Page:The Elementary Worker and his Work.djvu/19

14 III. Administration of the Graded School

In administration, again, to a certain extent, each school must work out its own problems. Only general principles can be enunciated here. These should be regarded in practice to the largest extent which local conditions allow.

1. The departmental organization of the school should be recognized in administration. An ideal arrangement would be for each department of the school to constitute a separate assembly. It is believed that the most effective school work can be accomplished in this way.

The Beginner's Department should meet by itself. There is no reason why it should form a part of an assembly made up of older scholars. When assembled separately the entire service may be adapted to young children, an impossibility where the majority of those present are persons much older. The same reasons hold for the Primary Department. Other reasons quite as cogent favor a separate assembly for each of the more advanced departments.

Where it is entirely impracticable to assemble the school entirely by departments, owing to a lack of proper facilities, certain departments may be grouped together. If five assemblies can be provided for, let the Beginner's, the Primary, and the Junior Departments each form a separate assembly, the Intermediate and the Senior Departments be combined into a Secondary Division Assembly, and the Adult Classes be brought together into an Adult Assembly. If only four assemblies can be arranged for, probably the best plan is to bring together the Primary and Junior Departments into an Elementary Assembly.

If it is impossible to have more than two assemblies, as is often the case to-day owing to the lack of a building suited to school work, it may be necessary for the Beginner's, Primary, and Junior Departments to be assembled together, and the Intermediate, Senior, and Adult Departments together.