I m GIFT OF C%f 8061 '12 'NVr 'IVd 'A 'N ' OCT 8 1914 BULLETIN OF KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION New Series I OCTOBER, 1909 Number 8 THE SYSTEM IN GERMAN SCHOOLS OF THE ^ UNIVERSITY } PUBLISHED BY KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FRANKFORT BULLETIN NO, 8 NEW SERIES I KENTUCKY Department of Education I herewith submit a report upon the German Schools prepared by E. George Payne, Ph. D., the head of the Department of Training in the Eastern Kentucky State Normal School at Richmond. The purpose of this bulletin will be properly indicated in the preface. The report is a valuable document, and should be read and studied by all Kentucky students of the best thought. Dr. Payne has done his work thoroughly, and we are indebted to him for his timely and helpful report. Superintendent of Public Instruction, PREFACE. A little more than two years ago I received the following appointment from the Governor of Kentucky : 7o All \Vhom These Presents Shall Come, Greeting: '"Know ye, that E. George Payne having been duly ap- pointecl Commissioner for the State of Kentucky to investi- gate and report upon the German School System to /the State Superintendent of Public Instruction I hereby invest him with full power and authority to execute and discharge the duties of said office according to law. And to have and to hold the same with all the emoluments thereunto legally ap- pertaining for and during the term prescribed by law." In accordance with instructions from the State Superintendent and this appointment, I took up the work and devoted two years to a careful study of the German schools while I was a student at the universities of Bonn and Berlin. Upon the entrance into office of the present State Superintendent I had further ^correspondence with him. It was his wish that I follow out the plan I had begun. With these instructions I continued .my work and hereby offer the following report: I wish here to extend my sincerest thanks to the many German Educators 'who so courteously extended every assis- tance in making my study a success, and in giving me free access to the schools so that I might have an adequate idea of the work. I wish to thank especially Herrn Rektor Dicke of the Wilhelmschule in Bonn and Herrn Rektor Lessennich of the Hilfschule in Bonn for the special help given me. E. George Payne. Richmond, October 30, 1909. INTRODUCTION. The following discussion of certain phases of the German School System and Ithe lessons that may foe drawn from it for the Kentucky schools is in no sense to be taken as scien- tific or 'exhaustive. I should not like to have my ability to write a scientific work judged from this effort. The discus- sion is given in order to draw some practical conclusions as to -the needs and possibilities of the Kentucky Schools. While I must insist from the first that the German System could in no sense be transferred from the other side and foe used here to advantage because social, economic, and- political conditions are so radically different in the two countries, yet I do not pretend to disguise the fact or my conviction that our German /cousins are very much nearer the solution of a proper educational system than we are on this side. I must likewise admit that after a two years' intimate and care- ful study of the German schools, their methods of work and thoroughness have materially influenced my conceptions of Education and the proper ways of educating the people. Whether I have given expression to this change in these pages is a question that the reader may answer for himself. I have chosen to present only certain phases of the Ger- man schools because a discussion of this kind is of most value for my purpose. It seems to me that we must make some radical changes in our elementary, secondary, and special education. I have also written at length' of the posi- tion of the teacher, because I believe that there must also be as radical a change in the position which the teacher is to hold if we attain what we should educationally. We must have a teaching profession : we must have more men in the profession, and men of ability and consecration to their work. Our education must be more practical and useful. It is with these thoughts that I not only write this report but that I enter upon my new duties in my native State. I ask that the teacher give my discussion a careful reading, and then study some of the leading movements in this country, that of Massachusetts and New York before offer- ing adverse criticism. If this report proyokes discussion among the teachers of the State then I shall have -accom- plished much and shall feel rewarded for my task. THE SYSTEM IN GERMAN SCHOOLS- We often hear or read of the German School System, but we must use this term advisedly and not to understand that the schools of the German Empire are under one head or authority. There are twenty-six States in the German Empire, including the free cities of Hamburg, Bremen, and Luebeck, each of which has its own system and is in no way connected officially with any other State. In fact, edu- cation in the German Empire, as in our own country, is left entirely to the individual States, yet the schools throughout the Empire are very much alike and similar in quality. There are several reasons for this. In the first place the courses in the Hoehere Schulen (Secondary and College Education), are governed by the requirements of the Universities which are practically the same for the twenty-three Universities of the German Empire. The Classical Gymnasium was the principal school until in the year 1900 when the King of Prus- sia issued a decree admitting the graduates from the Reform Schools to the Universities on equal terms with those of the old Gymnasium. Since that time the growth of the Re- form Schools, in which there is less emphasis put upon Latin and Greek or in which these subjects are made elective, has been very rapid. There is no question that the best teach- ing, the most enthusiastic teachers, and the best equipment are found in the Reform Schools. There is likewise no question that the growth in these schools will increase in the future. The teachers of the Classical Schools fight the Reform Schools and insist that there is an effort made by the teachers in them to Americanize the German Schools. In spite of this opposition, as in our own land, the people are turning more and more to these schools and are neglecting the study of the Ancient Classics. These schools, then, are kept uniform because they pre- pare for entrance to the University, and the Universities set the standard, but that is not true of the elementary school. It corresponds to the Grades of our schools and prepares for no hig'her school. It is for the free education of the great mass of German citizens who make the common soldier of the German army, and for