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] anuary 4, 1929 WILMETTE LIFE . 19 before that there is pronounced ESTON V. TUBBS \YRI1'tl ever diversity in the abilities of school children, both in kind and degree. In ON EDUCATION PROBLEM every · considerable group of children. Article in NOYember laaae of "Tile Natioa's Schools" The attention of readers of Wn.· and especially of those whose children are attending the public schools, is called to an article by Eston V. Tubbs, director of curriculum for · the Chicago Public schools, which appeared in the November issue of "The Nation's Schools." Mr. Tubh~ is a resident of Wilmette, and is well known in educational circles. His article, extracts from which are printed herewith, is entitled "Adapting Educational Procedures to the Needs of Individual Pupils" : "One of the most significant developments in American education during the last decade is the marked interest in research shown by an increasing)~· large number of teachers and school administrators. An effort is being made to study the educational problems of a complex social organization in the hope that methods and procedures may be devised that will improve the efficiency of classroom instruction. Education a Great T aak "In the United States we have undertaken the great task of educating all the children of all the people. Thi;;; necessitates, particularly in the larger cities, the training of boys and girls in relatively large groups. The aver-. age membership in the elementary schools of Chicago i3 forty-six pupils per teacher. Another problem of at least equal importance is that of afford ing to each individual pupil an opportunity to develop to the fullest possible extent the abiliti~s he may possess. In a democracy such a.; ours, this inclusive conception of education is of fundamental importance. A nation that fails to educate the masses and to train able leaders is foredoomed to failure. Our country is thoroughly committed to the accomplishment of these two great purpose,;. No other nation has ever conceived such an ambitious program. We believe that in this direction lies the best things in life, both from the standpoint of the individual and of the state. "Prevailing classroom procedure for many years past has been of the les·· son-hearing type. This might well be called the sap bucket idea in education. The teacher plays the part of the succulent tree and during the recitation period the pupil waddles up to the spouting instructor to be fitled with knowledge. In another aspect of traditional schoolroom procedure, the teacher has played the part of ringmaster and the pupils have been required to jump through educational hoops at his command. These performances have been interesting at times and occasionally amusing. Wide DiYerait,. in Children'· Abilitiee "One of the great wonders of the world is the deadening intellectual inertia that settles down over the mind. making it insensible to the influence of stimulating and progressive ideas. Rousseau and Pestalozzi more than 3 hundred yean ago preached to a sinning pedagogical world the gospel of self-activity in er1ucation, but tradition was too solidlv intrenched for their insistent appeals to take root . However there are evidences of the dawning of a new day. We are coming to appreciate as never before, that the emphasis in the educational proces~ should be placed upon pupil activity. The initiative possessed by the child is now regarded as the immediate jewel of his intellectual life. "Educational tests and measurements have revealed more clearly than M~TTI<: Ltr~ Appeara ' t there are many underdeveloped mentalities that can derive little or no benefit from the instruction given in the regular class organization. On the other hand, teachers have all too often failed to r~cognize the great possibilities of the more favored pupils whose mental grasp sometimes borders on rapacity. In a sense, the hope of our democracy abides in children of this type. On£ of the most pressing needs of our day is the intelligent development of the talents of our more gifted children. "For several years past, notable work has been done in · the Chicago school-; in the direction of devising a classroom technique that would meet as fully as possible the conditions of a (Continued on Page · 21) Jantjls &4nppt · 1619 Sherman Ave. Greenleaf 4220 JANUARY CLEARANCE . 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