Evening star., 1939-04-21
The Rounded
Education
OF Child
Experiences Will
Mature Him Best,
Not Promotion
BY ANGELO PATRI.

Jerrie is a little girl of IL, very
quick and bright in school and very
well liked by all who know her well.
She learned so quickly that she was
promoted twice term instead Of
once as the others were, and now she
finds herself in high school, little
girl among much older children.
The years do not matter so much.
It is the experiences that the years
have brought to these older children,
and which have matured their minds,
set their characters, changed their
tastes. They live in another world
than that which Jerrie knows, and
she cannot enter there with any
chance of success or happiness. You
cannot achieve maturity by rapid
promotions. That comes by expert
ences, the long, slow growth that
active participation in everyday
living brings.
The older boys and girls are kind
to the Child" but they do not invite
her to go to their dances, to join
their clubs, to share in their school
lives apart from classroom work.
In class she holds her own as far as
marks are concerned, but even there
the older children have achieved a
certain quality in their work that
Jerrie cannot hope to have for some
time yet. Twelve years cannot COM
pete successfully with 16 and over.
The best that Jerrie can do is to
find association with children closer
to her own social age, and that, too,
is difficult. because she is mentally
beyond them. A child cannot be
placed anywhere without consider
alton of his wohle self, and mental
age, social age, chronological age,
physical age-all are phases Of a
child's life. The child is most sue
cessful when he Is fitted according
to all these phases. He is least sue
cessful when fitted to just one.
Children never grow evenly. Some
grow rapidly Intellectually. while re-
naming childish in the other phases.
Others develop differently, but each
has his peculiar way and conse-
quently his peculiar need for consid-
Grafton. Jerrie needs help to MAIN
tain her balance between social and
intellectual development. It is well
to let children learn as rapidly as
they are set to do, but it is impera-
tive to offer them opportunities for
development at their own rate of
speed along other lines-social and
physical among them.
Speeding children through q cur
riculum Is not educating them. Edu-
cation means development Of pow
ers to the point where the learner
can change his environment to meet
his needs and convenience create a
place for himself, bend life to his
will and his understanding. Get
ting list Of facts, fixing them in the
mind, hurrying along through one
book after another does not do that.
Education demands applied expert
ence and rapid promotions that do
not allow for applied experiences de-
prive a child of real education and
land him in the unhappy place that
Jerrie finds herself in.
Schools must provide programs for
the needs of their pupils, and when
that means an individual program, it
should be forthcoming. The old style
static school no longer serves. We
must have the fluid, flexible program
and administration. that offers op-
portunity for the rounded growth Of
the whole child.
Mr.. Patri will give personal
attention to inquiries from par
ents and school teachers on the
care and development Of children.
Write him In care Of this paper,
inclosing Scent stamped, self.
addressed envelope for reply.
] (CopyTisht. le8o.)