Evening star., 1938-01-26
The Primary
Of Child
First Three Years
Of School Most
Important.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

7 HOPE that teachers in the primary
grades. the flrst three years in
elementary school, above kindergarten,
will be allowed to do their work.
say that because 1t seems to be stylish
these days, In many towns and cities
in the world, to consider study and
application to study an injustice, an
imposition. a stupid idea. There is,
among certain articulate groups, the
idea that the teacher who insists that
child learn set unit in any school
subject is an fashioned teacher.
And to be an old-fashioned teacher
is to be highly successful candidate
for pension.
And yet. there Is only one way for
child to get what the primary grades
are set to give him-mastery of the
rudirnents of study. He must study
them until he learns them. thoroughly.
There must be no PARKWAY learning
here. It won't do to know that two
and two are four and overlook the
fact that three and two are five. The
full set of number combinations must
be learned, accurately, completely, 50
that they come at call at the end Of
the third year, 100 per cent. Any
healthy. normal-minded child can
master number facts. reading symbols,
and the elements of penmanship, in
three full school years. Many can do
it in less.
What am deploring is this atti-
tude: Let him alone. He will learn
If he is exposed to learning" Without
wanting to be inconsiderate I must
say to that: He will not" I met an
intelligent boy who had been allowed
to let reading burst upon his con-
sciousness as the sunlight upon the
earth at dawn. but had experienced
no such thrill up to the age Of IL.
His people expected him to enter
junior high school at that age, but he
couldn't read. And he did not enter
junior high school.
1t Is good to see children play. Fine
to see them free and glad. But there
Is time for freedom and q time for
bondage. We must all endure bondage
for duty's sake. the duty here being
to make the most Of ones growing
time. Children have special periods
for certain growtks, times when they
learn certain things at high speed and
with fine memory. The time for the
mastery Of fundamentals Of knowl-
edge is during the first three years
OF elementary school. This Is when
the child learns to read, count, and
write with the least expenditure of
energy, with the greatest joy. with the
best possibility of success. This is
the time for memory drill Tables
should be learned thoroughly; word
sounds, letter sounds should be learned
thoroughly and put to use in reading.
I am not concerned about what
books are used to teach reading, nor
how many the beginner reads, but
am deeply concerned about his know
ing the sounds Of the letters, vowes
and consonants, knowing his list OF
sight words. and instantly recognizing
and using them in any situation. For
that he needs daily drtll-pointed,
applied drill.
Old-fashioned? Is reading to learn
old practice? I believe 1t is. And I
don't know any way Of gaining this
power to learn to read good books
except this way Of mastering the ele-
ments Of reading. The sooner, and
the more completely this is done in
school, the better. Please let the pri-
mary teachers do their work without
penalty Of unknowing criticism.