POST GRADUATE COURSE FOR KINDERGRATNERS AND PRIMARY TEACHERS.

This is a new and very important movement in the professional training of kindergartners in California. It is significant in its strength, enthusiasm and harmony. In these respects, the kindergartners who have volunteered in this movement for advanced training have shown themselves to be clearly in the lead of kindergarten forces in the East. With an eye upon the work in all sections of the United States, the writer has failed to note any such movement elsewhere. It came about here in California

first because the kindergartners themselves desired such advanced training, and secondly, because they saw an opportunity to get it and put forth the effort at

once.

The idea has been a growth. The movement and plan did not spring into existence all at once. The enthusiasm that led in that direction had its origin in the Second Summer Session of the California School of Methods. Two San Francisco kindergartners, Misses Charlotte F. Williams and Hattie B. Griswold attended this session, and became deeply interested in the development of the child mind and the educational side of kindergarten work. They returned home and began to plan to carry on this study. It was not long before the writer

was asked if he would not direct the studies of a circle of kindergartners. He consented to do so and in September of last year met sixteen of the most enthusiastic kindergartners in the city and organized a Child Study Circle. This circle continued its work throughout the year, and at the close unanimously requested the writer to give them a full post graduate course during the coming. year. This request was repeated many times in letters and personally by some thirty kindergartners during the last ses sion of the Summer School. Accordingly on the third of September a large post graduate class was organized permanently and began work at the Golden Gate Kindergarten Training School. Twentyfive trained kindergartners were enrolled, and applications for admission are still coming in. The class meets about twice each month, cn Saturdays, and receives lessons and lectures in three different lines, and follows up this work with printed outline in study, reading, writing, and original work.

The course includes instruction and training in Psychology of Childhood, History of Education, Application of the Kindergarten System to Public Schools. It is the intention to grant all those who complete the course satisfactorily the Professional Diploma for kindergartners and primary teachers of the California

School of Methods. The class is strong, earnest and enthusiastic, and it is a pleasure to instruct them. It has never been our lot to work with, instruct and train a class of teachers more worthy and appreciative.

The post graduate course settles another question of interest to kindergartners. Since the Golden Gate Kindergarten Association and the California School of Methods began granting Professional Diplomas to kindergartners and their force and value has been recognized, it has been the desire of many kindergartners to have one of these diplomas. And owing to the relations the Golden Gate Association has sustained to the training in the city some kindergartners felt they should be granted the Golden Gate Diploma. In this Mrs. Cooper has pointed them to the post graduate course as the way to the diploma. She was at the organization of the class, endorsed the movement in the strongest terms and is most desirous to have all her teachers receive the advanced training. The kindergartners all see the wisdom and advantage of such an arrangement. It is worthy of notice that in this advanced work all the kindergarten associations in the city, the public schools, and many independent and private kindergartens are repre

So the kindergarten work in every line will be broadened, uplifted and influenced on the educational side by this advanced study and training.

OUR STRENGTH AND OUR WEAKNESS, DEVELOPING THE EDUCATIONAL SIDE OF THE KINDERGARTEN.

Whenever I hear a person praising every thing and flattering every body I begin to suspicion that that person has some boom property to sell or wants to run for some office. Our best friends are those who think enough of us to tell us

the truth and tell us kindly and sympathetically. I am going to tell our kindergarten workers where our California kindergartens are strong and where they are weak, and what is our greatest need.

The kindergarten work in California is exceptionally strong in some respects. It has been developed here almost wholly as a charity or philanthropy, and this has developed it into a missionary, childsaving work that appeals to the noblest elements in the hearts of both men and women. In point of organization and extent of this work, San Francisco surpasses every other city in the world. Nor is this all. The work in California is characterized by its spirit of harmony. among all the unselfish and devoted workers. There is to be seen in the work here as a philanthrophy a strength of devotion and heart power I have never observed elsewhere. It amounts to a religious devotion and self consecration in the kindergartners that is both touching and inspiring. The child is sought out of the streets and wretched abodes for his own sake, and not to swell the enrollment so as to increase the teachers salaries. Another strong point of the work it has taken a hold of both rich and poor, and all classes are deeply interested in the kindergarten as a philanthropy. The people of California believe in it, and they believe in it with all their minds. And when the educational side of the kindergarten is developed as it soon will be, our people will see its whole value, and demand this education for every child in the public schools.

