Annual report. [1946]

2... Education for Understanding
Learning Begins in the Elementary School
7

6VER since 184e Detroit has
provided free public education for its youth.
Going to school is a full-time job for boys
and girls nowadays. It requires being away
from home during the day and association
with a large group of children each of
whom must follow a planned program.
The kindergarten is the child's introduction to the elementary school. First impressions and experiences are of major importance in determining the individual's later
success. For this reason, teachers of fiveyear-olds are selected for their understanding
of individual differences; their friendly
skill in the guidance of each child in assuming his identity in a large group; and their
resourcefulness in equipping individuals
with a vast amount of useful information
and with many valuable habits.
One has only to listen to the continuous
questioning of the five-year-old to know
that he is ready and eager to learn about
everything that comes to his notice. To
satisfy this need the kindergarten teacher
brings to the group accurate information
about innumerable topics. For example,
science has a great appeal to young children.
The teacher supplies facts from reliable
source material. Through discussion, observation, and experimentation, the child
acquires a wide range of worthwhile learning. His interests and curiosities are encouraged and, in his first year of school, he not
only becomes well-informed, but he builds
up an anticipation of the school years to
come.
The kindergarten provides for the cul

tural, social, and physical needs as well
as the intellectual. The program includes
literature, music, and art. There is provision for language development - the
vocabulary is increased and the individual
gains ease and skill in self-expression
through group discussions. Large equipment
is provided for cooperative play. The
children enjoy periods of song, story, and
rhythms. They draw, paint, and construct.
They join in dramatic play and form a
band. Through a wide variety of such
experiences they learn to work together.
Kindergarten Stresses Self-expression
The kindergarten provides a happy atmosphere in which the individual gradually
learns to be a contributing member of a
large group. Habits of courtesy, consideration, and cooperation are developed. An
attempt is made to have each child feel
secure and happy in his relationship to the
school community. Thus the kindergarten
half day is a busy one. The lessons learned
do much to prepare these future students
for the more formal work of grade one.
Throughout the more than 105 years of
the Detroit Public Schools the fundamentals
of reading, writing, and arithmetic have
constituted the basis upon which the education program has been built. Just as the
automobiles of 1895 and 1900 were considered splendid for those days, so were
the reading books of McGuffey considered
the best for their times. Children learning
to read from those primers of nearly a
hundred years ago were prompted by
McGuffey's instructions to the teachers