Fairport High School - Hourglass Yearbook (Fairport, NY)

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0i !! ! THE HOUR GLASS i ll !O price. The curriculum in these schools also consisted of religious subjects, in the main. lVhen free schools came, they were sponsored by the church. Until comparatively recent years, the churches and schools have cooperated to some extent. Every school at least had morning chapel exercises. But now the two institutions have separated, and are run without interest in each other. They barely recog- nize each other. Especially is this true of the school. The church is willing to help the school in all possible ways, but the school stands quite aloof. These two institutions should work together, since both have the same aims. Neither could accomplish much without the other. The church could do little of its work if its members were unable to read or to understand the sermons given. The school could accomplish little unless its pupils had the inclination to learn, which the church tends to instil in their minds. All the in- struction offered by the school would not help the world much without the character that the church creates. The curricula of the church and school are supplementary. The school teaches practical, physical, and cultural subjects, while the church instructs in spiritual lines, such as character building, the usefulness of religion, and the pleasure of service. Briefly, it may be said that the school furnishes the cqmpfmcfnt to live well, but church furnishes the desire to live well. So, since the aims of church and school are fundamentally the same, namely, to create a better civilization for the world, it seems to me that they should lend more help and understand- ing to each other. With a little cooperation between the two, their combined efforts can bring greater and better results than they do at present. If those who execute the business of the school were more interested in the welfare of the church, many pupils who would otherwise never see the inside of a church, will be encouraged to attend this institution. lf the church shows sympathy in the problems of the school, it stands to reason that the school will be benefited by this interest. --Kathryn Parke Any experience that contributes toward the equitable de- velopment of the spiritual, intellectual, and physical endow- ments of man is worthy of encouragement in the name of educa- tion. lt is in the accomplishment of these objectives that a high school education finds its value and justifies its purpose. Thomas Plassmann, President of St. Bonaventure College Page Twenty-five

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Oi ll l THE HOUR GLASS ! !l !0 5. It is the teachers place to hold the pupils in school, not drive them away. The ideal teacher is one who is willing to put herself or himself on the same level with the pupil, can be com- panionable to the scholar, eager to help and interested in the welfare of the pupil, always prepared, keeps order in the class- room, and one who has a neat appearance . Teachers have much influence on the pupils they teach and great responsibility lies with the teachers. 6. Many pupils fail a subject, which is not due to lack of preparing their work, but because the subject is not suited to their line of thought and therefore should not be a compulsory subject. A number of courses should be arranged under certain restrictions giving the pupil a chance to develop his ability along one certain phase of work. The school needs to be re- organized so that pupils will be able to take a course fitted to their talents and abilities. -Harriet Bingham Relations of Church and School The first schools that we know were founded as supplements to the religious institutions of the time. In Egypt, and other countries of the same period of civilization, schools were set up to train men for the priesthood, and the priests were the only educated men with the exception of a very few men who were considered marvels of learning because they could read and write. There was possibly one of these men in each village, and he was looked up to and respected as the foremost man of the community. As a whole, the nation was entirely illiterate, as all other peoples of that stage of civilization were. Wlien the Hebrews became a settled nation, and built cities instead of setting up tents, they, too, founded schools. These schools were held in the synagogues, and the subjects were all either religious or historical. These institutions of learning were taught by the elders of the church, but they were for the use of all the boys of the community. Likewise, the Christian church fostered its own schools and universities. The universities were mainly for the instruction of prospective priests, but the lower schools, held in the mon- asteries, were open to all the boys whose parents could pay the Page Twenty-four

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oxizxlx THE noun c.LAss :lax-.:-.-no Education, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow Before I discuss a subject as complex as education, I like to give a definition of the word. It is difficult to give a definition of education, because it means so much more than just going to school and passing certain subjects. IVhen we speak of the edu- cation of a country, we must go much deeper than its course of study, its methods, and its administrative machinery. To thoroughly appreciate the growth of education we must know the history of the people, their temperament, their traditions, and the spirit of their institutions. Education is the outcome of all these. It is the embodiment of the genius, the aspiration and the com- promises of the people. The Greeks were the first to work out a theory and practice of education based upon scientific principles rather than re- ligious beliefs. The main purposes of this early training were military knowledge, loyalty, and good citizenship. Following this period, for many years, the wealthy were the only ones who could afford an education for their children. People who could read and write were easily numbered. Books were lab-oriously copied by the monks. But in the fifteenth century, the advent of the printing press lessened one burden fastened upon. education. Europe went through revolutions and socialistic changes. Still many could not obtain education because of prohibitive expense. The first institution to promote learning in the United States was a college in Jamestown, founded in 1619. In 1622, the massacre and burning of the settlement destroyed this first start towards education in the New World. After this, we hear mainly of unsuccessful attempts by the East India Company. But in 1691, the legislature sent Dr. William Blair to England to secure a charter for a college, an enterprise which had long been under discussion. He returned the following year with the royal docu- ment. This was the college, IVilliam and Maryfm In 1633 the first school was established by the Dutch at New Amsterdam. The Boston Latin School was the first started in the Massachu- setts Bay Colony. In 1636, Harvard College was founded. Education in the United States since colonial times has had an irregular, but rapid growth. Till the first half of the nine- teenth century there was no uniformity in schoolroom methods, or in school administration. In each part of the country the in- struction of the children was governed by the customs and tra- ditions which were derived from early settlers of that section. 'f 'History of Education in the United States by Dexter Page Twenty-six