Seth Low Junior High School - Spectator Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

Page 40 text:

Qua: Do you think that an appropriation can be obtained to complete building the Public Library at Grand Army Plaza and Eastern Parkway? Ans. : The library was started on elaborate and expensive plans. In recent years the City has been in such financial dilheulties that it is impossible to , finish the library. The appropriation necessary is estimated at $Io,ooo,ooo.oo. Ques.: What efforts are being made to eliminate the cess pools now existing? Ans.: Just as soon as we can get the money to construct sewers we will do it. As our interview was over we again shook hands with the Borough President and left his office. We walked silently down the steps of Borough Hall, each girl thoughtfully considering the preceding interview. Evelyn Lasky, RD2 Jessica Greenberg, RD2 O . O A REVEALING TALK WITH DR. 6. R. MASON NE sunny afternoon, I left the school and went to Abraham Lincoln High . School to interview Dr. Mason. I arrived and dashed up the long white staircase in front of the beautiful building. I was bewildered when I entered, for all about me were rooms with signs indicating various activities. I walked down a long corridor and finally saw a sign, tIPrincipalis OfHCC,,, and I walked in. After waiting a few minutes, during which I talked to the principals secretary, I went into Dr. Mason,s olhce. After speaking a few words to Dr. Mason, I started my interview. After having always seen that most of our famous inventors and scientists always came from some small town I naturally asked Dr. Mason if he thought . that the out of town schoolboy had as good or better education than a boy who had been educated in New York. Dr. Mason replied, ItNo, the city boy has many advantages that the country boy has not, from an educational standpoint. The schools are usually well built, they have room for sports, they have libraries, auditoriums as large as some theatres, drawing rooms and in Lincoln we have a swimming pool, with 4, 500 lockers, a rifle room, and in fact Lincoln cost $5,000,000 to build. The text books are excellent, clear and well written, so that the pupil may more readily understand his work. The teachers are well prepared, they must take examinations before they may become a training teacher, after that the teacher becomes a substitute for about one year and then finally becomes a teacher. They have new methods of teaching and know how to make pupils graSp the work. Formerly the person who was a teacher, was a failure in other fields of life, and eouldnit do anything else, and was laughed at and mocked as shown by Irving in his story about Ichabod Crane. Now a teacher is a respected person, and important in community life. The aims are better, for nowadays in our big schools they do not only want to 'Page Thirty-six T H E S P E C T A T 0 R

Page 39 text:

Ans.: Yes, one of the hardest things, for any boy or girl, is to learn how to study. A supervised study period is intended to teach a pupil how to learn something by himself. This was an enlightening thirty minutes, and we left the office of our City Superintendent, fully satisfied that it was an afternoon well-spent. Muriel Rodnon, RD3 Evelyn Lasky, RD2 O . O INTERVIEW WITH BOROUGH PRESIDENT RAYMOND V. INGERSOLL COMING from the hubub of the subway we entered the street. We walked amid campaigners of the various parties who were campaigning for the coming election. In a few minutes we were gazing upon our Borough Hall. After climbing a long fiight of stairs we entered a hall covered with many portraits of famous political men. Since these oil paintings attracted our attention we were in- terested in finding out who they were. One of the first pictures that we noticed was a beautiful portrait of Mayor Seth Low after whom our school is named. After a while we walked into the waiting office of our Borough President. The secretary in this office told us that Mr. Ingersoll was away on a mission in Manhattan, but was expected there any minute. Then we were ushered into Mr. Brownis office tMr. IngersolPs private secretaryy and he said that he would be glad to answer any questions while we were waiting for Mr. IngersolPs arrival. A few minutes later the Borough President arrived. We were shown into his private office where he greeted us cordially. He told us to be seated and he would answer our questions. We asked him the following questions: Ques.: In view of the iire hazards, donit you think builders should be prohibited from building frame dwellings? Ans.: Fire Limits are established by the Board of Fire Underwriters. The larger part of Flatbush is now within the Limits. New frame buildings may not be built within the Limits unless they are built after special permission is obtained. Qua: Cannot appropriations be made so that roads may be constructed wholly instead of in parts as at present? Ans.: Usually we do construct the roads and complete them. Some roads have been surfaced to give the unemployed men work. Ques.: Do you think that Junior High Schools are an essential link be- tween Public School and High School Education? Ans.: Yes, I think that they form a valuable part in the education system. THE SPECTATOR Page Thirty-five

Page 41 text:

stuff knowledge into onels head, they want to develop the persons character, physically, socially and spiritually. As an example, a teacher here, once taught in a school of 400 pupils in the country, 260 were in primary school, 160 being in high school, all packed in one small school, how could anyone get as good an education in one of those schools as in one of our fine schools? But there are two advantages of a country school, the first being that since it is smaller more individual attention can be shown throughout the school, although in this school we try to overcome the fact that we have 7,000 pupils by pick- ing out the individual who needs help and suggesting that he join one of our clubs, that will help him. Secondly, the location. With all the beautiful scenery about-one, one cannot but help become a nature lover. Climbing orchards, feeding chickens, riding a horse through the country all help to build the persons body. But on the whole, the city schoolboy has a better time of it than the country boy. YAw gee? say many boys and girls, ffwhy do I have to leave Seth Low? Why canit there be a high school attached to it? I hate to leave, itill be so strange in my new high? Hereis why, as told by Dr. Mason. ffThe adjust- ment isn,t so terrible as pictured, for, didnlt you all change from grammar school to junior high? True, the first few days everything seemed strange, but after that did you mind it? Do you think of your old school anymore except on a few occasions? When you graduate from Seth Low to some other high, you continue, your work getting more diHicult as you go along, but still the same idea. Besides, in life you'must adjust yourselves many times, first when you go to grammar school, to junior high, to high school, to college, and perhaps to a special school for your profession. If you had no Changes up to the end of high school, you would have a terrible time when you left home for college. It has been tried in the cases of Seward, Franklin K. Lane and Walton that a junior high be followed by a senior high in the same building. It was a terrible failure, the junior high students saying, fI wish those big pests would get out, and the seniors saying II wish those little runts would get out; and the teachers were jealous of each other, and there was never any harmony. In all due fairness, the plan was not worked out as well as it could, for the buildings were small, old and had no facilities. Everything was too crowded, and no one was actually ready for this experiment. These unions have been broken up within the last few years, and considering all sides, I don,t think boys and girls are so badly off, and they must get used to adjustments? Lastly, many say, ffWhat am I supposed to do, in order to be an ideal high school student? I donit know what they want of me. I asked Dr. Mason and this is what he told me: cc1. You must be healthy. You cannot stay away from school every few days and expect to be clever, and you must be able to withstand cold, heat and rain, and snow, so that you can get your full benefit of school. 2. You must be intelligent, by that I mean you must understand information-wax to receive and marble to retain. That is, in- formation must penetrate your head as if it was wax, but must stay in as if it T H E S P E C T A T O R Page Thirty-seven