the instruction of the girls who are to be wives of this class of men. Yet the course in all these schools in all parts of the empire is strikingly similar and, practically, the work done in all is of nearly the same grade of efficiency. This is true because the leaders for the last forty years have worked to establish certain ideals and by a process of teachers' training have established certain methcrds and courses which are types for all parts of the country. Every individual who has a "fad" he wishes to work out is not given the wished for opportunity to practice upon a credulous public at the people's expense and at the immense cost of the education of the children of the community. If a person such as Herr Schulrat Dr. Sichinger, of Manheim wishes to put into practice a scheme such as the "Mannheimer drei Klassensystem" he has to show to the leaders of the whole profession that he is right or at least give good reasons to the profession, "for the faith that is in him." This conservative feeling and the unwillingness to go to an enormous expense of instituting or changing a school system without first proof of the need of a change and the benefits the change would bring does away with the continual experimenting and, in the main, holds the schools throughout the empire to a similar course. The uniformity in the courses of which we have just spoken does not do away with the individuality of the teacher or prevent the capable teacher from exerting his superior knowledge or attainments for the good of the community or the school system. If a person has a new idea he must try it out with the profession first. If he succeeds in con- vincing the leaders of the profession or any part of them that he has an idea worth while then he 'may have the op- portunity to try it after the community is sure that the children will not have to suffer for his experiment. No country has had so many superior men who have risen to distinction in the educational world and who have given so many new ideas which have been so universally accepted. Neither do we have to go to the past. We have but to refer to the above mentioned Dr. Sickinger, of Manneheim, Dr. Kirchen- steiner of Munich, Dr. Max Walter of Frankfort, and Herr Schulrat W T ehrhann of Hanover to see that Germany is pro- ducing men in the practice in all parts of her domain who are rising out of the profession, and bringing about reforms which must affect the education, not only of Germany, but of the world of the future. Not only is this opportunity present for individuals to rise above the profession and work out new theories in practice, but there is room within the system for the exercise of the individuality. Certain re- sults are expected of and how to protect and preserve the/m, plant life, gardening, fruit-growing, seeds, etc. The German skill as we know it in preserving the soil and using it to the best advantage is being constantly improved. The advanced work and successful 'knowledge of the State agricultural Colleges are thus finding immediate practical ap- plication by the farmers of the State. There is thus a con- nection between the agricultural Colleges and the people. The schools therefore serve a purpose other than to afford jobs for a lot of specialists in agriculture, as is too often the case in America- I have only to ask to what degree the agricul- tural colleges in America have influenced practical farming and to let the reader judge from his own knowledge and answer whether I am fair in my criticism of the influence of our agri- cultural schools. I recognize that some states as Illinois have done much along practical lines. We do not have to turn to Germany alone to find progress along these lines, for Massachusetts and New York have seen the need of such schools and have begun work along that line in the last few years. New York especially is very much under Ger- man influence. S'upt. Draper of the New York State schools expresses our needs and the work which should :be done very forcibly in a publication entitled : "Our Children, Our Schools, and Our Industry." There is not a doubt that Germany's rapid development in industry and the trades in recent years is due to her schools. Her rise as an industrial nation has been remarkable in the face of almost insurmount- able difficulties, so rapid that she has attracted the attention of other nations that have begun a close study of her indus- trial schools to which all attribute her rapid progress. We may remark here at the close of this discussion of the German Industrial schools that /the teachers for these 27 schools are taken from the elementary schools. Of course this selection ds possible since the teachers are practically all men. This would be a more difficult solution for us as our elementary teachers are practically all women, yet the diffi- culty is not an insurmountable one. In my recommendations to the Board of Education of the Paducah Schools in 1906, I suggested that such schools be established as evening schools and that -the principals and men teachers of the High School be used. My leaving prevented me from following up the suggestion, but I believe a happy and satisfactory solution lies in carrying it out. Even if there is not so much taught it will have a value we have hardly so far conceived. It will bring the teacher into closer touch with the community and especial- ly the industrial needs of the community. As all educators have felt the schools are too far from the people and too near the Universities. This plan carried out would be the beginning of a closer relation between 'the people and the schools, and would ultimately make the work of the regular schools more practical. The courses in agriculture which should be pre- sented in the country schools could likewise be presented by the country teacher, when we insist upon normal trained teacher for the country schools, and have a practical course in agriculture, required of all Normal students. We submit here a list of the continuation and special schools in Prussia, which will indicate what is being done. These schools are not so well developed in Prussia as else- where in the German Empire. The schools for cities are divid- ed into two classes; 1st, Special Business Schools; and 2nd, Special Trade Schools. Under the first mentioned there are: 1. The Building Schools- 2. Schools for Machines and Foundries. 3. Special Schools for the Metal Industries. 4- Special Schools for Artisans. 5. Special Textile Schools. 6. Schools for the Promotion of the Special Industries. 7- Navigation Schools. 8. Machine Schools for Steamships. 9. The mining Schools. 28 10. Schools far Housekeeping and Domestic Science for Girls. 11. Schools for Blacksmiths. 