USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1900 > Part 14
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3. To give him a clear knowledge of his immediate physical en- vironment, which will serve as a basis for his work in geography, his study of his broader environment.
Surely the accomplishment of these aims will justify the as- signment of an important place to nature study in the elementary course.
We have been conservative in the use of time in this direc- tion,-an hour a week only being given to it. Such is the interest in the subject, and such the importance attached to it, that some cities-Springfield, Cambridge, Quincy, Brockton, Malden, for examples-employ a special supervisor, or director, of nature study, as for drawing, music, etc.
Having considered at some length the value of the subjects selected from the permissive list by the city, let us inquire more briefly regarding those upon which the state insists. There is no question that reading, writing, spelling, language and grammar, arithmetic, geography, and history should be taught in the ele- mentary schools. The more difficult questions are how much of each shall be taught, and at what period in the course. And upon even these questions there is divergence of opinion.
Reading, of course, holds the chief place in every elementary course. Our aim in teaching it is to enable the child at gradua- tion to read intelligently for himself and fairly well for others such authors as Irving, Hawthorne, Prescott, Longfellow, and Tenny- son. We leave Shakespeare, Browning, and Emerson to later years. Some attention is paid to the graces of oral reading, but no attempt is made to teach elocution. .
Besides this, we seek in all grades to create a taste for good literature, and to form the habit of reading the best books.
The importance of writing has been over-emphasized with us in recent years, and an undue amount of time and energy spent
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
upon it. As the programme is now arranged, penmanship stands fourth in the list of subjects in the time assigned it, the order be- ing reading, arithmetic, language, penmanship. It should be subordinated as being simply a means to an end.
Spelling has never been considered by us as something to be absorbed by contact with language, but has always been studied directly, the much-berated spelling-book figuring throughout the course. Results do not show that the subject has been overdone.
Language Work holds a prominent place, constant effort being made to secure the ready and correct expression of thought both in speech and writing. There has been a steady gain in this respect, and yet there are great opportunities for improvement. Technical grammar is taught in the three upper grades.
Arithmetic has always held chief rank in the popular mind as of foremost importance. It is considered "practical," "essential," "closely connected with success in life," etc. Without detracting unduly from its assumed value, it may be said that it has been somewhat overrated, both as an element of knowledge and as a means of training. Unlimited time may be spent upon its count- less applications, but so much of it as is actually needed for busi- ness may be acquired in less time than is now given to it. Facility and accuracy, to an extent not now reached, in a few fundamental and necessary operations, performed chiefly in the mind, should first of all be acquired. Even this will require much time and practice, but it will ensure the quick completion of whatever else may be needed in arithmetical work. The subject has been apportioned among the nine grades, but the conviction grows that more has been assigned to the earlier years than is warranted.
Geography, physical, political, or commercial, receives atten- tion in the six grammar years through reading and study. The subject is as broad as the earth, and the chief difficulty lies in the order of treatment and the selection of what is most important. It is closely correlated with nature work, the form that it chiefly takes in the lower grades.
History and Biography constitute a leading feature in the work of the three upper classes. History is learned through biographi- cal reading in all grades. This study has great value in inspiring pupils with high ideals of life and in developing the spirit of loy- alty and patriotism. In the ninth grade the library method is attempted by some classes, the public library offering every facility therefor.
Drawing, measured by the time spent upon it, holds fifth rank, being taught in all grades. It includes nowadays the study of art, and the aim is to cultivate a taste and appreciation of what is beautiful, as well as to attempt to give skill in its production. It has aesthetic and ethical. as well as industrial and practical, value. It is attractive to children, and involves little mental strain. Doubtless the assignment of time may be readjusted, with pos- sibly an option given to teachers regarding the quantity of work
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
to be done in certain localities where the school life is the shortest possible.
