Indiana High School - L Indien Yearbook (Indiana, PA)

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INDIANA HIGH SCHQQL HOW H Modern School orks been modified or changed because of the National Education .Xssociation's recog- nition of the rights and responsibilities of democracy when in 1918 they framed the seven goals every high school should set for every student. These goals are: I. Ileattt1.II. A Command of the lfunda- mental Processes. III. VVorthy Ilome- llcmbership. IV. A Vocation. V. Civic liducation. VI, Ivorthy Ilse of Leisure. VII. Ethical CllHl'ilC't.0l'. Opportunities in Indiana High School ENGLISH The more progressive teachers of lit- erature feel that pupils in general derive the greatest benefit through an extensive and varied program of reading-much of it preferably of the pupil's own choos- ing. Intensive study naturally has a se- cure and valued place, for much of our poetry and prose yield their suhtler es- sence and deeper meaning only to those who are willing to linger alertly over the linesg hut to dissect and formalize the casy and the obvious is a deadening' pro- cess. .tn encouragement of free. adven- turous reading over wide areas will se- cure the healthiest and happiest, results. In selecting' reading' material for high school classes, there is less emphasis than formerly upon the Classics, This change does not mean a loss of friendli- ness toward the older writers: it simply implies that those responsible for the lit- erature curriculum must take the pupil where they find him and seek to arouse an interest that will lead to more stimu- lating and worthy reading. For many groups wise selection will mean many classics: for others choice will more wise- ly fall upon books and periodicals of more modern date and more immediate appeal. In the held ol expression the pupil IS directed and encouraged to speak and write. not only correctly. but also simply and straigllt-forwardly. llere too. teach- ers are coming' to a keener realization of their responsibility for the non-literary boy and girl. linglish is a tool subject: only a small percentage of puplis will ever recognize subtleties and delicacies of style. Factual and practical matters have. accordingly. an important function in Iingllish classesfas they have in life. So the student in his English classes Top: Trigonometry, the Library Bottom: Two views of Physics Class Two views of Chemistry Laboratory Page T spends approximately half his time learn- ing how to use his mother tongue effec- tively. Certainly the more intelligent, high school student appreciates the fact that a just regard for the mechanics of ex- pression. coupled with wisely selected leading. will constantly enlarge his views and make him more conscious of his ow11 emotions and immediate responsibilities. Ile is a sharer in the world's traditions, a citizen of the social polity of the pres- ent, a participant in the spirit of hope for the future. llis ideals are elevatedg he is enabled to see more clearly his place in the midst ofa constant change and a constant perplexity. SOCIAL STUDIES All crises in our national history have 1'esulted in changes in emphasis and in content in the group called the social sciences: history. civies. economics. soci- ology. and combinations of these sub- jects. After live years of the worst de- pression ever experienced in the linited States. large numbers and groups of our population are dissatisfied with some of our economic, social. and polieicat 211'- rangrements. Demands for increased attention to the social studies have followed almost every crisis, and at present demands are coming from youth, adults, and educa- tors. ln more progressive high schools, the social studies are regarded as the most important group for purposes of integ.g'rated study. IVhat are the contributions which so- cial studies may make to the education of youth? Through study and observa- tion, youth may expect the social studies to assist in making the commlmity and the world more intelligible Youth may also expect to gain some appreciation and understanding of how social scien- tists approach the study of the commun- ity and the world: their methods and techniques. the problems they examine and investigate. the findings and conclu- sions they set forth. and the influence and relationship of such results to the world's work and play. The social studies may be 'expected to make youth adjust himself to particular environments and to current social and