12. The regular Continuation Schools. Under the second class, mentioned above, there are the higher and lower trade schools and the trade .continuation schools. There are still to be mentioned the special schools for the country boys, and the elementary agricultural schools- The instruction is practical as well as theoretical; the first, preferably in the summer; the latter in the winter. The prac- tical training is given to all in the necessary agricultural work. This must be learned and carried out by 'every pupil through continuous practice. Opportunity is offered for this purpose through the work upon the farm which is connected with the school. Theoretical instruction is given in the ele- mentary branches, in the theory of agriculture, in Natural Science, in gardening and orchards, in animal diseases and their cure, and in Political Economy and agricultural laws. The length of the course is two years. The necessary re- quirements for entrance to these schools is the completion of the work of the eight grades and a knowledge of simple agricultural practice. The pupils of these schools are for the most part the sons of the common peasants and country people of the lower and middle class between the ages of fifteen and twenty years. This indicates the character of the work that is done for the country people who are to remain upon the farm and with the description of the butchers' school in Berlin will illustrate what is being done in all the schools of Germany. We can not go into further detail 'here. 29 TRAINING OF TEACHERS IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. The teachers for the German Elementary schools are trained in Lehrerseminaren (training schools) and must after- wards pass the State examination before being allowed to teach- No person can teach under any condition in public or private schools that has not first secured the certificate of graduation from one of the training schools, and then passed satisfactorily the State examination. Private schools are subjected to the same requirements and the same supervi- sion as the public schools and therefore may be better but can not be worse than the public schools, otherwise there would be no excuse for their existence. The course of study that the teachers are required to take is the result of the best educational thought in Germany for the past years, and is practically the same throughout the German Empire. The pupil must first have completed the regular class of the grades with high standing. He is then entered into the preparatory school which covers a period of three years. In the prepara- tory school, he takes up his higher Education and pursues the study of Music, History, Mathematics, Science, German, Art, and one Modern Language. The pupil upon his completion of this preparatory course is about equal to the graduate of a first class High School in America. Then 'he is ready to enter upon his professional work, which continues three years. In connection with the professional work the student continues his Academic work. The study in Psychology and Method is similar in the German Training School to that in our own Normal Schools, but all practice teaching is eliminated until after the close of the school course and then one year is set apart in which practice teaching is done, or rather one year is practice year. This makes seven years that each teacher must have after he has completed the work of the eight grades before he can be employed as a teacher at all. At the end of the sixth year, or upon graduation, from the Training 30 School, he can take the examination, and must pass his ex- amination before he begins his practice year- In case of fail- ure to pass in the first instance, the candidate is given one more trial, and if he then fails, he is forever debarred from the teachers' examination. After passing the examination he is admitted to his practice year, and at the close of the year, if he has proved himself to be a competent teacher, he may be permanently employed. There is no difference in the re- quirements for the rural and the city teac'her, however, the men usually 'begin their career in the country schools, and then the best of the country teachers are selected later and brought into the city to supply the requirements there. It is useless to say that with such requirements there is a teach- ing profession in Germany. No one would go into the pro- fession with any other intention than to devote his life to the work. It seems to me that here we also make a mistake when we give free tuition for a promise to teach a certain number of years. It would certainly work better if we set up such requirements that no one would enter the profession who did not expect to teach, and then make it possible for 'him to teach with credit to himself and not be subject to dismissal at the whim of some parent, who does not want his son John, " to study Grammar." I have never seen bad teaching even in any country school in Germany that I have visited. In fact, I have seen worse teaching in public schools in America, including some of the Chicago High Schools, than I saw in any of the elementary schools I visited in Germany. There are likewise teachers who are holding places in our high schools, so-called colleges, and State Nor- mal Schools who 'have not had sufficient Academic or pro- fessional training to secure a certificate to teach in the poorest country schools in the German Empire. I say this in S'hame and not to offer an adverse criticism. The blame for our educational status, our enormous per cent of illiteracy, lies with the teaching profession and not with the patrons of our state. From close contact with the teachers of the state for the last thirteen years, I must say that there is no class of people so little awake to educational advancement, or 31 reform. The country teacher sits blandly down and follows with his finger, the question of the Geography, and is supreme- ly content when he has elicited the answer which the book gives. We may expect an educational renaissance when our teachers prepare themselves and not before. If I should sum up the difference between the German schools and OUTS I should say that it Iks entirely in the quality of the work of the teachers in the schools. This does not mean that I think the course of study as offered in the German schools is better than what we attempt to give. I do not mean that German educators have solved better the means of educa- tion, or rather that ithe German school would fit America. Indeed, I found certain forces, as the army, influencing the German schools and German (teaching from which we are glad to be free. The teaching and aim in the German schools would not be practicable in ours- But every German teacher can tell you what is the aim of his teaching and the aim 'he 'has in the presentation of each lesson- He knows the relation of each lesson to the child, and the child is able to do at the end of the course what he has expected y the 'finger-method-' What we