Good Behavior, though last in the list of the branches the state requires taught, is one of the most important. It includes ethical instruction, the grounding in principles, the training in habits that. crystallize into noble character. Little specific teaching is given. Every subject, rightly taught, contributes its share. The general trend of discipline, the insistence on the practice of the school vir- tues, and the example and influence of the teacher are the means- used to secure the ends.
Manual Training, although a statutory requirement for us, has not yet been introduced into our elementary schools. Recent. inquiries show that in this respect we are in company with just. half of the cities to which the statute applies. "The growth of manual training as a branch of study has been somewhat like that of drawing. At first it was sought as an accomplishment, after- wards as a trade, now as a means of mental discipline in furnish- ing a good foundation for practical life. Its claims to a place in. the course of studies are: That (1) it teaches dexterity of hand ; (2) it trains to habits of order and neatness; (3) it cultivates a sense of truth and right by demanding exactness of details ; (4) it cultivates the will in its requirements of persistence until a set task is completed ; (5) it serves as a valuable aid to drawing and' art studies ; (6) it cultivates the ethical sense in enabling pupils to make useful objects ; (7) it serves to offset the strain of purely intellectual work ; and (8) it gives respect for manual labor."
The chief objections to manual training are: (1) It consumes- time that may be used to better advantage; (2) it involves in- creased expenditures. The first objection opens the whole ques- tion of educational values. It may be said, however, that the uni- form experience has thus far been that no perceptible loss appears in the direction of other studies where manual work has been fol- lowed. As to the expense,-we never hesitate in other matters when convinced that the end justifies the means.
Wishing to get expert opinion upon certain points connected with the general question, I recently addressed the following in- quiries to four gentlemen, all judges of the supreme court of the educational commonwealth. Their replies are here presented, to- show that the question is yet far from settlement. The inquiries were :-
(1) At what age should pupils in elementary schools be given- manual training in the form of woodwork at the bench?
(2) How long can such work be profitably continued? The replies :-
Late' and little, or not at all, is as far as I have got .- G. Stanley Hall, Clark University, Worcester.
It is our strong feeling here at the Institute that the formal manual training at the work bench with regular tools should not begin before the high school, and that such work should not continue for more than two years .- Luther Gulick, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N. Y.
1
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
The age at which pupils in elementary schools can begin manual training in woodwork depends, of course, upon the character of the work and the time given to it. If the training includes the usual serie., of elementary exercises, a boy might advantageously begin the work at twelve years.
Woodwork can be profitably continued through all the grades of the elementary school, provided the exercises are properly developed. Inventive and constructive work should begin as soon as the pupil has acquired the manipulation of the tools and has got control of the funda- mental processes. In this way his drawing, his inventive power, and his practical training are all correlated, and he realizes what work of this kind means. There are great possibilities, I think, in elementary wood- work not yet availed of in the schools .- James MacAlister, President of Drexel Institute, Philadelphia.
With the ordinary teacher it is perhaps safe not to begin the bench work earlier than the seventh year. With a capable teacher, however, and one in sympathy with the impulses of boyhood and girlhood, very healthful and valuable work may be done in the sixth grade with the bench tools. The products would at this time, of course, be somewhat crude, but motive and sound reasoning in working out means and methods may all be represented in such work.
As to the question of how long such work can be profitably con- tinued, it seems to me that the satisfying quality of such work, both in its operation and results, a's related to boy nature allows its use to be con- tinued with the most valuable results through the remaining years of the elementary schools. For the boy of thirteen or fourteen, with his developed sense of conscious power and desire to impress himself upon his surroundings, the concrete possibilities of woodworking open natural channels for achievements,-achievements which are related most natur- ally to his interests and capacities .-- C. R. Richards, Columbia Univer- sity, New York.