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INIQIEITQCHQQL W How a Modern High School Works QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ-0000: : : : : : : ::oo::o o::::::::oooo 0- OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUTH IN INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL The modern high school is a very com- plex organization. Frequently it is the largest for most thickly populatedj community in the locality where it exists. hforeover it is a community of youth who live and Work together on the great problem of effective social living. Indi- ana High School is no exception to these statements. An 'educational institution of 19200 assorted boy and girl personali- ties, providing six years of preparation for effective living, it faces many com- plex problems. Fortunately, the educator, in dealing with this variety of youth, has many aids. Besides years of tradition and ex- perience, he can depend upon the state to require certain subjects. College ae- erediting associations demand a certain number of hours in certain subjects for those students who expect to go to col- lege. Educational journals and college faculties present research data upon which to base judgments. The successes and failures of experimental schools, model courses prepared by course of study committees, authors and publishers of textbooks: all offer sound suggestions. But in the final analysis, he must ask, How does this plan suit my school, my town? To answer this question, teachers and administrators need measuring rods, they vary according to the educator's point of view, but examples may Well be those suggested by Dr. Thomas H. Briggs. They are: 1. A clear conception of the major ele- ments of a philosophy of life, of society, and of government. Q, Appreciation of the significant char- acteristics and needs of modern life. 8. A clearly formulated and convinc- ing philosophy of education. 4. Facts, data, the results of experi- ment and research. A great obstacle to the ideal program is the abstract, but so real, pressure of tradition and precedent. hfuch that is traditional in school is worth preserving, but on the whole, program changes lag far behind the revolutionary changes of recent years in our ways of thought and living. Studies have shown that the traditional program shows unsatisfactory results. Still, school reforms must battle hundreds who hold that what was good enough last year is good enough now. It wasnit good enough last year, either, but they do not see that. hflore concrete than tradition in their inHuence on the school program are such factors as the student body, community needs, equipment, and faculty personnel. Emphasis on college preparatory courses are hardly desirable in districts where few students may have the money for college or the background usually neces- sary for professional success. Agricul- ture courses are excellent for rural stu- dents, but mill towns call for training in industry and commerce. Aesthetic train- ing is not nearly so necessary in a wealthy suburb as in a mining village. As for equipment, books for scholars cost far less than 'equipment for future engi- neers, office workers, farmers, or house- wives. hfany a futile study holds its place in the school program because it costs less per hour than physical, aesthe- tic, and vocational training. Blind wor- ship of tradition does not count the wasted hours nor the loss of future 1'CtIlI'llS. Of course it is sometimes true that funds and the will are vat hand, but a proved course of study is not available and the inclination to experiment is weak. Finally the school's program de- the capacities and interests The ideal program de- the adjustment of all these it also dep-ends upon a wider of the real work of the there are two opposing iu s forces affecting the the one hand, there is the to break subjects d0WV11 into smaller units, to suit tl1e in- of each child. On rapidly growing trend boundaries, to cor- small units of learning with of knowledge, to teach to sec life clear and sec it of the high school's program has Top: Girls Gym, Cafeteria Center: Instrumental Music Bottom: Historv 7, Bookkeeping Page 6

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pn, L INIHISHQCHOOL sw How a Modern High School Works 0000-00090000000-09009000000 economic arrangements, and possibly to furnish insights on possible choices of vocations. Finally, the social studies may be expected to contribute much more than in the past to pleasurable lei- sure time activities: in reading, in obser- vations in the community, and in the satisfaction of curiosities about phases of human drama. Such purposes place a large responsi- bility on the social studies and those who offer instruction. The content of these subjects is expanding rapidly and con- tinuously. And youth's perplexities, problems, interests, and euriosities must determine in a large measure the mate- rials to be selected for study. Again, youth may be expected, more than in the past, to raise basic questions about a system of economic arrange- ments when many of their parents are out of work. They may raise further questions wl1en they cannot find jobs upon completion of their school careers. They have a right to expect a11 unbiased discussion of th-ese problems. Society, on the other hand, has the Q-- QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ -Q right to expect that its cultural heritage -its customs and patterns and arrange- ments-shall be made intelligible and in- viting to youth, to the end that present and later adjustments shall be made with a minimum of friction and personal crises. Somewhere between these points of reference, instruction in the social studies must be focused and must operate. Compromise in both materials and their presentation are ever present, because. on the one hand, youth must be served. and, 011 the other, the modern high school cannot shirk its responsibilities as one of societyls most important agencies for social control and social uplift. FOREIGN LANGUAGE Apparently, the schools have yet to determine the relative importance of la11- guages and the proportion of time they deserve. Latin and French, for instance, occupy more school time than Biology, Art, or Home-3Iaking. From the past to the present, the healthiest change in the study of lan- guages is the shift of emphasis from me- chanics to meaning. Originally Latin was studied to learn the thoughts and phrases of the classics. Now nearly 'every teacher of languages places the ability to read a language above every- thing else, and only those details of lan- guage are taught which are necessary to avoid confusion. Liberal rather than literal transations are favored, The em- phasis is upon grasping the foreign meaning rather than upon translating in a mere mechanical form. The change of method in language study reflects the growing concern of the high school with useful, practical results. In the language department. this philos- ophy expresses itself i11 the development among students of tools for the growing political and commercial traffic with for- eign countriesg of an international out- look and philosophy, and of an increased appreciation and understanding of the culture which America has inherited from all races and all lands. SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS Science in the high school has to do with Geography, General Science, Biol- ogy, Chemistry, Physics, and Agriculture. Such subjects have to do with the whole world of nature. In our present highly mechanized society, when our welfare de- pends upon such complex science as medicine, sanitation, transportation, in- dustrial chemistry, agriculture, and man- ufacturing, it is essential that every pros- pective citizen be at home in the pres- ence of such phenomena, Geography and General Science famil- iarize the student with the earth and its people, and manls use of natural laws. In Biology, besides a knowledge of life processes, students learn many practical lessons about their gardens and pets at home. Plants, animals, and people are the three major divisions of this subject. Physics teaches the principles of me- chanics, sound, light, and electricity, Chemistry involves the study of the ele- ments and includes knowledge of fuels, foods, clothing, cleaners, poisons and antidotes, clay products, paints, and fertilizer. Agriculture, as taught in In- diana High School, teaehes the practical business of farming. ltfany boys and Top : Classroom guidance Center to right: A Science demonstra- tion, Editing the Newspaper, A class in Sewing, A class in Ameri- can History Lower Left: An Office Scene Page 8