The Educator (Volume 45) - IAMPETH

16
"Handwriting And The Language Arts''
Since the subject assigned me is so
large, I have chosen to limit it and I
am merely setting the stage for the
real work in Handwriting and the
Language Arts. We must build the
foundation secure and especially in
this field of endeavor.
May I carry you back in thought
while I read a poem that Dr. Jno.
Finley gave in an address. In this
day of world conflict, I think it may
cause us to stop and ponder with
Cadmus as he muses over the results
of his carrying the alphabet to
Greece.
"When I contemplate the ravage
Of my alphabetic lore;
See the neolithic savage
Waging culture-loving war;
Using logarithmic tables
To direct his hellish fire,
Preaching philosophic fables
To excuse his mad desire;
Hear a litany invoking
Hate in God's benignant mind;
See men shooting, drowning, choking,
Bayonetting humankind;
See the forest trees transmuted
Into lettered pulp while man.
With a brain deep convoluted
Takes the place of primal Pan
And, instead of finding pleasure
In a simple life with song.
Spends his planetary leisure
Reading how the world's gone
wrong
—
Seeing, hearing, which I've wondered,
'Mid this murder, greed, and fret,
Whether I have sinned or blundered
Giving man the alphabet."
It is a doleful picture, I grant, but
no more doleful than the conditions
we find in our world and in our
schools today.
I feel that in this group there is
little need of taking time to define
the terms or enlarging much on the
idea of the importance of handwriting
and the language arts. We are all
agreed, I am sure, that we feel that
handwriting and the language arts
are a very necessary part in the education
of boys and girls.
Early Development
Let us consider the early development
of the child in relation to our
subject.
We all know that the child before
coming to school has learned a vast
number of things. In fact, at no
other period of his life will he learn
so much as he learned in the first
six years. Certainly his was in truth
self-education as all true education is.
He early learned how to make
sounds which gradually developed
into syllables, then into words, and
then sentences. But he also learned
how to walk, feed himself, dress himself,
besides learning how to manip-
Amelia Kirkland, Associate in Department
of Education, Ashland
College, Ohio
ulate all sorts of mechanical toys (unless
father played with them and
damaged them before Johnny got a
chance at them). Then there were
the kiddie car, scooter, wagon, truck,
tricycle, and later the bicycle. He
became very efficient in the manipulation
of said toys, and the chief point
to remember is that he was rather
largely self-taught in this period.
Parents fortunately are too busy to
bother to interfere with Johnny just
so long as he is not under foot.
We'll concede that the preliminary
activity is frequently initiated by
someone showing the child at the beginning
but on the whole, the child
is let completely alone for hours at
a time to amuse himself.
Students like what the
teacher ikes. She should |
cultivate a liking for good
handwriting and set a good
example.
How Important
Now how important is this early
activity period in his life? It is
establishing the coordination of bodily
muscles which is absolutely necessary
in all his further development. He
gains also a sense of rhythm as well
as balance. Second, it is a period in
which his senses are having free
play. He observes, touches, feels,
tastes, and explores the environment
of which he is a part.
It is a period of obtaining knowledge
through the senses and building
up a wealth of experiences which in
turn teaches him how to choose; it
also builds up in him the qualities of
character, as self-reliance, perseverance,
and a knowledge of being able
to satisfy certain fundamental drives
and urges. Through trial and error,
he has learned the right answers to
his problems. He has actually worked
out many problems himself.
Prom eighteen months on, for three
or four years, Johnny has become
speech conscious and his vocabulary
steadily increased till he has a vocabulary
of several thousand words. Naturally
the environment will play a
very vital part in the wealth or
meagreness of his development.
"Growth depends on the feeding area"
is just as true for children as it is
for plants.
And his development in his first
years at school will be just as fruitful
or as barren as the environment
is fruitful or barren there. But one
feature remains constant: the child
will be one of a group, and this is a
very necessary part of his further
development, as it is only through
communication with others that his
language will develop to the greatest
degree.
Therefore the type of program for
the child should take into account
more than it now does what the child
has been doing for the past four years
of life before entering school.
In fact, some children have learned
not only the language as a medium
in which to express their wants and
needs but also to express their feeling
of joy, sorrow, pain, and anger.
What sort of program is necessary
at this level or stage of growth ? In
the first place, the health of the child
must be considered. Just put yourself
in the child's place.
For the past four years, at least,
you have been left practically to your
own devices for a good portion of
each day. Now you are required to
sit in a seat practically all day, then
you must only talk when called on
whether you have anything to say
or not.
Next you must learn to read and
work with figures. Perhaps for a
few minutes each day you may have
one period for art; one period foimusic;
one period for play, and one
period for story-telling. In some
schools, these activities would be only
once a week.
Now let us consider the room in
which most of these activities take
place. What is there of beauty in
it? What is there in the environment
to arouse pleasurable feelings
in order that one might do some creative
work ? What of the furniture ?
Is it conducive for work or pleasure ?
Out of Date Equipment
Just the other day I was in a first
grade room in which the children
were busily engaged working at their
desks, but tragedy awaited them with
almost every move. A number of
years ago these desks were considered
good but in those days children were
given only half sheets of 6 by 9 paper
to do most of their work on. Now,
fortunately, we have leai'ned to use
9x12 sheets in the first grade but
the tops of the desk are so small that
there is no room for crayons and so
the child has to put them on the seat
part and frequently he moves and
away go the crayons. In trying to
pick them up the paper gets brushed
off. How can we ever expect good
work habits to be established under
such conditions, I ask you?
Until we set the stage in a more
interesting manner with efficient
working space and tools how can we
expect the children of any age or
grade to develop skill in art, music,
or the language arts ?