Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-19
A Proposal to Retreat.

washington schools should only move
forward The drastic reorganization OF
kindergartens and kindergarten teach
ing methods, proposed in the District
appropriation bill now pending in the
House, is distinctly a step backward. II
is highly questionable whether, even in
consideration of the temporary eXpe-
dent of gaining few class rooms ana
transferring kindergarten teachers to
the primary grades, that step should be
taken.
In brief. and for the information OF
those who have not followed the COM
nittees reasoning as portrayed in its
report on the District bill, this is what
the proponents of the scheme have In
mind: Data compiled by the United
States Bureau of Education have in
dicated that washington schools are
fortunate in the number of kinder
garten pupils per teacher, as compared
with the situation in other cities. In
pursuance of an ideal that is sought by
these other cities. as well as Washing
ton, many of the kindergarten classes
are "two-teacher" groups, but If these
"two-teacher" groups were split into
two separate classes, one morning and
one afternoon, one teacher could handle
both and the other teacher would be
released for other duty. Where two
classes occupy two class rooms they
could be made to occupy one class room
by using it between them, morning and
afternoon, except where the unwieldi-
ness of a class of so or SIS makes this
impracticable. In addition, Washing
ton has five experimental under-age
kindergartens, where pupils are adj
mitted at the age of four instead of the
standard age for washington children
of i've.
The District bill proposes to split two
teacher groups into two classes, release
thereby q teacher, in some instances
gain class room and abolish the I'M
der-age kindergartens.
The effect is this: Seven rooms will
be gained for use by higher elemen-
tary grades. Seventy EIGHT kindergar-
ten teachers will be transferred to work
In the elementary grades. Kindergarten
hours will be shortened from three hours
to two hours and half. Some children
who now attend school in the morning
will go in the afternoon instead.
Some of the difficulties In connection
with this proposal are that a proportion
Of normal school students graduating
this June are Immediately denied oppor-
tunity for employment in the Washing
ton schools. The kindergarten teachers
designed for transfer to elementary
school work have been trained for kin
dergarten teaching have specialized In
that field and, after several years perfect
ing themselves in kindergarten methods,
must now give 1t up and take posititions
In other grades At least thirty kindergar-
ten teachers who have specialized in the
work of giving tests in Miss Jessie La
Sales department will be lost for this
work kindergarten teachers will re-
ceive an extra amount Of duty that will
make their task relatively undesirable
in addition to affecting the excellence
Of their work.
AS for the under-age groups, 1t will
be recalled that crowded conditions
under the administration of former
Supt of Schools Thurston brought about
a raise In the age limit for kindergarten
children from four to five. Under
age" in Washington is school age" in
Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia and
perhaps other cities, which admit chill
dren at the age OF four.
Many of the gains in kindergarten
teaching methods, made through the
years and under the annual difficulty
of convincing Congress of their merits,
thus are TO be lost. Washington takes
a step backward, merely because it has
advanced further along the line than
sons other comparable cities.
Why make this change so drastic?
The plan, applied IN part to some loca-
tions where there is great oVercrowd-
ing and additional room is needed fol-
older children, might have merit. APP
piled to the kindergarten system as a
whole, 1t means q loss of valuable
ground gained. What is the aim good
schools with economy, or economy first,
with the schools adapting themselves as
best they can?
-S@OS~ -
lit