need is a revolution in the method and matter of the country school, and we need it badly in Kentucky. This change should be in the elementary courses and we ought not to attempt higher education in such places for some time to come. Not until the elementary course is thoroughly car- ried out in ,a right way. The second danger in Kentucky is in the development in our training schools in attempting to carry things which have little practical value, and too much show. In the revul- sion against the three R's a few years ago the course of study throughout the country lost much of its "backbone." I do not mean the course in the hands of skilled teachers. But in the hands of teachers who acquired the 'fads and frills' and nothing more- In sending young people from our schools with an indefinite idea of carrying out the methods which we tell them are right, 'The last state will be worse than the first.' Perhaps the strongest point in the German School System is the High School (hoehere schulen) which takes the child at the age of nine or ten years and keeps him for nine years. In these nine years the best American authorities agree that the child accomplishes as much as our pupils in the American Schools in twelve years. Prof- J. Lawrence Laughlin of the University of Chicago says : "The A. B. is about the equiva- lent of the Abiturium plus two semesters in the German University." In the German schools the Albittirinm is reached 41 at the close of the high school and may be attained at the age of eighteen. The average age is actually nineteen and one-half, very little older than the average graduate of the American High School. Other Americans who have studied the German schools have reached similar conclusions, and I am free to say that I am of a similar opinion after two years careful study and intimate association with the pupils and teachers of these schools- Then if there are actually three years in time saved to the pupil and to the boy, if he is prepared three years earlier to enter upon his career, then this part of the German school System deserves special mention in this report. In the first place this extraordinary achievement is largely due to the superior teachers. Men of broad and special scholarship, persons who have dedicated themselves to the work of teach- ing and devoted all their energies to the working out this plan. As has been pointed out this possibility is inherent in the German System, and, until we make certain radical changes, we can not accomplish what they do. But there are certain other things which appear to me to be responsible for this remarkable work. The Germans begin their higher education when the child is nine instead of fourteen. The question of the earlier commencement of the higher studies has been agitated for several years in this country. Paul H. Hanus, of Harvard has outlined in his Modern School a six years' course of study for the high school, beginning with the seventh grade, and has discussed this question at length. The writer in an Article, "The Relation of the Grammar Grades to the High School," points out from actual experience cer- tain possibilities in this respect. It is not my purpose here to discuss this question in detail, because space will not allow, but I wish to state how the Germans do the work. We wish here to give the courses of study in the different kinds of high schools as an introduction to the discussion of the German High Schools. All courses in the German High Schools are preceded iby elementary classes covering three years of work. In South Germany these are taken in four years in the Volkschule- In Prussia, however, these are taken in private institutions under state supervision, or the 42 elementary classes are connected with the high school and prepare directly for it. Where this is the case the work is always completed in three years. Following are the courses : Course of Study in Gymnasien. PRUSSIA I II III IV V VI VII VIIIj IX [Total Religion 3 4 8 2 3 8 2 3 8 2 2 8 6 2 2 1 3 2 2 2 8 6 2 2 1 3 2 2 3 7 6 3 2 1 4 2 2 3 7 6 3 3 4 2 2 3 7 6 3 3 ~4 2 2 3 7 6 3 3 ~4 2 19 26 68 36 20 17 9 34 18 4 8 German and History Stories _ __ Latin Greek French 4 2 2 4 2 History 2 2 4 2 2 2 Geography 2 4 2 2 Mathematics Science _ Writing Drawing 2 2 2 Total 25 27 ; 29 30 30 30 30 30 30 259 All pupils are required to take three hours each week in the Gymnasium and two hours of singing under VI. A student may elect two hours of drawing, and from VII on each pupil can elect two hours of Hebrew or English. Course of Study of the Heal Gymnasien. | II | III j IV | V | VI 1 VII | VII |VIlI]Total Religion 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 19 German and Story Latin 4 8 3 8 3 7 3 7 3 5 3 5 3 4 3 4 3 4 28 49 French _______ 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 29 Knglish 3 3 3 3 3 3 18 History 2 2 2 2 3 3 " 3 17 Geography 2 2 2 2 2 1 11 Mathematics 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 42 Science 2 2 2 2 2 4 5 5 5 29 WVitinj? /^ " ? 4 2 2 " " 2 2 2 2 1 2 ; 2 16 , 1 Total 25 25 29 30 30 30 3, i.,, 31 262 There are yet two other classes of schools which in our 43 limited discussion we can only mention here. They are the Real Schule followed by the Oberrealschule and the Reform- Gymnasium. The Realschulen require no Latin or Greek but more Science, Mathematics, German and French. It was not until 1901 that the students from these schools were al- lowed to enter the University. The Reform Schools are ar- ranged so that one may begin Latin or Greek later if he decides to elect them after he has spent three years in the higher schools. It does not delay the entrance to the higher schools, but delays the time when one must decide definitely what particular course he is going to pursue, and so these schools have become quite popular. I wish here to devote a little space to a discussion of the teaching of language in the German schools. We Americans, play at language teaching while the Germans actually teach the languages. Whether the pupil wishes to study Latin, Greek or some Modern Language, it is the same thing the language is definitely and completely learned. Many times I have seen pupils fifteen years of age reading Livy with as much ease as they do their own language. This is not a wonder. Any other condition would be a surprise, when one knows of the work done in the German schools. Here, however, is the Modern Languages with which we wish to deal. Time and again I have seen classes of eighteen year old boys reading Shakespeare and discussing it in English with as much readi- ness as a class in the last year of an American High School. How is such an achievement possible? Clearly the reason for this lies in the fact that the teacher of languages has pre- pared himself for teaching them. The question of method, while not without deep significance, is of -minor importance to