Studies in Other Cities. It is interesting and may be profit- able to know what subjects are taught in the schools of other cities. For this reason tabulated returns to inquiries sent from the State House to all cities of 100,000 population, to the practice departments of twenty typical normal schools in various parts of the country, and to the cities and larger towns in Massachusetts are here reproduced. Sixty places made complete replies. In comparison, it should be borne in mind that in forty-four places there are nine grades in the course, and in the other sixteen places there are only eight grades.
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
Table showing the number of cities and towns (out of sixty places reporting ) in which the various subjects are taught and in what grades the subjects are taught.
[ Grade Nine in forty-four places. ]
Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade
Grade Grade
BRANCHES.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6
7.
8.
9.
Reading
60
60
60
60
60
60
60
59
43
Writing
60
60
60
60
60
59
55
52
36
Spelling ( lists )
34
46
53
58
58
58
56
54
38
Language and Composition
54
57
60
60
58
55
51
47
41
Grammar
. .
. .
. .
2
4
15
'34
51
40
Latin .
. .
· ·
. .
. .
·
1
4
5
12
French or German
53
59
60
60
59
60
59
57
41
Algebra
. .
. .
. .
.
. .
· ·
6
8
6
History and Biography
9
12
15
22
29
32
47
57
39
Geography*
9
14
23
38
40
40
41
39
24
Elementary Science or Nature
50
51
52
52
52
51
50
47
37
Singing
57
58
59
59.
59
59
56
56
42
Drawing .
58
58
58
58
59
59
59
58
43
Manual Training or Cooking
7
5
5
10
13
14
15
13
38
·
. .
. .
·
1
1
3
2
B
Arithmetic
6
11
22
Geometry
2
4
5
Study
* Forty-one places reporting, twenty-nine of them having nine grades.
From the above table it appears that the three R's still hold the most prominent place in all the grades. Singing and drawing are taught in nearly every grade of all schools reported, while spelling and language have almost as good a showing. £ Geog- raphy and history are almost universally taught in the upper grades, and their elements are not neglected in a large proportion of the lower grades.
The most surprising figures are those given in connection with elementary science or nature study. That more than five- sixths of all the grades below the eighth, and a scarcely less pro- portion in the eighth and ninth grades, are receiving instruction corroborates what has been already said in this report. Either Latin, French, German, algebra, or geometry is taught in some grade of about one-third of the places reported.
Time Schedules. The difficulty in arranging a school pro- gramme lies not so much in the selection of studies as in the ap- portionment of time and in the assignment of grades. To this problem much thought and serious attention have been given both in theory and practice. An attempt has recently been made. under the direction of the State Board of Education, to secure a concensus of expert opinion and usage regarding this matter Leading educators all over the country were consulted, typical courses of study were compared, and the practice in the best Eng- lish, French, and German schools was investigated. There re- stilted what we may call an ideal or model programme. Without attempting any detailed comparison, it is interesting and instruc-
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
tive to note that in the language group (including reading, writ- ing, spelling, composition, grammar, and literature, together with history) our time allowance, taking the course through, is five per cent. greater than in the model programme. In the second group, mathematics (including with us nothing but arithmetic and book- keeping), it is also five per cent. greater. Upon the third group, elementary science (including nature study, physiology, hygiene, and geography), however, we spend two and one-half per cent. less than the ideal programme suggests. In the miscellaneous group (including singing, drawing, and manual training) we are seven and one-half per cent. behind in our assignment of time. In the time devoted to study in school the two programmes are prac- tically alike. This comparison confirms the opinion heretofore expressed that it may be wise for us to lessen the time now given to drawing, arithmetic, and possibly writing, and to increase the time given to science, still leaving room for the addition of manual training to the course if thought best.
