Evening star., 1934-09-22
New Schools
BY ANGELO PATRI.

THE old schools must be made over
50 as to take the education Of this
coming generation at its full tide and
direct it to useful and successful ends
This is not possible as our schools
stand today.
There are no jobs for the young men
and women coming out Of colleges,
business schools and elementary
classes. Because of the conditions, the
school authorities of the country have
heightened the school life of the chill
dren. The adolescent boys and girl.
are to stay longer. to gather more
knowledge and skill and power before
starting out into the world. Nothing
better could happen to q generation of
young people If the schools were pre-
pared to carry out their side Of the
bargain. Unfortunately, this is not 50.
In every State in the country schools
have been reduced to the limit permit
ted. At time when hosts Of boys and
girls are being returned to the schools,
teachers are dismissed, classes are in
creased in size, supplies are not fur
nished, books are not purchased, play
grounds are closed and teachers are
underpaid or not paid at all. This in
the face of the fact that whole gen.
Grafton of youth is being held in the
schools
It is impossible for teachers to hold
the interest of lively and intelligent
young people without offering them In
teresting and useful work Boys and
girls in their teens need active occu-
patton. Their stage of growth, mental
and physical, will not allow them to
sit for hours poring over books, writing
notes and doing tests. There is a
limit to that kind Of thing and it is
soon reached. What then?
The money that real education costs
Is the core of the matter. We need
more money for schools. We have to
have it for buildings, shops, material
and teachers salaries. And after that
we have to have q revival in education.
A real old-fashioned revival Of educa-
ton, an awakening Of the spirit, a
remuneration Of past error and q lively
sense Of work to be done, new situa-
tions to be faced. new methods; new
ideas.
The ideal will be the same old truth
full standard: The highest possible de-
velopment Of the individual child in
order that he may live happily and
successfully In whatever place he finds
himself.
To this end the secondary schools
and colleges will have to change.
Room must be made for the boys and
girls who are to live in this new age
that is coming upon us faster and
faster every. day. The routined and
infiexible school will have to give
place to the school that is adjustable
to the needs of all its pupils. The
school day and week and year will
have to be adjusted to the needs of
the individual student. An day, late
into the evening, every day the long
year through, the school will stand
open and ready for service to this
young army of Americans. Only the
lower grades of the elementary classes
VIII stand fast for a time. The older
children and their schools must move
ahead together.
It is going to give US all great deal
to think about and lot more to do.
It is difficult to shake of old and tried
ways and head into the unknown re-
gion, but that Is precisely what we are
going to be obliged to do. First We
have to have some money. Then we
viii begin stretching the school over
its children to get them all under
cover, then we viii begin spreading
out-out beyond the known horizons
to where the dreams of youth may
lead. Youth leans hard on the schools
today. Help us carry on, fathers and
mothers and citizens, al.
(Copyrisht. 1934l