14 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



ENGLISH TUITION IN CUBA 



PLANS FOR A THREE YEARS' COURSE IN CUBA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS 



The teaching of EngHsh in the pubhc 

 schools of Cuba was about to be suppressed 

 was an opinion hastih' formed of some 

 Havana newspapers on account of changes 

 made by Dr. Ezequiel Garcia, Secretary of 

 Pubhc instruction. 



That this statement is far for the truth, is 

 evident from an interview with Miss Abbie 

 Philips, by a Havana Post representative. 



"English will receive greater attention and 

 a better equipment for carrying it on in the 

 reorganization of pubhc instruction now that 

 President Menocal, with the assistance of 

 the best educators of the island, is about to 

 institute," said recently Miss Abbie Philips 

 who, for the last seven years, has been in 

 charges of the Enghsh teaching in Cuba. 



There is a movement on foot to reduce the 

 EngUsh work to the two highest grades in the 

 pubhc schools, according to the plan of the 

 secretary of public instruction, for reasons 

 of economy. But the Board of Education 

 and the President, a few weeks ago, requested 

 Miss Phihps' opinion on a practical four 

 years' course, and how to obtain results in 

 the Enghsh work commensurate with the 

 expenditure of money, energj^ and time. 



In reply she submitted the following plan 

 for four years tuition: 



The first year would consist of objective 

 teaching in the class room, oral exercises and 

 reading from the blackboard, and begin 

 with the second gi-ade of the school course. 



For the second year more important and 

 advanced work is suggested, divided as 

 follows : 



Lessons are to be given in a quiet room in 

 English onlj' (o) where the teacher and 

 pupils can hear one another. Good pronun- 

 ciation and con-ect inflection cannot be 

 taught in a room where the noise of the street 

 or adjoining class rooms drowns the teacher's 

 voice. 



(b) There should be at least two divisions 

 of the class in the second year in English, 

 because, untimely promotions in the schools, 

 merely for occupation and not according to 

 the mental development of the pupils, 

 occurs frequently throughout the year due 

 to the congested conditions of the three 

 lowest classes. The influx of new condition 

 unprepared for the grade work in Enghsh 

 into which they are thrust, is very detri- 

 mental, to satisfactory progress; therefore, 



a class where ungraded pupils could do 

 preparatory work, and another one where a 

 well graded class in English could pursue the 

 work undisturbed, are absolutely necessary 

 to obtain the best results. The equipment 

 for the second year in English would be a 

 copy book and a reading book for each child 

 in the class. 



For the third year two classes would also 

 be necessary, and for the same reason — 

 constant interruption in the course by un- 

 prepared pupils, through untimely promotions. 



This gi-ade in English would supplement 

 the regular grade work of Class 1 in Spanish, 

 by giving such subjects as geography, history, 

 physiology', etc., in English. Adequate 

 equipment for the work would be necessary." 



Asked by the Havana Post representative 

 as to her opinion of the greatest need of Cuba 

 in educational matters, Miss Philips said: 



"Through normal schools to train Cuban 

 teachers, and a few foreign educators of 

 initiative and experience to assist in estab- 

 lishing the normal courses, a practical system 

 of elementary public instruction could be 

 founded throughout the island. Schools 

 that met the needs of rural hfe; others that 

 supphed the requirements of community life, 

 and others of vocational intermediate in- 

 struction for the class of society that desired 

 it. High Schools (institutes) preparatory to 

 a university where research work in the 

 natural sciences was carried on, and where 

 an all-round, practical, well-balanced curri- 

 culum made its impression in forming a 

 strong national life; one that would attract 

 earnest, thoughtful men and women — 

 commissioners of education — from Central 

 and South America, to study Cuban methods 

 of teaching. 



"Cuba has the opportunity in the new 

 world for a 'renaissance' in education that 

 will be as farreaching in its influence as was 

 that of Demnark in the old world some fifty 

 years ago. 



"Through the women of Denmark a 

 crusade for education was initiated that 

 swept away the old method of mere memory 

 work in the schools, and estabhshed a system 

 that gave what the mothers demanded for 

 their children, an opportunity to exercise 

 their God-given right to think, and to use 

 the faculties of their minds with which 

 Nature had endowed them." 



BRITISH CLUB IN HAVANA 



An organization with the above title is 

 projected in Havana and about one hundred 

 Britons have signified their intention to 



become members. It is also beheved that 

 there are many more Britons in the island, 

 outside of Havana, who would like to belong 

 to such an organization for the club privileges 

 when they are in the city. 



