Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 40.djvu/536

518 ideas thus used. Later, the fundamental idea of the Boston experiment was taken up, and the chief attention directed to the selection of topics and materials for real science lessons.

In this work no effort was made to introduce the vocabulary of the reader assigned to the grade. In February that reader—Appletons' First—was given to the children for the first time. To quote Miss MacChesney's own words: "The interest which had been awakened by the reading of their own thoughts was transferred to the books, and the grade work was completed before the required time—thus more than fulfilling the condition on which the trial was allowed to be made."

The work in reading went on in this manner during a second year, all other grade work being done in the old ways. During the third year systematic lessons on minerals and plants were given, and work in literature begun; and the children's sentences were written out on a typewriter. In a letter written at the close of this year. Miss MacChesney says: "Out of a room of forty children, divided equally into two classes, one class finished the first year's work in eight months; the other class, with the exception of two children, completed the grade work at the end of the year, besides doing all the extra work; and the whole was accomplished with ease and happiness on the part of both pupils and teacher." During the first year of trial, another teacher in the Lewis School, Miss Quackenbush, became interested in Miss MacChesney's work, and began a similar attempt with her own class. In a short time she produced excellent results.

From the first, Mr. Bright carefully watched the progress of the trial, and willingly and patiently waited its results. When convinced of the superiority of the principles involved and of the results obtained, he earnestly championed the cause, and has continued to be its enthusiastic supporter.

During the second year, teachers' meetings were called, discussions aroused, illustrative lessons given, courses of lectures for the teachers projected, and other teachers joined in the work. A teacher wrote me at the time: "I never saw teachers so ready and eager to 'speak in meeting'; . . . I never saw them so thoroughly awake." Finally the principals and teachers of the Englewood schools generally waked up to the fact that something new and interesting was going on in their midst; the idea spread, and many visitors came from adjoining towns.