the qualifications of the teacher. Before I left for Germany I had a very interesting conversation with a very bright young lady teacher in one of the leading high schools in the State of Kentucky (at least it should be for it makes those pretentions). I asked this young lady if German was offered in her school. She replied that it had been announced for the next year, and she was to have charge of the work- I asked her then where she had studied her German and she 44 again replied that she had never studied the language but she was going away that summer and in a six weeks course prepare herself for the work. My readers may feel that this is an exceptional case and I agree that it is, but I insist that 90 per cent, of those attempting to teach the Modern Lan- guages in the American schools, especially in the Kentucky schools, do not perform better work than this lady did in first year German. The poorly qualified language teachers in the American schools are practically universal- Being able to speajk and write readily a couple of the modern languages and having visited numerous of our schools and talked with many teach- ers, I am prepared to say that at least a majority of the work done in Modern Language is a wanton waste of the pupils time, and I can understand why parents should be disgusted with it. German can not >be any more successfully taught after a year's study of the language than Calculus can be successfully taught after a year's study of the Geometry in the High School, and the pupil's progress under the two teachers would be about similar. Progressive, energetic sup- erintendents who do not wish others to surpass them in the quality of the schools in their charge, in their enthusiasm, introduce the Modern Languages and hire someone to teach them. The superintendent can be no judge of the qualifica- tions of such a -teacher because he does not know the language himself. The teacher takes an elementary Grammar, some fairy stories with vocabulary "made to order" in the back of the book and proceeds to give instructions, and a no more monumental farce could be imagined. Pupils take up the wonk because they think it is exceptional to know a few German or French words and so it goes. When a pupil, after two years of study of German, has to have an "im- mensee" with vocabulary in the back and then write out, the meanings of the words between the lines of the text in order to make a recitation, I do not need to argue that the teaching of German is a collossal fake. If my reader thinks that I am unjust let him |go into any American High School and take the books of the second year and examine for him- 45 .self- Or, 'better still, if he knows some German let him take an inventory of the pupil's knowledge of the subject. Such teaching is an incomparable farce, and its continuance is detrimental to the child, school, and community. A long suffering community allows it. The purpose of offering a Modern Language is, I take it one of three : 1. For its disciplinary value. 2. For its cultural value, and 3. For its practical value. As there is very little practical use for the language in general in this country, we must find its justification in the first or second excuse for its being offered. As a discipinary subject any other in which the child has an in- terest might offer as good results. Any person who wishes to do advanced study of any kind, however, should be able to acquaint himself with the vast field of German and French literature, and is certainly at a very great disadvantage if he can not directly do so. Then the question that concerns us is the best method of acquiring the language for this purpose. Whether we acquire the language for discipline or for culture, the question is the same. How can the pupil best make the language his own? There is only one way according to my opinion and that is to learn the language so that one can read it as readily as his own. So one can actually read scientific works and appreciate the literature of the language. Nothing short of this is of value to the student. After seeing the different methods and its results for two years, I am fully convinced that one is right and the other is wrong. We shall attempt to give somewhat more definitely the right way as we have s'een it. Prof. Max Walter, Direktor of the Musterschule in Frank- fort, is one of the leading spirits in the Reform of language teaching in Germany, and it was his work that I observed with such profit, and describe with enthusiasm. He com- mences with the spoken language and starts with things in the school room. He takes especially the simple actions of 46 the children and has the pupils name them and act them at the same time. After the children become somewhat ac- quainted with the words representing the things with which they deal and the simple action of the children, also certain songs, Walter begins the grammar and reading, but never these first. This method of teaching is by no means devoid of work. It requires the intensest work. The Grammar is not neglected, but is not given until the pupil "has some ground-work for the study of the language. The pupil be- gins the study of French for instance at the age of ten years. The first two are devoted principally to memorizing, learning the regular conjugation and declensions, and accustoming the ear to the use of the spoken language, etc. The following is the Grammar for the third year class in French, and is the work required from boys of eleven to twelve years of age^ 1. Review of the regular conjugations. and extension of the sentence order, change of the perfect participle. 2. The most important of the irregular verbs and in connection with them the special words of the same stem. The most important verbs : here follows a list of about seventy-five verbs of the irregular con- jugation : 3- At the close of the irregular vefbs, the conguga- tion and infinitive are taught, together with the indicative in the indirect, and the question of the double accusative. There is scarcely more than this amount presented in the American High School in the same length of time, yet the Germans in these years devote much of the time to con- versation, composition, and reading, much more, indeed, than we. It is beyond question that the pupil accomplishes infinite- ly more by this method and the language becomes of some service to him, because he has learned to appreciate the language as used. This method, however, requires trained teachers and we shall perhaps not have them for some time. Anyway I should suggest that less time be devoted to the 47 languages unless the teacher is better qualified than the average American teacher. The belief that the pupil can ap- preciate the German Classics when he has to spell out the words one by one with a dictionary always in hand, or worse still with vocabulary made to order, at the