A CHICAGO CHARACTER SCHOOL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7825, 18 June 1909, Page 1

A CHICAGO CHARACTER SCHOOL.

The following is a paper read by j Misa Ensom before ihe, Free Kindergarten Association,, Dunedin:: '"-.... I shouldJike~tflis.afternoon to tell a little of thY methods of -work carried on m one. of the .priva'foi experimental schools m Chicago—a L school ;knowii as the F. Parker School,, because it was planned, and .started by- F '. .' "W. Parker, a man who devoted much ti'ine to i3ie. study of education, sent' teachers abroad to be trained,.. and did everything m his power to have .his school stand for-what is most true, and ''worth while" in' life. The principle upon 'which the school is based is .the formation of character,, rather tjian the acquisition of knowledge, asf .an end m itself —a purpose m which,-Mr Parker felt the school and home, "should pur■sue,,together. He believed'that during ;th^?irly;yy,e.ars, wheii tber&hild is most subjecsr|& \ 'impression :;anfd influence,' the ■-• schoolshould be'made a ' direct means of inculcating the, social virtues of truthfulness, fidelity,^purage, forbearance, helpfulness, • a'^spirit 'of. cooperation, 1 and generally:, .considerate feeling for others, the. work "of the teacher being to lead-the child into the right relation to his': environment. In all work and play. <, the individual child ;is considered, not ,\the ; group or the average m the group. The school is equipped for wood work, metal work, machine work, clay-modelling, textile. There is no marking' System and no prizes, because it. is felt that through those means selfish dispositions are developed, and the desire to be useful m the school community is considered the main object. Tpe", building is a beautiful one, , three'" storeys high, m English style, with-basement and first storey m brick and third m yellow plaster, with , a roof of shingle tile. The interior is ■ finished m oak; a feature of "the building being its hallways, orie. :27ft x 32ft, the other 28ft-x 45ft, used as playrooms and museums. The :'gymnasium, used also as an assembly* hall, seats about 300 people. Every (morning '„ at 20 minutes past 10 the-whble school meets m the assembly hall, when all the good things connected with class work are given to the whcjle, assembly, so that the larger lifefof the school may be enriched. Great emphasis is placed apon; th& idea that ■ revery subject should.; grow out off the school ,life,, .so 1 that"\there shall b& no: attempt .at show.'.The red-letter days of the past are rer/J.embered, .so that the spirit of great \tnen shall "permeate and guide the schobD. When 1 I was there the birth of Colonel ;Parker, the founder [of the school, \wasjcelebrated, the chili dren of one grade; m turn telling of his life and noble vtfbrk. To; really illustrate the work x> of : the school, I would like to tell you a\ little of what was done m the first grade. The work-in history,;.imanual training, and the, applied arts v was based on the children's interest arid' experiences m the home, andY; its activities centred around the making and furnishing of a doll!s hoijse,.' and the: building of playhouses of materials found out of doors. The i^roblem was to make playhouses which would afford shelter and protection min;each, season ; .one construction was a wigwam, another a cave, another a.snow igloo. The children were'told stories of Indians, cave- [ dwellers, Esquimaux, showing how. people, who. had something of %the same problem did the work. To' get. first the real experience, a visit was made to the museum, 'to see the homes 'of Indians, etc. ; then stories and pictures of people living. m such homes were used i§s illustrations of jeririronment, food, dress*. occupation; and k rames. A large box made by the high sc 4iool children was used for the out~ si Q xf walls of the' doll house. Buildings>.\in process of erection were visited ; plans of the first floor of school and i.Vme were drawn, and selection made i'or the floor of the doll's house. The chi.^>ney .was planned aft«r a visit to a brickyard, a brick'being drawn to a ,smai^ scale, .modelled,;and. dried, etc. Chains, tables, bedsteads, cupboards, etc., 1 were made m the manual training sho \)j after the selection of designs ensuring simplicity, strength, and good appearance. 3ath tubs, vases, and canVllesticks were modelled m clay, raffia i/iate woven by second grade children, .\> aPers' designed and put up, and the outside of the house painted (by the children), m; artistic shades. The heatii.^g and the lighting, making of Esquimaux lamps and candles for the kindergarten Christmas tree proved the basis for science work. Geography was connected with the frequent visits to houses, museums, etc., necessary for the building of the different homes. Numbers were, employed m drawing plans, making furniture, and dictionaries, and the numbers for' 1 to 16 were used m these combinations and separations. The telling and dramatisation of home stories, such as "The Three Bears," j-the making of reading lessons upon the different subjects of. interest, the garden, the house, etc. ; composed the literature work, the children making their own , dictionaries. In all this study, writing, spelling, English, and punctuation were developed ; and French and German were taught j through simple games and plays ijlus-, trating home life and occupations, these being often dramatised m assembly hour. In the music period v&}Hjphasis was laid upon enunciation j and some drill was given upon jscaje interval with syllables and numbers. The children were encouraged to make their own melodies, which were sung m class, and simple "Mother Goose" and Nature melodies formed part of the musio programme. This, gives, I hope, some idea of how all the work is corelated and based upon, the interests , of. the child. Every .part .of the day's, week's, and month's .work, is rented ; to every other part, so that the scfaopj life forms a complete whole.. The children love to go to school, j>ecause their natural powers and instincte are considered and given opportunity for i expression ; unconsciously and happily j they are growing and increasing their | powers of observation and expression. Truly, m such a school is Dr. Dewey's j idea that education is life, not a preparation for living forcefully and admirably emphasised, and one is made to realise that through creative.expreajjsiori alone is revealed the; Divine esI sence of the child, made m the image J and likeness of God.