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Show jj THE GARY PLAN AS SEEN BY AN EDUCATOR. We have heard much 'in regard to the "Gary plan" and some people, with no careful study of the plan, have gone so far as to say Ogden has the Gary system. For a better understanding, the Standard reproduces repro-duces a letter from the bureau of education in Washington dealing with the two sides to the scheme, and closing clos-ing with a warning: "When a scheme is proposed bj vhic-h existing school buildings may accommodate two sets of pupils, it is no wonder that wide interest is aroused," declares Superintendent J H. Van Sickle, of Springfield. Mass., in describing the spread of the Gary plan of school organization. "Anj plan that will lessen the expense ex-pense of housing school children makes a strong appeal to boards of estimate, school boards and the press School boards are not willing, however, how-ever, to be hurried into adopting, for exclusive use in a situation quite different dif-ferent from that In which it originated, origi-nated, a plan so radically different frcm the customary one without carefully care-fully testing its applicability" Arguments for and against the Gary plan are presented by Superintendent Van Sickle. lie says "The Gary plan is advocated largely, large-ly, but not exclusively, on the ground of lower cost. There are those, however, how-ever, whose approval is based upon the claim that by means of a longer school day it affords to the children wider opportunities for work, study, and play, that it distributes the burden bur-den of teaching more evenly over the entire teaching staff, and "that it affords af-fords prevocational training to all children in all of the grades instead of confining such work to a small group of children in the seventh and eighth grades. "The Gary system has commended itself to students of education for va-lious va-lious reasons It promises "1. An enriched school life for every ev-ery pupil. "2. A coordination of all existing child welfare agencies and a fuller utilization of all facilities In present public and private recreational and educational institutions, "3 A solution of the part-time problem "4 A double school plan by which each school seat serves two children "5 A wider use of the school plrfnt. "G An increase in the school day through a coordination of work, study and play activities. ii . ii. i -I-, i i. i program mat wouiu invest the child's nonacademic time to greater great-er profit and pleasure. "8. A socialized education in harmony har-mony with progressive thought of the df.y. "On tho other hand, those who oppose op-pose the Immediate and wholesale adoption of the duplicate plan for the elimination of part-time express doubt as to certain novel features of school administration which It embodies, such as departmental teaching for all children from the first year through the eight, instruction of groups of children by pupils instead of teachers, the grouping together of younger and older pupils for auditorium, laboratory and workshop exercises, the substitution substitu-tion of an auditorium period for classroom class-room instruction, the omission of formal for-mal physical training, supervised play with only four teachers for 12 classes, the deferring of scholastic work for fiist-year children until late in the afternoon. They urge that sufficient time has not elapsed to test the worth of the schemes "A further criticism is that outside Instruction in the home or in the church is permitted, but that no means is provided for seeing that such instruction is the equivalent of regular schooling. "To this criticism the reply is made that It would be very unfortunate If the school undertook to insure that such instruction should be the equivalent equiv-alent of regular schooling, for In that case the school would be supervising religious instruction which the law express! prohibits. The program simply sim-ply provides that the child can be excused during the day to take private lessons at home or attend religious instruction, in-struction, if the parent so desires. These periods are never taken from tho academic work and therefore do not detract from the regular work of the school. As in the case of play and auditorium, it is simply time which, In the traditional school, the child would spend upon the street. What Is taught in these outside classes and how It is taught is not and should not bo the concern of the scnool." Interest in the Gary plan is by no means confined to the larger cities, Superintendent Van Sickle finds. "Even in communities where the part-time problem is either less acute or else non-existent, and where the expenditures for schools have not become be-come so burdensome as in New York, there will be decided interest In the Gary duplicate plan. This gigantic experiment In education; now In full operation in one of the smaller cities and in partial operation in the largest American municipality, is unquestionably unquestion-ably of vast importance, yet the changes required In installing the system sys-tem in existing schools are so radical and so expensive that school authorities authori-ties will bo disposed to await the result re-sult of an adequate trial in New York City before departing from the present pres-ent policy which reserves a seat for eery child." These words of caution, as presented present-ed in the last sentence of Superintendent Superin-tendent Van Sickle's review, should bo carefully considered. rr |