back of the bodk is too ridiculous to require serious effort at refutation here. The observer will notice that the difference -between the first and second classes of schools here is that the former requires Greek and the latter French, otherwise, they are practically the same. Why is the pupil able to accomplish so much more with a course of study of this kind than with the course offered in the American schools? This question is certainly a pertinent one and its answer will be valuable for the American teacher, and, what concerns us, for the Kentucky teacher. There appear to me to be two reasons that we have not mentioned why we do not accomplish the work. First, our courses contain a lot of uninteresting un- necessary stuff in the first eight years of the child's school life- Especially from the age of nine to thirteen when the child should be acquiring something useful and creating habits of study he is wasting his time by devoting very little to the work in hand. This is because the material presented to him is uninteresting and has no vital relation to the child. It is a period of divided attention, and practically lost as far as the child's advancement is concerned. This period which should be utilized in the child's advancement is practically of no worth. The second cause of the failure of our course is due to the reorganization of the material presented in the past few years. We have introduced an enormous number of "fads and frills" which would enrich the Course of Study and improve it very much in the hands of skillful conscientious teachers who know how to put it into practice. In the hands of unskilled teachers and persons who only partially under- stand it, the innovations have taken the "Backbone" out of our Course of study and "the last case is worse than the first." Instead of making the material easy at the period from nine to thirteen years we should present "stuff" which the 48 pupil would find interesting enough to learn. The course in Mathematics, Language, Geography, etc. should be completely changed and intensified. More should be presented to the pupils and then the stronger ones should have the opportu- nity to do additional work outside of what the average child does. The American boy is not less 'bright, less capable, or less industrious, but he accomplishes vastly less because he is presented to the wrong material or the wrong material is presented to him. Thoroughness. There are certain special points which we wish to dis- cuss somewhat more in detail at the close of this discussion of the German schools. The idea of thoroughness pervades the whole work of the German schools. One has only to enter the school room, it matters not what the class, and he will be struck by thoroughness of the work of the pupils. The lessons are logically thought out and planned. The pupil is made to feel that there is something definite to learn and he leaves the class feeling that he has actually acquired something. So many of our lessons appear to have been taught because they happen to be in a text book, and not because they are planned to mean something definite to the child. The teacher in Germany never uses a text, and the pupils use much fewer books than here. The methods of dividing the class into two sections so as to hear one recite while the other prepares the lesson is not known there. The Class recites as a whole, and the period of recitation is fifty minutes. The pupils have fifty minutes of intensive work, then they are excused for a recess of ten minutes in which they are given vigorous exercise, perhaps physical training. Then they go back to their work for another fifty minutes. The Germans themselves feel that the lack of the use of text- books in the schools- while it procures thoroughness, does not create the desire and taste for reading as in the American schools. They overestimate the value of the text-book even in this respect. The acquiring of the habit of reading is most 49 often after the child has completed the work of the grades, at least the American habit of newspaper reading is acquired after the person becomes personally interested in public af- fairs, and is not due to the reading in the schools. The characteristic difference between the German schools and ours is the thoroughness of the former. They eliminate the non- essentials and acquire the important things so thoroughly that they are always sure of their knowledge. Compulsory Attendance. "There is compulsory attendance throughout the German Empire for forty-two weeks in the year and for six days in the week. There is nothing that excuses except sickness. In this respect we are far behind. Even our short term of schools is not attended and the term for which there is com- pulsory attendance is not enforced. If we will obliterate the enormous per cent, of illiteracy, 13% in Kentucky, we must take some advance steps in this respect and insist that the child of this Commonwealth attend the public school. This is especially necessary because we live in a democracy. There should be no half-way measures in this respect. Scholarship Recognized. There is a grievous fault of which we Kentuckians are guilty, that is the lack of the recognition of scholarship- The Germans, the scholars of the world, naturally set the example in scholarship for all the world, but our distinc- tions in Kentucky in the matter of qualifications are anything but complimentary. With single exceptions we have no men in our state such as almost every other State of the Union has. Rather we do not retain our men who become scholars- Why should not the old State of Kentucky have Universities like he Sisters on the South or to the North? Why does she or why should she stand so high in the list in the number of men that she has produced but not retained? If our educational system takes the place among the Systems of the United States 50 that she deserves to hold we must make it possible for the sons of the soil to devote their lives to the elevation of its citizenship. In Germany the Professors are called upon to serve the State in its law-making bodies, and in its cabinets where the laws are made. The superior knowledge of the professor is made use of in promoting the welfare of the nation. The nation is proud of its school teachers. If the teachers of our State, after years of study are not capable of being the advisers of the communities they serve, then we ought to change the profession and call men and women who can do so. We must make the place respectable and make it possible for men who care to maintain their self- respect to enter and remain in the profession. Special Teachers. There is no teacher in Germany who attempts to teach everything in the Curriculum, even in the primary grades- The teachers are specialists. The teachers study many dif- ferent subjects as has been shown in the preparation of