What is your commitment to educ unless you have a kid in it?
The Problem in NYC
start her study here
85% of sch pop foreign or of foreign parentage
Can any amount of work or money really solve the
Problem
sch pop @ 588,614 up 40,408
sch budget $23mil in 1901-2
Make it all good, no matter what it costs
fewer child deaths, growth in NYC abnormaly high
If it hopes to Americanize a school pop chiefly offoreign
parentage it must use abnormal means.
educate families too.
scenes from primary School Rooms
visited 25 schools. carefully selected
lower grade teachers bear the heaviest burden: clases too
large and demands exacting.
In a Brooklyn school: 65 kids in room for 20; kids change
names to be like friends because of their friend's linguistic
limitations; the good primary teacher has the power of making you
forget your environment; teacher gave entire mind, soul, and
heart to her task and then the philanthropist and super ask her
to visit the kids in their homes.
@ 141 & 110 found ideal principal and modern building.In both
sunshine, warmth and light pervaded.
Such schools are making self-supporting men of probable
paupers, good men and women of probale criminals and good
citizens of 1000s of parents who don't speak Englsh. example of
inventive excellence.
Medical Inspector
healthy body and child is the start of educ. Mann's 12th
Report
It is the dead weight of of ignorance that fell at first upon
the shoulders of the medical inspectors and the nurses.
kids like to be cared for
the Darker Side of the Picture
NYC kids do not have eual chances
hundreds of girls deformed by classroom posture
2-3 kids per desk, need more furniture more space
the environment should be better for growth of body, mind,
character and be in good air and cleanliness.
open windows consumption scourge of NYC and fresh air will
help.
Murderous Hole of Darkness
Classroom enveloped in darkness, windows out to yards with
laundry, water closets. Yards to small to play in.
The Wrng kind of teaching
3/4 of teachers couldn't get jobs in private schools.
teachers scold, ridicule, tone of exasperation,
the best because it rose to the principal's ideal
the worst because it ignored absolutely any individuality in
the pupils and rewarded them for nothing more than a mechanical
obedience to another's thinking.
No School better than this school
In the majority of the schools I was continually embarassed
by the discourtesy with which tghe children were addressed or
ignored.
About School Boards and examinations
stupid discourtesy of Bd and its workers make life for a new
teacher horrible.
They act like they are doing something for you. You are
intruding on them. they are rude.
took one taeacher six trips to get exam.
She ends by saying not all are like this, there can be found
a great corps of gently bred, enlightened teachers
Pay of Teachers
pay should be on merit and length of service, only on length.
certain injustices: W Prin gets $750 less than M head of hs
dept and $150 less than W hs teacher. salaries should be
equalized.
Conclusions
- NYC most dificult in country.
- doing wonderful work in solving problem
- however, conditions exist which make solution impossible.
- remdies: restrict immigration and more money.