This brings me to note the weakest place in the kindergarten work on this coast. It is in neglecting the educational value and side of the kindergarten system. Until recently little attention has been paid to this side of the work in California. Even in the kindergarten

training classes so little attention has been given to it, that some people have come to think the kindergarten has only a negative, a preventive value in education. Persons have been trained after the fashion, and sent out to kindergartners who had no knowledge of the educational value of the materials, much less their use in the primary, no knowledge of the powers of the child that were to be developed by the work. The result is, we find all kinds of anti-kindergarten and unscientific things done. Many practices have been lumbered into the work that are wholly foreign to the system and pernicious in their effects upon child life. I will reserve for a future article some of these anti-kindergarten practices. But wish to say here that the whole force of Froebel's life was spent in trying to teach the educational value of his system. And the most eminent advocates and expounders of the system the world over, have put their emphasis upon the great educational value of the system and its wonderfully developing power in child life.

Our greatest need then is to develop the educational value of the kindergarten system, and show its remarkable adaptability to the unfolding child at different ages. The value of every gift and occupation should be studied and taught, and its use and bearings in all after education clearly recognized. More, we should note the debt of the school to the kindergarten, and show how all the work of the school may be brought under the spirit and principles of the system. In order to do this the training courses for kindergartners must be given on educational and scientific principles, and the educational value of the system first taught there. Once train the kindergartners in the educational value of the system, and it will not take the work

long to go into the kindergartens. The introduction of the kindergartens into the public schools demands the educational value of the work be made prominent. And as this is going on rapidly in California, it will not be long before the work on this coast will challenge the admiration of all sections for its excellence.

SCHOLARSHIP IN THE KINDERGARTEN.

Beyond all question the greatest need of the kindergarten work on this coast and elsewhere is to have more scholarly men and women engaged in it. In this work we have the extremes-the most scholarly and the most ignorant. The most scholarly understand it philosophically and are enlisted in it because of the superior value as a scientific system of education; the most ignorant are in it because they can do nothing else and standards are not yet set up to shut them out.

The old notion that any one can teach a little child is the platform upon which this class stand and operate for revenue only. The public, yea even the teaching profession need a vast deal of educa tion on this subject. For many of them who style themselves teachers are shamefully ignorant of the History, Science and Art of their profession, of which the Kindergarten system forms the most scientific and important part.

Perhaps no better illustration of the ignorance of the masses on this subject could be given than to refer to the proportion of accepted and rejected candidates of the Golden Gate Kindergarten Training School and the California School of Methods, the two new schools on this coast that are maintaining a standard of admission for their training classes. In both of these schools the proportion is about five to one, that is

five refused where one was accepted. And in almost all of these cases they were refused admission because their academic education was so deficient it was impossible to make teachers of them. It is both amusing and humiliating to have such persons come to you. Their first question is "what does it cost and will you do it as cheap as any one else," never dreaming that intellectual and moral qualifications are paramount and first to be considered. But "what does it cost" "how long does it take?" And this from young women who are from seventeen to twenty-five years of age, and have lived all their lives in the shadow of High School, Normal School and College.

One is forced to exclaim, how have such persons spent their lives, and why don't they go to school and learn something? Now here is a field of work that is promising the greatest inducements to young women that are graduates of High Schools, Normal Schools and Colleges. It is a field in which of all educational work their talents will shine the brightest and one that pays better than any other line of teaching below Normal School and College. I mean it pays a bright, liberally educated, welltrained teacher much better than ordinary grade or country school work. It is ranked as special school work, like drawing and music, and there is some professional recognition in being an expert kindergartner and primary teacher. For years it has been a mystery to me why Normal School and College graduates do not engage more frequently in this line of work instead of wearing themselves out in country schools. This is the class of teachers the kindergarten system needs for its development and extension into the public schools. I never knew

one of these teachers well trained that

could not command a good position and salary at once. And such work is teaching in its highest sense, and developes a fullness of life in all those fitted in scholarship, heart and mind that nothing else does. The true kindergartner is more enthusiastic and more happy in her work than the average teacher because she lives more fully. Let more teachers get this fullness of life, and we will have more enthusiasm and happiness in the school room and less haggard, cross, worn-out looking women.

