his
seat. Skillfully devised "seat work"
thoughtfully assigned lessons and
carefully managed school room condi-
tons can help him put in" good hard
individual work during the entire
school day. Then, with the school
door closed behind him he can swing
on his cap with 'whoop, hurrah"
and be off home with time still left
in this day for more worthwhile
things of life. Yes, think of it, time
in these busy days! Time for helping
you, mother or father, and for learn
ing to do the home tasks well, time
for reading good books, time for play
undisturbed by guilty thoughts Of
''school work. undone, time for need
ed rest and sleep!
l know your answer to every one of
these questions: eyes, | want these
advantages for my child, Tiff they
are possible"
Now few more questions
Do you know that there are in
Maryland about forty highly trained
women who have set out to make ev-
cry one of these advantages--besides
many other advantages-possible for
each one of the 18S, 1896 white children
in Maryland's public elementary
schools?
Three of these women are in Gar
rett county-iust three to "hand over"
these advantages you and l want for
our children, to more than five thous-
and children scattered over $50 square
miles.
Do you know that the great educa-
tors in our country have worked out
thru careful study and scientific eX-
pertinent the most economical ways
of giving educational advantages to
children?
Do you know that the supervisor
comes from study with the great sci
entist-educator to our teachers to
help them use these economical meth
DDS of teaching your child and mine
right in each of our 1876 Garrett coun-
ty school rooms?
Thru letters and teachers meetings
and visits to the school room the su-
pervisor helps the teachers. They
come to know what standards they
are expected to live up to.
And every standard set up is step
toward the ultimate aim-opportun-
ity for education and for development
into good citizenship for every child
in Garrett county.
To see that your child is given OPP
portunity to learn and that the causes
of any difficulties in his school work
are removed is the supervisors pur-
pose when she makes her visit to
your school.
Perhaps your Johnnie's teacher has
forgotten the frequent admonition to
keep the schoolroom well ventilated
and the air is so bad that the chill
dren's minds cannot work just right.
The supervisor removes this physical
cause of Johnnie's difficulty.
Or the teachers "discipline' may
be poor. OF course there are a thous-
and things-from Gaming down to
excepting in" after school-that a SUI
pervisor may suggest to help in disci-
pline. But one principle is kept con-
stantly before our teachers-"keep
the child busy along the line Of his in
terests" "Seat work" is devised
under the supervisors direction that
will keep Johnnie so busy in some
thing interesting to him and truly
educative that Johnnie forgets to
throw paper wads he delights in when
he has nothing else very definite to
do.
Don't you think, dear reader, that
it would be worth while to have spec
tally trained persons go around from
school to school if they did just one
thing-if they just saw that every
day during the four and a half hours
spent out of class all the children in
Garrett county had something def
mite and interesting and genuinely
educative to do?