Scranton Central HS 1958 Yearbook (Scranton, PA) - Full Access

12 ,\lau .. artl K 111!!hf . ·58 In our modern world of computers, missiles and satellites, the attention of people everywhere has been focused upon the increasingly important prob– lem of education. Here are some of the comments we received when we asked, "What do you think about our present system of education?" Marianna Biglan, '59, says: "Os– mosis, so they tell me, is the move– ment of a substance from an area of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration. This idea holds true not only in science, but also in the minds of many people in educa– tion. "Send little Johnny to school for eight hours rather than five, and he will absorb twice as much knowledge. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. The teacher cannot keep Johnny's little mind on spelling for ten minutes. If she should try for twenty, her pains would be unrewarded. Try to hold his attention on a weighty subject, such as history or English, and the poor boy is overcome. Boys will be boys, of course , but if Johnny never changes his habits and never starts to think, he will hardly be a fit citizen in a world of competition and intense concentration. Multiply Johnny by the millions of other "Johnnys" in this country alone, and the figure be– comes stupendous. "Is this the fault of our educational system? Yes, in part, it is. But the underlying and major cause is in the home, where Johnny first learns. "From the beginning Johnny was a bundle of curiosity. Everything in his tiny world fascinated him, and he would sit enthralled with one object for a much larger time than he seems capable of now. "When he learned to talk, his questions were endless: 'What is rain?' 'Why doesn't it rain up?' 'How high is an elephant?' How often was his budding mind nipped by im– patient parents, whose cry was, 'I don't know; that's just the way things are.' Even childish stamina is drowned by such a constant dampening. Still his concentration and application to a given topic were earth-shaking in their proportions. He would persist with a question until silenced by a shout or an irate glare. "Now his teacher cannot pull questions out of him. He has lost in– terest. Not only that, his baby mind has been so thoroughly filled with 'baby talk' that no amount of effort on the part of his teacher will bring about the use of good grammar. In short, Johnny has never been taught or encouraged to think; and without thinking, no amount of time spent exposed to his lessons will impress him. "Do let Johnny think. Rejoice in his inquisitiveness. Find the answers to his questions. With this cultivation, his mind will yield all the sputniks, cancer cures, and human doctrines desired.'' Joel Miller, '58, states: "Recently our country has focused attention on our lack of skilled specialists in many vital technical fields. The pros and cons of this will be argued from now until a satisfactory solution is offered. Why have we overlooked the reason we are lacking, not in numbers, but in quality? "The normally intelligent person so ntPRE