OHIO SCHOOLS BOYS AND GIRLS MUCH THE SAME EVERYWHERE

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27636, 18 April 1955, Page 10

OHIO SCHOOLS BOYS AND GIRLS MUCH THE SAME EVERYWHERE

(SpeciaUv Written for “The Pres*”] • [By JOHN FOX)

Boys and girls in Ohio secondary schools feel a great deal of s y m P for New Zealanders because they have to wear a uniform. In practice, Ohio boys and girls wear a kind of uniform themselves, although the school authorities do not require it, and the only compulsion is fashion. A Christchurch high school boy would look rather odd if he arrived at school wearing a P®fr dungarees, even if he dignified them with the name of jeans. A Toledo boy would look just as odd if he wore anything else. And a Toledo schoolgirl would feel dowdy without thick, white woollen socks coming well up her legs. . , .. ,' . The difference in detail and the similarity in principle in clothing may hold in everything else. That certainly was the impression given by fairly close acquaintance with possibly 100 American boys and girls and casual visits to sbme 20 schools. . Possibly the biggest obvious difference between the schools is that sP2 rt does not play as big a part m Ohio, anyway, as it does in New Zealand. Most American schools appear to lack adequate playing fields, and the opportunity for organised games is much less man in New Zealand. Each big Tqledo school has only one football team, though that does provide a game for about 80 boys because of the peculiarities of the American code. The other 1000 play occasional games between forms. The same is true of basketball. \

Football Enfertaimnent . School football games are big affairs, with a charge for admission. Each school has its gaily uniformed, welldrilled band, majorettes (much more spectacular than New Zealand marching girls), and cheer leaders to add to the programme. Many of the spectators go as much for the half-time entertainment as for the football. . Games are played mostly at night, to attract large attendances and so provide the money to pay for all school sports. Night games create some disciplinary problems. Toledo schools have organised a sportsmanship contest, in which good behaviour after matches is an important consideration.

The ordinary incentive to win games is sharpened by the knowledge that winning teams draw bigger gates. As a corollary, individual players become rather intense. The general opinion among educationists, however, is that this generally does no great harm, apart from the distraction from school work. The Americans’ passion for democracy is carried into their schools, where school councils play an important part in the organisation of many activities outside the classrooms. However, discreet and unobtrusive help from teachers keeps everything running smoothly. The school council movement does seem to develop a sense of responsibility. Each local governing authority in Ohio is responsible for its own. schools, with some State and Federal assistance. The smaller townships sometimes combine to provide a gro’ip primary ancF secondary school. A fair-sized city such as Toledo has a fully organised system of schools, including vocational schools. The latter resemble in many respects New Zea-land-technical schools.

Huge Secondary Rolls Rolls of up to 3000 in the secondary schools are much too large by New Zealand standards. Envy of their handsome auditoriums is appeased by the knowledge that perhaps only half the school can get in at a time. The size of the schools does make it economically possible to equip them well, although some of the equipment, such as a public address system throughout a building, is a direct result of the size that reduces tne principal to an administrator, with little chance of making much direct cultural impact on the pupils. Curiously enough, in so democratic a community, there is no board or committee for each school, all business matters that cannot be dealt with by the central board being handled by the principal and his clerical staff. Almost all schools have their own cafeterias, where children get wholesome food at low prices. Some of the secondary schools take advantage of this to reduce the luncheon interval to half an hour and shorten the school day. The wisdom of this is doubtful.

since it hardly gives young people a chance to recover from a hard morning’s work. High school principals in Toledo are, with one exception, men. On the other hand many 6f the primary principals are women and some primary schools have no men teachers, except, perhaps, a woodwork instructor. Secondary as well as primary schools are co-educational, with the exception of the two vocational high schools. These give a basic general education as well as training for an occupation. The first two years of the fqur-year course are exploratory, to discover the skills a boy or girl may have awaiting development.

zn “Co-operative” Education One of the features of the vocational schools is the “co-operative plan,” which is also used by many American Universities. In their third and fourth year at the vocational schools boys and girls irtay spend half their time at

school and half in carefully selected jobs, where they get practical experi ence, learn to work for an cmpKL and with older and more skilled opera tors, and earn some money to heln with their education. The plan worfe so well that it is now a firmly estab, lished part of American education One of the good features of American schools is the interest they cultivate in life outside the school and its immediate community. To speak to classes, ranging from tiny tots to young men and women of 17 (th e normal leaving age), was an encourag. ing experience. Some of them had recently studied, ’ or were about to study New Zealand in their geography and history l es : sons; but what was more impressive was the intelligent questions they asked about New Zealand. I spoke to the upper classes of a primary school at Dallas. Texas, and half an hour was allotted for questions. There were at least 60 eager hands still in the afc when time was up; and the half hour had been crammed with a genuine search for worthwhile information, ranging from the nature of New Zealand forests to the form of local government. Much the same thing had happened in Toledo.

Air of Sophistication Partly because of coeducation, partly because of the practice of democracy at school, and partly because of the general environment, Toledo boys and girls have a greater air of sophistication than young New Zealanders. For instance, make-up arid jewellery appear quite early in Toledo classrooms. Because they are commonplace, they cause no disturbance. Oh the other hand, there is not much difference between university freshmen in Christchurch and in Toledo, so the sophistication does not really g 0 very deep. Discipline is easier. I was a little startled in one grade 7 (standard 5) classroom when I inquired from two girls what they were playing with. The cold weather had just started and I thought the articles might be ear muffs. The girls explained that they were. They had the boys* ear muffs while the boys had their scarves. Then I looked round and saw each 12-year-old lad sitting solemnly with a piece of coloured chiffon round his neck, The teacher said afterwards that as the fad would soon stop he was ignoring it as long as they got on with their work. This seemed a sensible course. Seme Americans wonder whether sophistication and a light hand on the bit lead to juvenile delinquency. I saw no sign among the many delightful children I knew that this was se; but it is a question that cannot be answered by a casual visitor. Those who say that geography and history and the sheer size of the United States are much more important factors are probably right. A New Zealander cannot but be aware of the vandalism, for instance, that goes on in his own country. Because there are no external examinations in Toledo, it might seem that the diploma awarded each boy and girl on the completion of four satisfactory years at a high school is not of much value. However, the high schools and particularly the vocational schools keep most detailed records of each pupil’s progress, which are of value in placing him in employm&t Summer School in Holidays Boys and girls who do not make the required progress through the year may be required to attend the annual summer school, which is organised during the long vacation of three months, when young America likes to be out of doors. This is not only a good way of catching up, it is also a deterrent to laziness during the year. Not being an educationist. I can not give any opinion about academic standards in the Toledo schooh Parents and employers sometimes grumble, much in the way they do in New Zealand, about the inability of the present generation to spell ortto do simple arithmetic. A more informed criticism of education in a neighbouring State, where conditions cannot be so very different, was given by a university professor, who had a summer school for primary school teachers and was appalled by their low ability. On the other hand, Dr. Ada Steohens, an Australian girl, who took her doctorate at Columbia and is now on the staff of the Toledo University, cannot speak too highly of the standard of education of her students; and it must be remembered that a much higher proportion of Americans go on to university. Standards in American schools cannot be very bad* otherwise, the highly complicated and technical American civilisation could not be kept running so smoothly. It demands a constant supply of well-trained technicians and administrators, and the supply has nbt yet run short. Culturally, American standards are apparently at the same level.