Everything depends upon the wise and discriminating use which the teacher makes of the course of study. If she looks upon it as a series of cast-iron requirements, as so much prescribed work to be accomplished, whatever the conditions, she will be led into grievous errors in her methods, and her pupils will suffer either from over-help or from over-work, the first being the more injurious and the more probable. If, however, she remembers that no course of study can be adapted to all children, to all classes, and to all exigencies, and is controlled by a wise consid- eration for the needs of each child, viewed hygienically, as well as pedagogically, she will use her common sense and will modify her requirements, demanding less here and more there, as indi- vidual interests and ability may dictate. Our own course of study emphasizes this duty of the teacher in the following language :-
It is assumed that teachers will use this course of study intelligently and with discrimination. It presents a maximum of attainment, but it is not inflexible. Not all classes, not all pupils in any class can accom- plish all the work laid out. Some pupils will be able to pass beyond grade limits, although the wider application of subjects and principles will ordinarily render this needless. Not all subjects are of equal im- portance. Some may be cursorily treated or even omitted. The essen- tials will be readily recognized, and must be emphasized. The wise teacher will be governed in the subjects taught, in the methods used, and in the allotment of time by the circumstances of the class and by what shall seem to secure the greatest good of the greatest number.
Let it not be forgotten that it is the child that is to be taught and developed rather than the subject. The individual, his temperament, his tastes, his needs, his abilities must be studied, and instruction modified accordingly. Schools exist for the benefit of children, not to exemplify a system or carry out a policy. Programmes, courses of study, text- books, and the like are only guides and aids. They can never displace nor even trammel wise teachers, through whose judgment, character, and inspiration alone schools attain to the ideal.
A few subjects in arithmetic, etc., thoroughly understood, are better than more partly comprehended. Hence principals are authorized to transfer the teaching of the least important of the assigned subjects to
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
the last of the year, and omit them altogether if, for any reason, this seems necessary in order to secure thoroughness in the essentials.
In all grades a minimum amount of required work should be as- signed for all members of the class, and sufficient optional or elective work for the most proficient. The required work should cover all the essential principles, and the elective work should be interesting, broad in. its scope, practical, and as closely related to business and everyday affairs as possible.
Self-help. I have spoken of certain educational principles as having been pretty well established by the investigation and dis- cussion of educators. The most important is this: Education is- a process of development from within, not of construction from without. The germ is in the child, and can reach its growth and. perfection only through his self-activity. It is what the child does for himself that stimulates this growth, rather than what is- done for him. Schools may furnish the opportunity, and knowl- edge the material, teachers may supply ideals and motives, but the use of opportunity, the assimilation of material, the attainment of ideals,-all these depend upon the child's own efforts. Control,. guidance, inspiration are external, but education is from within, and is self-achieved. It is not a personally-conducted tour up the- hill of science. The path may be blazed and a guide furnished, but the traveler does his own climbing, and carries his own lug- gage, and develops his own strength. The school never does the- best for the child until it leads him into voluntary, interested, sus- tained, independent study, hard study that overcomes obstacles, solves difficult problems, and makes confused ideas clear. Not that it is to do nothing else. It must furnish employment, also, that is easy, pleasurable, entertaining, refreshing, that calls into- exercise the body, as well as the mind. Indeed, the temptation,. the tendency is to furnish too much employment that is easy and attractive, and too little that requires close application and hard labor.
The failure to give opportunity and time for growth through self-activity renders pertinent the leading criticism upon modern school methods. Here are some quotations from recent critics :-
"The independent. self-reliant student has, to a large extent, passed away." "Children are not thrown on their own resources." "They are carried over the course of the least resistance." "I see nothing in the- new system to establish the habit of application." "The curse of modern education is multiplication of subjects and painless methods." "Stu- dents have become so reduced that they would like, as it were, to lie in bed and have their studies sent up to them." "The students we receive have little power to help themselves." "'If you want us to be virtuous, heroic, learned, accomplished,' the young people of to-day practically say to the church, the school, the college, to their parents, 'you will have to exert yourselves. We want to gratify you, but will tolerate nothing dry, nothing hard, nothing ascetic. The duty of the preacher or of the teacher is to waft us to heaven or Parnassus on gentle zephyrs; otherwise each must endure the pain of seeing us conclude to go somewhere else.'"
