Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-11
BY JOHN WALKER HARRINGTON.


Creative education pervades the COM
mon schools of this country as well
as those uncommon" ones some of
which are prone to regard it as their
special product. This condition comes
to the fore in the vacation season
when courses of study in the public
elementary schools are being revised
1t becomes apparent especially in New
York City where so many influences
make for modifying curricula to meet
changes in economic and social life.
Numerous experimental schools, pri-
vately financed and managed, are sue
cesstul in their efforts to stimulate
the originality and initiative of their
pupils. They encourage individuality,
independence of thought and spirit and
build character Their classes are small
and their teaching faculties relatively
large.
Creative education" to quote j..
Howard Whitehouse of Bembridge
School, England, SIS that form of edu-
cation which is attempting to enable
a child to develop his own personality,
to find out, through activities, the
things he can do, and then interest
him and are going to give him fuller
and richer life"
Trend of Modern School.
Nowadays pupils gre not required to
grow static when the gong sounds.
They walk back to their classes in
groups in an easy, offhand manner
The only trace of the old way is the
necessary fire drill which has proved
SO valuable in the speedy and yet
calm emptying of building. The fire
DRILL is just as effective as it would
be If the pupils were always held down
to the severer discipline of the past.
Self-control, rather than enforced
obedience to rules, is becoming more
and more the rule of conduct for the
public school. If a matter of ethics
arises, it is considered not as an abb
stract principle, but as the right and
wrong OF an actual incident or hap
pening.
The growth of the seIf-governing
idea is typical of present-day admin
1stration. The modern educator seeks
to build the character of his pupils
by getting them to discipline and con-
troll themselves. The new syllabus on
character building now in preparation
by the Department of Education for
use next year is said to be an unusual
advance on this line.
Teachers are also no longer prim
pedagogues on pedestals, but are more
inclined to easy conversational meth
SNto al OA4OAl llAISLNOuASS Will pupllos
The class room is regarded as world
in the little; the teacher seeks to pro-
mote in the lessons the social ameni-
ties; the self-expression in correct
English, and to have the pupil at ease.
If he questions an individual he does
not try to cross-eXamine him, but
rather to draw him out, so that it may
be known whether the lesson is under
stood fully or simply memorized.
Improving Old Methods.
Education tends to drop back in the
rut of convention and has to be con-
tinuously logged out Of it. That a
strong effort is being made in the
schools of this city on the side of
creative education" appears from the
courses of study extant and the fire.
quency width which changes are made.
Under the direction of DR.. William J.
O'Shea, these innovations are prepared
by the General Committee on Re-
vision of Study, with the aid of prin
cipals and teachers who specialize in
the various subjects covered. Some of
the salient departures" shown from
the traditional methods in these courses
will be presented here.
What a shock to the dry-as-dust
parsers of the yesteryear, for instance,
is this sentence in the grammar syl-
labus:
at is recommended that there be no
6ia9ramuing. Confusion and waste Of