Part 14 (1/2)
TAKING THE SCHOOL TO THE FACTORY
HOW ALIEN GIRLS ARE BEING CHANGED INTO INTELLIGENT AMERICAN WORKERS BY INSTRUCTION DURING WORKING HOURS
In from twenty to thirty-five weeks I SUMMARY LEAD an illiterate i results transfor statement American citizen, in this city, in two sentence to without interfering with the daily work avoid unwieldy sentence
by which she earns her living Only forty-five minutes a day in a factory schoolroo results
This has just been demonstrated at 2 Coht school conducted in a New York factory out i stateoods factory of D E Sicher & Co, 49 West 21st Street, where the graduation Address has local exercises were held last Thursday interest evening
Forty girls--Italians, Poles, Russians, 3 Graduates Hungarians, Austrians a Note concrete details the number--received the first ”certificates of literacy” ever issued by the Board of Education Twenty weeks Striking results agowolish; many of them had of contrast never been to school a day in their lives Every one present on Thursday Iht felt that this was indeed a coirls results
It is due to the instruction of Miss Teacher's name has Florence Meyers, forirls can now speak English, write good letters, raht the principles of our governiene, results and the processes by which cotton goods used in their work are anized this year 4 School at the suggestion of Dudley E Sicher, head of the firm, in cooperation with the Board of Education, and has been under the supervision of Miss Lizzie E Principal and school Rector, Public School No 4, Manhattanhave local interest
What has been accomplished in this 5 Exaoods estion to world, will doubtless serve as an example readers to be followed by other firms
Its purpose the firm expresses in II PURPOSE OF SCHOOL these words: ”To hasten assimilation 1 Firm's statement necessary to national unity, to proeneral the friction caused by failure to comprehend tere incidental to the illiterate worker”
”When a girl understands English 2 Head of firht American business and factory methods,” says Mr
Sicher, ”she doesn't hesitate and Statement in concrete blunder; she understands what she is terent employees do much better work than illiterate ones, and since we can afford to pay thees, they are much more contented Froood investment”
The instruction that has accomplished III METHODS OF INSTRUCTION such remarkable results has been eminently practical ”There 1 Practical education was no ti but the s,” explains Miss Meyers, ”for I of her problem could have each one of them for only forty-five minutes a day, and there was irl, for exa' shown Here was another who had never written a word in her life, either in English or in any other language The probleive each of them what she eneral every day This essentially plan practical training I organized under several subjects, each of which was broadly inclusive
”When I undertook to teach letter 2 Letter writing writing, itand spelling
It ulations, and the for arithmetic, I use e by means of addition, subtraction, and division I also ask them to keep personal expense accounts and to make out reports of the work that they do
”Civics included American history, 4 Civics the lives of our stateser to be true Ain of legal holidays, theof citizenshi+p, and the essence of patriotisiene subject A, personal cleanliness, and sanitary regulations have to be e hours at the sewing machines, we have physical culture exercises Instruction in first aid iven so that they will knohat to do in case of an accident The nutritive value of different foods in relation to their cost is discussed to enable them towo muslin underwear, it seerows, how it is spun, where the mills are and how it is shi+pped to New York After they understand the various processes through which the oes before it reaches them, they take much more interest in their work, as a part of the ”
The use of the telephone, the telegraph, 7 Means of communication the subway, surface lines, and railways is another subject of instruction
A duraph Method of presentation blanks, the city directory, raph routes of rapid transit lines, and the changed for telephone book, are some of the practical variety laboratory apparatus and textbooks that are ee them to learn for 8 Study outside of themselves outside of school hours classroos that we have not time for in the classroom,”
says the teacher
To reach the schoolroom in which IV THE SCHOOLROOM this work has been carried on, you take 1 Location the elevator to the last floor but one of Note effect of using the factory building There you find ”you”
only a portion of the floor space cleared for tables and chairs It is a clean, airy rooay with boxes of flowers
Flags of many nations about the 2 Decorations roo the pupils On Note character of one wall hangs a card with the legend: decorations selected
Four things come not back: The spoken word The sped arrow The past life The neglected opportunity
A photograph of Miss Jessie Wilson, now Mrs Francis B Sayre, occupies the space between the ts
The picture was presented to the girls by Miss Wilson herself, just before she This shows enterprising was married, when a party of theton to part of teacher, girls, give her a white petticoat they had and fir present