All will acknowledge that there is force in these criticisms, which have to do, by the way, not with scholastic attainments, but
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
with elements of character. And yet we shall not be inclined to hold the schools entirely responsible. The teachers are in the drift. They yield, unconsciously, perhaps, to the tendencies of the times. This is an age of labor-saving devices. We ride where we formerly walked. We are lifted up stairs. All the pills are sugar-coated. We press the button and somebody else does the rest. We are on pleasure bent. The young must be at- tracted, allured, persuaded. Easy-going methods of family dis- cipline prevail. Lines of least resistance are followed. Too fre-
quently the children control. All this and more like it out of school cannot fail to influence the character of the work in school. Everything must be made entertaining, burdens must be lifted, the teacher who makes the work easiest is the most popular. "Miss Blank is just splendid, she explains everything so beauti- fully." "What do we pay our teachers for, except to help the
children?" The school should be made pleasant, attractive, al- luring, but it should not enervate by substituting simple entertain- ment for the training which toughens mental fibre, which sacri- fices ease to effort, which makes labor a delight, which substitutes resolute purpose for indolent whims, which gives one the victory over himself, which develops out of himself by his own energy the character that ennobles life and blesses others.
The majority of teachers fully realize the situation. They recognize the work to be done, and set themselves resolutely to stem the current and to attempt the task. They succeed in a measure only. The call for more froin higher schools, the spur of competition, the feeling that a certain prescribed work must be done, and the demand from outside that the child's labor shall be lightened as much as possible tempt her to take the quicker, easier, more popular path of over-help, over-explanation, over- teaching, and to substitute her effort for that which the child him- self should put forth. All this is unpedagogical and unwise, she knows, but we are all human. What is needed is not less earnest- tess, less enthusiasm, less purpose, but more composure, more in- sistence upon quality rather than quantity, greater willingness to be judged by how the pupil is trained than by how much ground he has covered, by the little he has done for himself, instead of the much that has been done for him.
Parents, too, should recognize this principle of growth through self-help, and should welcome for their children employ- ment and methods that are prophetic of mental and moral vigor. And this suggests the inquirv, To what extent should the home be called upon to aid the school in its work?
Home and School. The home and the school are allies. They are appointed by nature or the state to accomplish the su- preme task of rearing the child to a life of health, intelligence, and virtue. Each has its function, but neither is independent of the other. Their work is so interrelated that neither can be a substi- tute for the other. These natural allies should be in closest touch
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
and sympathy. Mutual acquaintance and confidence should be complete. The home should know the school, its teachers, its privileges, its requirements. The school should know the home, its parents, its opportunities, its demands. Only with these con- ditions fulfilled can the school do its best work. Only as the parent has personal acquaintance with the teacher, with her aims and efforts, with the tasks assigned, and, through her, with the effort and spirit of the child, can he wisely co-operate with the school. This mutual knowledge in a large city is difficult, if not impossible. Hence the parent sees the teacher and school chiefly through the eyes of the child, and the teacher knows the home mainly as the child reveals it to her. Frequent misjudgments re- sult, and the child's interests are jeoparded. Troubles between parent and teacher are generally the result of misunderstanding or misrepresentation. When the two meet in calmness, informa- tion is given and received, quick adjustment results, and mutual regret is expressed that the conference was not held long before.
Home Study. With a view to ascertaining whether home study in our schools is excessive and needs restriction, and before the matter had been locally agitated, teachers of high schools and the four upper grammar grades were requested to record the number of minutes actually spent in study in school during one school week, and also to take the reports of pupils as to the time actually spent in study at home during the same time. The week selected began October 29. The reports may be relied on as sub- stantially correct, although, in the opinion of teachers, there was a little tendency to exaggerate the amount of home study, in the hope of securing commendation. The results of the inquiry are given to show a condition, not a theory :-
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