the teacher but she does not pretend to teach everything. In the higher schools the candidate usually offers three su/b- jects besides his mother language. In the lower grades they usually offer more subjects but no one teaches the entire grade. This provides for a thoroughness which could not otherwise be possible. At the same time the proper grouping and correlating of the subjects prevents narrowness which one might expect from such specialization. For instance the teachers of the Musterschule of Frankfort teach groups some- what as follows : French and German ; Latin, Greek and History; Mathematics and Physics, etc. The Germans do not carry this specialization so far as "we do in our secondary schools, for every one is required to teach more than one subject. Yet in the Elementary schools the teacher does not attempt to cover the whole field. There is .not the great 'breach between Elementary and Secondary Education that we find in our schools, and the higher Education is continuous from the 9th year. 51 Men Teachers. I do not feel that I should leave the discussion of the German schools without saying a word of the wholesome effect of the work of the great number of men teachers. Even in the Elementary schools 85% of the teachers are men and when we include the High Schools the per cent will be much higher. This gives permanency to the profession but it has still a greater advantage than that. G. Stanly Hall and a few other pioneers have had much to say about the "feminization" of the American Schools, and have led the way in a crusade against the excessive number of wo/men teachers, and, when one observes the wholesome eflect of the work of the men in Germany, he is forced to a similar conclusion. As one who went to Germany feeling that most of the work in the grades should be permanently done by women, I had the occasion for many surprises in observing the most excellent work of the men- While I should not care to see the condition which prevails in Germany copied here if it were even possible, yet an equalization of the forces would work permanent good and in my opinion must take place before we attain the profes- sional skill necessary for the highest development or educate our children for the best citizenship. Initiative. Much has been said about the initiative and enterprise of the American. The German especially has admired these qualities in the American and has sought to explain them- As is most natural for the German he has looked to the American school and. has considered it the source of all these good qualities, many of the writers have at least offered a comparison of the work of the two systems. I fail completely to find the causes of the American initiative and enterprise in the American school. There is more self-assertion and there are more student activities in the American school than in the German, but I find that these are patterned more after business methods than after the American school methods. 52 These things are usually no part of the Program- American enterprise, according to my ovservations, comes rather from the character of American life, American opportunities, and independence in political action. I fail completely to see where the American school aids in the development of -the spirit of enterprise, I mean the school as constituted- In fact our American schools, and especially our Kentucky schools, have been behind our industrial and agricultural life and have in no way, or only to a limited extent, contributed to their advancement. In fact they have served only as a place for the education of the five per cent that would have succeeded anyway. They are so arranged that each might have the possibility "of becoming President" or something else of importance and neither the weak or strong pupils ac- complish the most possible. Looking over the courses in the high schools of a dozen different cities in Kentucky, I find that the courses are arranged with the definite aim o preparing the pupils for College- "I judge that other courses are similar. Looking over the list of those who enter College I find that perhaps W c /o of all the graduates pursue their education farther than the high school. Now why shall we spend all the money we are spending for the I0 c /o who would reach the College anyway and whose parents are able to send their children to a preparatory school? It is simply ridiculous. We must face a'bout, or disgrace ourselves. We must educate the children to do something. We must make our schools serve the State and the community. We must take care of the great mass of citizenship the ignorant and needy if we attain the highest development. We must educate better artisans, better clerks, better brick layers, and better carpen- ters. We must teach people to earn an honest living and serve the community as honest citizens, ready to offer their property in defense of the State; I mean in enforcing the laws and in choosing right lawmakers and officers. Influenc- ed by the past we are going about this whole matter wrong- We have not recognized the industrial, and the social changes that have taken place, and we do not seem to be providing for the agricultural change which ought to take place. The 53 last number of the Southern School Journal says : "There are others (people) deprived in their youth of the most meager advantages, and so pressed by circumstances after maturity that they have failed to take advantage of the opportunities for such training, who are ignorant mainly of book lore, and are not in any sense depraved or vicious. The writer has in mind one of the heaviest tax-payers in the Blue Grass coun- ties; a man who lived to the age of seventy years and never knew how to write his name. By untiring energy, good judgment, and frugality, he had earned a competency. His three sons and one daughter were given advantages their father never had. Kentucky at that time was not paying $4 per capita for the education of the children- School houses were built by popular subscription, and teachers were paid largely in the same manner. This man largely furnished the material, and paid the carpenters for the erection of a school house and afterwards supplemented the salary in an amount sufficient to get the best talent available, that not only his own children, but every other child in the district might derive the benefit from such instruction. This man could compute without aid, the interest on a note; and, before the "dude" buyer of his herd of cattle could remove his kid gloves to get his checkbook from his scented pocket, this illiterate forman would tell him the amount due for "the bunch" bought by the pound." This represents the condition that we all know and have seen a thousand times. But what about the sons and daughter of these men who have attained so much and provided such a good "education" for their children. They