NATURE STUDY.

MISS ISABEL M'CRACKEN, East Oakland. Besides being useful, the study of nature is most fascinating to little children, but they must be allowed their own simple way of pursuing it.

A few mornings since, the little folks. in a certain school, were greatly exercised about a beautiful pineapple plant, in the growth of which they had been interested. The leaves were sadly limp and drooping, and seemed about to drop off. One small boy having in mind the various phenomena of the evening before, suggested that the lightning had struck it, but several little ones were ready to inform him that water was an immediate necessity.

While Willie filled the saucer with water, John told how his nasturtiums were left without water for several days while the family were away, and found dead on their return. Percy told how he watered his sweet peas every night, and Valentine, that his cactus needed scarcely any water and that the Calla needed a great deal and had all that was necessary, as it grew under the faucet.

Other work was resumed in the schoolroom. In about an hour, a little hand went up and "See how the pineapple

plant has freshened up," turned every eye in the direction of the window.

Every child wanted to tell that the plant drank up the water. We didn't understand quite how it was done, but knew that the roots and stems were agencies. We thought we could find out more about it, if we had stems to look at.

Every one was commissioned to bring a Calla leaf the next morning, and for fear that some should forget, Valentine promised to bring six leaves.

Tuesday morning we had an abundance of leaves on hand. We left them out of water until noon, and found as we expected, they began to wilt. At twelve o'clock we put them in a basin of water and at half past one they were quite revived. An examination showed that the water found its way into the leaf through tiny holes in the stem. The children reasoned rightly, that as the stem contained these mouths the roots probably did likewise. The leaf blade, which received the water, thus became of interest

to us.

Alice pointed out the line running from the stem to the very tip of the leaf. We all traced with our pencils the many fine lines running from the center rib. James observed that the edge of the leaf was straight rather than curved like the leaves on our pineapple plant. Ernest, mathematically inclined, found four sides to the leaf, but only three points. A discussion almost arose as to whether there were really three points or four. Pearly's sharp eyes discovered a place on her leaf, where the skin was slightly torn, and on closer observation found the whole leaf to be covered with a thin transparent skin, easily removed by the use of a pin.

Thus we found simple leaves to be like boys and girls in at least two re

spects, both need water to drink, and both are covered with a thin outer skin.

We were now sufficiently interested in leaves, to be on the look out for new items of interest. Our Calla leaves were put in water to serve as a basis of comparison in future leaf lessons, and the children had made a beginning in the study of botany.

THE ABUSES OF ART IN THE KINDERGARTEN.

MISS CHARLOTTE F. WILLIAMS

Our greatest fault seems to me, to be that we lose sight of the fact that we are not working for immediate proofsbut for future results stirring to develop the child, and an ideal in him.

"Imagination is the foundation of all

art."

We must look beyond and seek the inner truth. "Overflow of soul is the artistic instinct; where it touches, beauty is the result." Much of our work is infinitesimally small, tending to cramp imagination, intellect, and hand, just as working on a larger and broader scale gives freedom. We do not remember, that to us, the result is of the greatest importance, while to the child the vital point is the process and what it does for his imagination and thought, and not what he makes.

We do not always make simple results our aim, as we should, nor do we lead the child to observe the mass rather than the details-to note size and proportions, parallelism of faces, rather than edges and finish.

Froebel firmly believed in simplicity, and chose the simplest forms in nature, knowing the lack of power in children. to resist impressions whether good or bad. Should we not be more particular about what the child is led to observe, as