SCHOOL 



5245 



SCHOOL 



obstacle to effecting a change of climate is re- 

 moved. Fourthly, the school plant is in use 

 throughout the year. 



Objections. The great objection raised to 

 school all the year round is that of increased 

 expense, but the experiments that have been 

 tried show that this objection is not valid. The 

 increase in expense is entirely out of propor- 

 tion to the value of the advantages derived 

 from the plan. The second objection is that 

 pupils and teachers cannot withstand the nerv- 

 ous strain, but the plan allows any pupil to 

 remain out of school one term in the year, and 

 whenever any teacher desires a leave of absence 

 for a term the matter can be easily arranged. 

 The third objection is that the help of the 

 older children is needed at home during the 

 summer. This objection is valid in many rural 

 : :cts, but the necessity for a summer term 

 in these districts is not so great as in the cities, 

 because in the country the children live an 

 outdoor life and learn much from their contact 

 with nature. 



Tendencies. The University of Chicago, since 

 its organization, has been open the year round. 

 Other universities and colleges are following its 

 example in increasing numbers and holding 

 summer terms. In several states the state 

 normal schools are required to hold summer 

 terms. The example set by these institutions 

 has led a few cities to adopt an all-year-round 

 plan. While this new plan may gain ground 

 slowly at first, its advantages are so evident 

 that in time it will probably be adopted by 

 most American cities. 



School Credits for Home Work. Many cities 

 are unable to maintain classes in manual train- 



ing, domestic economy or other lines of voca- 

 tional training, and industrial conditions are 

 such that the pupils receive little or no practi- 

 cal training in the affairs of life. To overcome 

 this difficulty educators have in some cities and 

 counties arranged a system of credits for work 

 done at home or in other places besides the 

 school. Boys may work in shops, stores or busi- 

 ness offices. Pupils may take music lessons, 

 instrumental or vocal, and some schools allow 

 credits for work done in literary societies held 

 outside of the schoolhouses. In some rural 

 communities boys are given credit for various 

 lines of farm work, and girls for canning, cook- 

 ing, sewing and housekeeping, though both may 

 receive credits for work in which boys and girls 

 can engage, such as gardening and raising poul- 

 try. In cities credits are usually given to high 

 school pupils only. In case a pupil desires 

 credit for work in music the lessons must be 

 given by a teacher approved by the superin- 

 tendent or the principal of the high school, and 

 a stated amount of time must be given to prac- 

 tice daily. In some instances home work is 

 supervised by the teachers; in others the par- 

 ents certify to it. In all cases a stated amount 

 of work is required. The credits vary under 

 different systems, but they seldom exceed one 

 credit for work done at home to fifteen for 

 school work. 



Wherever the plan has been tried it has met 

 with favor, since it enables pupils to acquire 

 practical experience or to take studies not pro- 

 vided in the regular courses without overwork- 

 ing or extending their time in school, and it 

 increases the interest of the home in the work 

 of the school. \\.r.n. 



Special Schools 



Schools for Teachers. Every state system of 

 education and a number of city systems in- 

 clude schools for training teachers. These 

 schools arc known as state normal schools, city 

 i:ng schools and schools of education, or 

 teachers' colleges. 



'ial Schooh. The first public normal 

 school in America was opened at Lexington, 

 i 1839, and another was opened at 

 Barrc, Mass., the same year. From this begin- 

 ning the normal school idea spread from state 

 to state, until now every state maintains one or 

 more of these schools, and one is maintained 

 by the Federal government in the Philippine 

 Hands. State normal schools are supported by 

 appropriations made by the state legislature. 



Most of them offer courses of study requiring 

 four years for those students to complete who 

 have not been graduated from a high school, 

 and requiring two years for high school gradu- 

 ates. In the elementary courses the common 

 branches are reviewed from the viewpoint of 

 the teacher. The physical sciences with special 

 reference to nature study, history, civil gov- 

 ernment, geography and literature are required, 

 ami the elements of psychology and pedagogy' 



arc taught. 



Every thoroughly equipped normal school 



has a training school including all the grades 



found in the public schools. Practice teaching 



school is an important part of the course, 



and the etudent must show herself to be a sue- 