go to the school which prepares for College, they are taught every day to despise the work which their fathers have done, for only "the intellectual" is enobling and they become the "dudes with the scented pocket" because of these superior advantages in education. Most of the work that is now given in the grades in our country and city schools is worthless and the High School is valuable only to the very limited minority. It is worthless because there is not a worthy aim toward which we are striving in .education- The course does not prepare the pupil for the life toward which he must aim 54 if he have any aim at all The fact is, neither teacher nor pupil has any conscious aim toward which he is striving and on this account the work of the teacher and pupil must be farcical- Paul H. Hanus says on pages 29 and 30 of his Educational Aims and Educational Values, "I have elsewhere pointed out how rare it is to find teachers whose work is determined by conscious aims, and consequently how narrow is the professional horizon of most of them, I shall not soon iorget the surprise with which an intellegent teacher said to me, not long ago 'An aim' I have no aim in teaching. That is a new idea;'" and another New England teacher, one of the first in his profession, said, in reply to my statement that every teacher's purpose must determine the nature and qual- ities of his work." I have no purpose in teaching astronomy ; I don't know why I teach it." These teachers did not of course, represent themselves quite fairly. But they did mean that beyond the immediate object of inducing their pupils to learn their daily lessons in Algebra, and Latin, and As- tjronomy, they had no conscious purpose by which their whole activity as teachers were determined; and specifically that the choice of these subjects as fit subjects matter of in- struction was no concern of theirs; they taught the subjects as best they could, because these subjects were in the course of study which was like other courses of study, or because those subjects were required for admission to college." If the writer had had the conscious aim of discussing the courses of study in the Kentucky schools he could not have done it more accurately. The writer says in his discussion "The Relation of the Grammear grades to the High School." Only a few days ago I received a letter from a principal of a high school, asking me to submit to him an up-to-date high school course for his school. There was no intimation of the course of the grades in his city, indeed, no intimation of any local condition. From the tone of the letter the principal clearly implied that he believed a course in one place could be operated successfully in any other school, and he wanted a sample of the best." The only way to remedy this great failure in our educational system in Kentucky is to make the Grades in the 55 country serve the large per cent of boys and girls who will and ought to remain on the farm, and will constitute the rural population of the future- We must train them to be more efficient farmers and citizens of the communities in which they are to live. The new county High Schools must not be preparatory schools for the Colleges, but continuation schools for the grades, and serve to fit the boys for still better farmers, and the girls for the wives of the farmers- They should be taught how to raise cattle, hogs, and sheep, and to farm the land most advantageously. Kentucky will never develop her immense potential wealth by training the few and providing for the few to rise out of their present condition, and perhaps seek homes and work in other States. Kentucky must educate those who are to remain here and constitute the backbone of our future civilization and History. This can be done only by systematic work and the immediate organization of our country schools to serve the needs of the rural population of the State. All the hodge-podge "hot-air" theories in regard to the establishment of College preparatory schools in the country will never elevate the State educa- tionally to the place it should hold- The Grades of the cities in Kentucky, while much better than those in the country, still need modification to meet the needs of the city. The High Schools which are now College preparatory schools should likewise be continuation schools which prepare for life and answer ithe requirements of a right educational aim. There should certainly be provisions for those who wish to attend the Universities, but the whole school should not be for that purpose. Summing up the whole matter we would say that the great need now is to cease trying to get people out of the profession or calling they or their parents now hold and to educate them to fill these positions in the future with honor to themselves and the community. Educate people to the realization that it is not the work but the man that counts, and that any work is honorable as a life's work if the person is honorable who performs it. This ideal can only be realized by making the schools really people's schools, schools for the masses and 56 not for the chosen few, as every thoughtful man must now admit that they are. Are we going to find young men who will rise up to lead in this educational renaissance? The work means a life of sacrifice, a life of service, but what young Kentuckian would not like to serve the grand old State of his birth? We are going to meet opposition in our efforts for several reasons. The people are accustomed to think the only way is, just as the teachers are accustomed to instruct in the old days. We are now fighting for popular education which is in no sense popular education. It is education for the chosen few but its disciples will fight for it till they die. The young people who may catch the new spirit and wish for a true education of value to the whole people; those who may be willing to give their lives for a greater Ken- tucky will meet bitter opposition, but the reward of a live so spent will be sweet because iit is a true reward and it will surely come- Any one who can discern the signs of the times must recognize what the future is to be, and if Kentucky is to raise her place in the educational world, the movement must be along the lines we suggest and I believe that there will soon be plenty who will join us in working for this movement. RETURN TO the circulation desk of any University of California Library or to the NORTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY Bldg. 400, Richmond Field Station University of California Richmond, CA 94804-4698 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 2-month loans may be renewed by calling (415) 642-6753 1-year loans may be recharged by bringing books to NRLF Renewals and recharges may be made 4 days prior to due date DUE AS STAMPED BELOW 292953 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY