Visual Education (Jan 1923-Dec 1924)

November, 1924 PICTURED LIFE FOR HOME, SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY 377 German Children eighteen have barely gone through geometry and algebra. A little incident which happened in the Nolden intermediate school shows the German spirit of thoroughness in teaching. At a special invitation of the Saxon court, a French professor had come to Dresden to teach French to the three little Saxon princesses. He was an authority on French literature and, if I remember rightly, a member of the French Academy. On hearing of this celebrity's arrival, the directress of the school — whose hobby was to have the best teachers in town — asked the Frenchman to teach the graduating class of her school. The professor consented and henceforth the girls of that class twice a week had delightful lessons in which the professor, who was a typical cultured and witty old scholar, entertained them with amusing comments on literature and a variety of anecdotes. The old gentleman was very humorous arid talkative, but hardly pedagogic. The only thing he laid stress on was a good accent. However, in this pursuit of good accent and literary knowledge the French grammar was much neglected, which became evident in the compositions, and one day — and here Is the point of the story — the directress engaged the former woman teacher to give the girls two secret Marching Into School lessons a week in grammar in order that their French might be really thorough. This was, of course, behind the professor's back. He was too big a man to be advised by the directress or interfered with in his program of study. It cost the directress additional money too. This ;was a typical case of German con; scientiousness. The curricula in the German intermediate schools are not as varied as in the American high schools, though they offer many side subjects which are not obligatory, such as shorthand, various art studies, additional languages, etc. There are, however, in Germany many schools of two or three year courses which prepare directly for certain faculties. They are somewhat like junior colleges. As to gymnastics and sports, the former are obligatory in all schools and consist of exercises and a certain amount of games. But the sports are carried on outside of the schools. They are more prevalent among boys, and the most popular sports are rowing, swimming and football. Village and primary schools have long annual hikes. The most striking difference be-1 tween the average German high school pupil and the American is the immaturity and lack of independence of the former. This is undoubtedly an outcome of the gen eral system. The German child does not as a rule form his or her own opinions. They are handed to him ready made by the teacher and he has to accept them. The same tendency is evident in practical life. Though a German child may be more thoroughly educated and better disciplined than the American child of the same age, he is far less self-reliant and independent. He has been taught to work and to obey, but not to act on his own initiative. Filmed Birds of the Eastern Hemisphere An extremely interesting educational film, entitled "Birds of Passage," was recently released by Pathe. Dr. Bengt Berg, the noted Swedish ornithologist, is the man responsible for this film study of bird life. He has followed the birds of northern Europe in their yearly flights to Egypt and the banks of the White Nile. The film, for which the actual camera work was necessarily extended over a period of years, is replete with action; every phase of the birds' flight from the rigors of the cold north to the warmth of the tropics is depicted. In addition to the scenes showing the migratory birds in passage, there are interesting side lights such as an exciting battle between two huge crocodiles, and the protective role played by the crocodile bird whose principal task is to stand guard over the great sleeping dragons of the Nile and give them a warning signal as soon as there is any evidence of danger. School Consolidation One-teacher schools are disappearingin Kentucky at the rate of nearly seven a week, as they become consolidated into larger schools with two, three, four, or more teachers. New union and consolidated schools are established to take their places at the rate of about 90 a year. To enable the children to attend the consolidated schools, 78 schools provide free transportation, using 118 motor busses and 54 horse-drawn vehicles.