Evening star., 1942-11-08
BY MRS. p. C. ELLETT,

BY MRS. p. C. ELLETT,
President, D. G. Congress Of Parents
and Teachers.
Beginning today and continuing
through Saturday, educators, par
ents and students all over our great
land will be placing special emphasis
upon the advantages Of education
and what it has done for us. Amer
lean education week" is set aside as
one week during the year when edu-
cational institutions are thrown open
to the general public, and any one
interested in our schools is urged to
become better acquainted with their
programs and plans of work.
Now, as never before, education
assumes unusual Importance. Be-
cause of the urgency of the war ef-
fort, schools and colleges are revis-
ing, changing, adapting their courses
of study daily. Students will be
taught more of the mechanical arts
and sciences and less of the cultural
subjects. Hand skills will be placed
in the front rank in Importance in
stead of being relegated to the rear
as in former years. In fact, have
been told by one well-known educa-
tor in Washington that until this
emergency is over, students OF 16
years and over, who remain in school
will be taught no English, art or any
OF the cultural subjects. Instead they
will be given courses in physics,
chemistry, mathematics, shop work
in steadily increasing doses, until our
schools will be turning out a great
multitude of mechanically trained
students, who will go into the vari-
GUS channels Of war industry
whether it be the armed services or
those behind the lines that keep the
armed forces supplied.
Change Comes Swiftly.
Such a radical change in our
school curriculum is not not easily
comprehended, and one which it
will require some time for the av-
erage parent to digest. Heretofore,
we have gone along rather COM
placently, believing that our sons
and daughters were entitled to a
certain amount of cultural oppor-
tunities and feeling, in fact, that if
there was aptitude displayed for
some of the more esthetic studies,
such child should be encouraged to
pursue it. But the war is chang
ing all that-and changing it prac-
tically overnight: educators who
have been trained to teach English
will, of necessity, have to be trained
to teach physics, perhaps, or alge-
bra, because of the lack of a suf-
fcient number of teachers for those
subjects.
OF course, for the children in ele-
mentarya grades and possibly as high
as the tenth grade, undoubtedly very
little if any change will be made.
But beginning with the eleventh
grade and continuing on through
college, the change will no doubt
be very decided
Therefore, this year more than
any other, parents should make a
special effort to visit their schools
this week. become personally &C
quainted with the teachers, talk
with them about the outlook in
education for the next few years,
make themselves conversant with
what is imminent. and thus be able
to accept the change with good
grace.
Books Always Available.
However. for those Of us who be-
lieve in the value of the cultural
background for our children, there
Is always the consoling thought
that our Libraries abound with good
books. and for those with the time
and inclination to read them, cul-
tural education is no farther away
than those same good books.
The Executive Committee of the
District of Columbia Congress met
Tuesday in the State office. Mrs.
Frederick Mohr of the Stoddart as
sociation was appointed recreation
chairman.
Dates for the sixth annual George
Washington Parent Teacher Insti-
tute, which were previously an
nouneed for November II and 18,
have been changed to December l
and 2. The theme selected for the
institute is This is war! How are we
meeting the challenger"
The board of managers will meet
at 10 am. Tuesday in the NEA
Building, with Mrs. P. c. Elicit,
president. presiding.
Jackson.
DR.. B. H. Jarman Of George
Washington University will give a
talk on Character Building and the
Small School" on Tuesday at 8 pm.
There is possibility that this small
but valuable school may be closed
and parents have made a house-to-
house canvass within the school
boundaries to discover the number
of future pupils in addition to the
present enrolment.
Jackson pupils have galoshes-
rubber exchange. Clothing has been
contributed to the Student Aid Com
mittee at State headquarters. Every
Tuesday the children buy Defense
stamps at the school.
Officers are: Mrs. Lotion S. Wes-
ley, president; Mrs Archibald King
and Mrs, John j. Henry, vice presi-
dents; Mrs. G. Stewart Brown,
treasurer, and Mrs. Hugh A. Kerwin,
secretary.
Taft Junior High.
A meeting will be held at pm.
on November "a. Mrs. T. A. Martin