The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-05-27
MILLIONS WASTED IN
MODERN EDUCATION
He'll Bent on Giving Every Child Certificate
or Diploma, We Have Substituted Cram
ming for Education, Thinks S. L.
Sheep, Dean of Teachers

Are the schools ot North
Carolina to-day, with their III
yc,tmcnt OF millions i'll modern
buildings. with all convent
cnceS and equipment. %ymna-
>ir,ms, laboratories. domestic
science departments. worship
and a tcn-monthS school term
and highly paid teachers, turn
ing out better citizens or more
lcarnrd scholars than the old
fashioned schools of ycstcr-
dav?
The answer is M. if on" may
tnko the opinion nr Il man VII" mas
t.cn nm educational leader i'll the
STATE for a half century. That man
:. py,r Y l.. sheep who rctire> ms
,y,rk ~ superintendent "t the f.li"-
,hr,h citv SrhonlS. Il position he
has held for 20 years
I'm nm interview given this week.
Prof sheep assigns the chief cause
.nr nur failure To produce master
ruI students. tu the growing ten
,Icncv 70 broaden the curriculum
and teach the child Il multitude ut
studieS of which he may only gam
Il smattcrin.. and the mastery "t
none.
Another reason for this failure
to turn out finished students l.
the fact that many Of them ar" not
college material. he says. To" m'ich
attention has been pald to the
nnantity of education we cram INTO
q childS head. and 81 little I" the
ouaIitv Of il. Too many parents
have been slaves I" the ambition |"
see their child in college: when they
sbnuld IN. seeing that the child gets
nuaIitv education in the high school
III few things learned well.
And too many Ot the students sent
away to college are not even col
lc-c material. They would he 'ar
better employed in lcaruin. trade.
or entering business.
Only Half Finish School
4 deplorable condition. but PROV
on by the fact that less than 'n per
cent nf the students who enter hl"h
school duriu. the first year. ever
"raduatc. This is largely the result
of n lack of interest in the studies
pursued. Indicating more than any
thing else the outcome of poor
teaching
And ii all gets lack I" til" high
schools. for These feathers, went I"
their normal schools or colleges,
where they were accepted IA having
mastered the work of the high
school: and because they thus ac-
ccptrd. they didn't get til" right
kind of training in these in>tltu-
tinrS. With minds yet immature.
they are sent ont in the world I"
make intrreStin. multitude of sub
irct<. of which they know nothing
but must try To cram into minds
that $50 no need or feel no desire
for such subjects.
Professor Sheep cites noted rdu-
cational authorities tu sustain his
statement.
Prof Sleeps statement. granted
exclusively to this newspaper this
week. has hrhind it The experience
of u man who i known aS one Of
the educational leaders Of North
Carolina. He has taught four gene
ratinnS of Elizabeth City people.
since he came here - years a"n lp
teach IL private school. which he
conducted for ~ years. .A> Super
inrcndent of the Elizabeth city
<rhuol< he has guided the cduca-
tium Of more than LOO students
for many years in the mysteries "f
Il complex curriculum specified by
the State Depart mcnt of Education.
For II years. he has held the chair
Of Arithmetic. Algebra. and GeOme-
Try at the Summer School of the
University of North Carolina. Here
i what he told this newspaper:
eve Should Strive For Quality
'Dr. Edgar W. Knight has Great
cd something nf sensation thrunut
the state by his discussion of the
need of longer school terms. hut
another item needs equal emphasis
the quality of instruction given.
Continued on Page Six