ldren alike?

VIII Special Schools for Special Children

The Cincinnati schools provide for special children as well as for
special classes of people. First there are the unusually bright
children, who "mark-time" in the ordinary classes. These children were
placed in "rapidly moving classes." While omitting none of the work,
they were allowed to go as fast as their mental development would allow
them, instead of as slowly as the other members of the class made it
necessary to move. At the beginning the teacher found these
exceptionally able children lacking in effort and attention, qualities
which they had not needed to keep their place in the grades. "The extra
work and responsibility stimulated their mental activity, increased
their power of attention, fostered thoroughness and accuracy, developed
resourcefulness and initiative, and those other qualities necessary for
leadership." Why should it not be so? Why should not the specially able
child be taught as thoroughly as the defective one? Yet Mr. Dyer,
speaking from experience, remarks: "Strange to say, it is harder to
establish such classes than defective and retarded ones." Strange
indeed!

For the sub-normal or retarded children Cincinnati has made ample
provision. Spending from a quarter to a half of their time in manual
work, the children are no longer tortured with the doing of things
beyond their powers. The overgrown boys have instruction in shop work.
The overgrown girls have a furnished flat in which they learn the arts
of home-making at first hand. There are in all over four hundred
children in these schools.

Similar accommodations are provided for other special groups. The
anaemic and tubercular children are taught in two open-air schools; six
teachers are detailed to instruct the deaf children; one teacher devotes
her time to the blind children, and ten teachers are employed to take
charge of those children who are mentally defective. Thus, by adjusting
the schools to the needs of special groups of people, and of special
individuals, Cincinnati is providing an education which reaches the
individual members of the community.

IX Playground and Summer Schools

The vacation school is planned to meet the needs of the children in the
crowded districts during the hot summer months. "For that reason," says
Mr. Dyer, "it provides industrial work of all kinds unassociated with
book instruction, but mingled with a great amount of recreational
activit