In the public high school we avoid a difficulty that is almost universal
in academies and private schools--the presence of pupils whose
attainments are so various that by a proper classification they would be
assigned to two, if not to three grades, where the graded system
exists. The vigilance, industry and fidelity of teachers, cannot
overcome this evil. The instruction given is inevitably less systematic
and thorough. The character which the high school, whether public or
private, presents, is not its own character merely; it reflects the
qualities and peculiarities of the schools below. It follows, then, that
the attention of the public should be as much directed to the primary
and grammar or district schools as to the high school itself. Of course,
it ought not to be assumed that the existence of a high school will
warrant any abatement of appropriations for the lower grades; indeed,
the interest and resources of these schools ought continually to
increase.
Nor can it be assumed that your contributions to the cause of education
will be diminished by the bequest of your generous testator. He did not
seek to lessen your burdens, but to add to the means of education among
you.
There is also an inherent power of discipline in the public schools,
where they are graded and a system of examinations exists, that is not
found elsewhere. Neither the pupil nor the parent is viewed by the
teacher in the light of a patron; hence, he seeks only to so conduct his
school as to meet the public requirement.
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