Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-29
OUR CHILDREN
Passing Examinations.

Examinations have their proper place
and function, but they are not to uslIrp
the place of education. When a school
makes passing examinations the most
important idea in this life, that school
fails In its great mission of education.
School Is to Mt all its children for
living. There are many children whose
life purposes are not served best by a
rigid course OF study and examinations.
There are fields Of activity upon which
school examinations can have no bear
ing. There are very precious minds
that do not take kindly to examinations.
School, especially elementary schools
where the great mass of children are,
must never be subordinated to examina-
tions.
There must be some standard of
achievement. Unless there is a recog-
nized standard to which the child must
be held he cannot have the thrill that
successful achievement offers and which
Is the spirit of all growth. Success
feeds success. But examinations need
not be the test of achievement. Or, put
it another way: The kind of examina-
ton which sets the standard ought to
vary according to the children in queS-
ton.
We say a child succeeds in school
when he finds opportunity for using his
is able to accomplish his purpose, when
he uses his full capacity and achieves
maximum results in proportion to his
capacity. You see am saying that If q
child finds great difficulty in spelling
there are some who do and they are
not worthless children because of that
we study his capacity, adjust his work
to his need and power and, when he
does all possible within his limitations,
rate him good pupil.
Another child may be able to learn
to spell with ease. His standard Is set
accordingly and he is held to high
marks The two pupils ought not to be
given the same tests. They ought not
to be trained the same way. 1t is the
privilege of the elementary schools to
measure the capacities, search for the
gifts of its children, train them as fully
as their capacities permit. To cram
young children full of facts in order to
pass examinations is not education. It
Is an entirely different matter. 1nfor-
nation is not education.
What shall the high schools and coll
leges do with children who are not fit
ted for the courses presented? I would
say that the thing to do is to set the
higher schools to meet the needs OF
various groups of children. Make up
ones mind as to what sort of child the
school is to serve and admit only the
children who can profit by the educa-
ton offered in the particular school.
The test of fitness is not the state
wide test always. A certain type Of
child answers that call. But number
of other types of intelligence, rather
other qualities of intelligence, do not
answer 1t. These children, too, are
precious to the life of the country. Test
them on the basis of their gifts and pur.
poses and send them to the schools best
equipped to meet their needs.
1t would be queer laboratory thai
had but one test for every substance
that was presented, now wouldn't iii
If the elementary school is not the lab.
oratory of childhood, the testing ground
the place for seafching out hidden quail
tiles of childhood what is 1t?
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