Evening star., 1948-11-02
Letters to The Star
Teachers Point of View
70 the Editor Of The Star:

~~~ ~ w
Teachers Point of View
70 the Editor Of The Star: ..'.
the parents OF elementary school children
are right. We do not divide our sch0ol day
into periods in which children do practice
work in the skill subjects. We do not as
sign certain pages Of history and geography to
be learned by rote and given back to the
teacher orally. There really is no cessation of
normal life when q child enters the school,
room at o'clock each morning, Monday to
Friday.
When the child leaves home at $50, he is
hlled with living interests. He may read the
comics in the morning paper. He is not inter-
ested In current news. He may ride his bicycle
very fast around the block and 50 use up some
OF his abundant physical energy II he passes
. moving picture house on his way to school,
he may pause . few moments and mediate
upon the next installment Of the serial adver-
tised for his benefit outside the theater When
ne enters the schoolroom few minutes later,
the dial Of life interests cannot be set back
arbitrarily by the teacher. The pace for living
has been set before he left the street. He
has been stimulated not only by extra vitamins
added to his physical diet, but by radio and
television stories designed to produce the ulti-
mate in excitement Of the emotions. He is
even stimulated by the rapid. unending mo-
ton of everything around him that rolls on
wheels Everyday life cannot be stemmed.
The chtldS nervous system Is taut before he
enters the schooiroom. He is caught and held
by the centrifugal force Of swirling life He
Is q part Of 1t.
The school Is made up Of human beings
teachers and children. It Is part of life and has
been obliged to make the same effort toward
adjustment to rapid change in our social life
rs have other departments Of daily living.
Schoolroom Not Isolated From World
The teacher Is able to create In the school,
room an atmosphere in which the child would
be forced to sit quiet for five hours and learn
large body Of unrelated factual material But
this atmosphere would be artificial. The ad-
justment from an atmosphere of rapid change
and excitement to static one would be most
severe. The tension would be almost unendur-
able. It would be very difficult to fit the child
into the schoolroom atmosphere Of Is years
age.
Neither officials from the outside" nor from
inside the system are responsible for the learn
ing attitudes of children. Both officials and
teachers are alert to the situation that parents
complain about. Every teacher has her finger
on the learning pulse Of every child. When
children are able to relax when there is joy
ous readiness to learn, and to make use Of the
fundamental tools Of learning. the teacher Is
equipped to teach.
The skill subjects are taught in the elemen-
tary schools. Situations are provided wherein
they may be used rs much as Is physically and
economically possible in five-hour day with
from 36 to a children under the care Of one
teacher.
Drilling upon the skill subjects is Of almost no
value except when the child sees q real need for
the skill. Like vitamin B. the skills cannot be
stored away In the system for future use. They
must be In use to be learned.
Children in the elementary schools are
taught history. The photography used by ele-
mentary children in the study Of history Is
long one. The children of . past generation
used one history textbook. We have many
on our school book shelves, which are In daily
use for reference by elementary children.
True. these children are not required to store
away the facts Of history, but they become
aware Of the facts and are able to relate them
to the experiences through which they are
living and which later are also TO become
history. The facts Of history really are learned
only when they become vitality meaningful to
. child or to anyone else.
Learning for LearninS's- Sake Unpopular.
A small number Of children like to learn for
learning's sake. A large number Of children
are slow in learning. These children learn
more easily through the emotions. through the
five senses, and through actual experiences.
To Abraham Lincoln, learning was q pleasure.
It was thrilling to own . book. Just to read
was pleasure in itself. But all children were
not Abraham Lincolns Learning must be
made as thrilling and as exciting as outside
influences or the modern child will have none
Of It,, A spelling list Of ten words Is not very
glamorous.
Living and learning are inseparable. When
you separate them, learning becomes dead
thing. The school uses every means economic
ally possible to enrich the experiences Of learn
ing-even the vicarious ones. Every child has
an opportunity to share these experiences. 1t
is only in this way that he really learns
When some children are sent to school with
q working understanding OF the democratic
way OF life with q feeling Of security that all
Is right with the world, when they are filled
with peace and . feeling that they are An i'm
portant part of their world, that they are
loved and wanted by those around them:
when they have that sense of well-being that
Is every child's rightful heritage, they will
learn and will use what they learn. No one
will be able to keep them from it. Learning
then becomes part Of the fibre. It is not learn
ing until 1t does. AID. G. TEACHER.
'Highhanded Business
TO the Editor Of The Star:
The community is indebted to The Star for
its leading editorial October 10, under the
caption "Highhanded Business" 1t is crafty
ing that The Star 50 thoroughly analyzed the
performance Of the Metropolitan Police in this
October incident and Is pointedly critical
Of the entire disgraceful affair. Manifestly
the officers involved in this incident sought to
regulate the social pattern Of the community.
But they are peace officers clothed only with
the authority contained in definite laws. rules,
and regulations Of which confers any
social-pattern control upon the Department.