| Popis: |
There is, it is true, another side to this question of individuality. Not all the variations are worthy, and it is said that the least commendable may be eliminated by prescribed studies. There is a limit to the desirable development of personal traits. If, indeed, any course of study prescribed for all could search out and stunt in each individual his unworthy variations from the normal, we should have to yield a point in favor of required work. But the argument is not sound. In the first place, it assumes that schoolmen are sufficiently wise to decide just what variations from the normal are good and what are bad-just how far it is well to encourage the development of individuality. To accord such wisdom to the makers of programs is to ignore the experience of centuries. Furthermore, there are as many variations as there are individuals, as many special problems as there are pupils. No one answer will suffice. Studies prescribed for large groups-as they must be in public high schoolscannot satisfy manifold special needs. Many types of the abnormal have no place at all in public high schools; much less have they a right to influence the course of study for the ninety and nine per cent. of the normal. For the extremely defective there are special public institutions, as there always must be; and there are private schools which find possibly their only convincing and permanent justification in their ability to care for extreme cases as public schools certainly cannot do. The time has come when the public high school should fit the work to the pupil, and cease worrying the reluctant teacher with the impossible task of making the pupil fit the work. At least, let us cease condemning the teacher because out of these innumerable differences among individuals he is unable to produce "uniform nonentities." Certainly this is not the purpose of the best teachers of prescribed |
