Transcriber’s Notes:
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
Additional Transcriber’s Notes are at the end.
* * * * *
PENMANSHIP
_Teaching and Supervision_
PENMANSHIP
_Teaching and
Supervision_
BY
LETA SEVERANCE HILES
_Supervisor of Penmanship
Long Beach, California_
JESSE RAY MILLER
3474 UNIVERSITY AVENUE
LOS ANGELES
* * * * *
COPYRIGHT 1924, BY JESSE RAY MILLER
FIRST PRINTING
APRIL, 1924
_Printed in the United States of America
Press of Jesse Ray Miller
Los Angeles_
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I THE PENMANSHIP PROBLEM 9
_The Commercial Factor--The Educational Factor--Educational
Value._
II FUNDAMENTALS CONCERNED IN THE PROBLEM 15
_Physical Training Phase--Correct Posture--Correct
Movement--Visualization of Letter Forms--Practice--
Application of the Correct Habits to Daily
Requirements._
III THE GENERALLY ACCEPTED SOLUTION: MUSCULAR MOVEMENT 43
_Conservation of Health a Prime Factor in the Solution--
Economy of Time a Result of the Solution._
IV PREPARATION OF THE TEACHER 51
_The Technique of the Subject--The Ability to Secure
Results--The Penmanship Perspective._
V SUITABLE EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS 61
_Text--Blackboard and the Use of It--Paper--Folders--
Pencil--Pen--Penholder--Blotter--Ink--Economy in the Use
of Material._
VI SOME WORKABLE SUGGESTIONS 72
_How to Study--How to Move and Slant the Paper--
Blackboard Work of the Pupils--Name Cards--Figures--
Alphabet--Endurance Tests--Objectives in Good Writing
Habits--Progress Lesson--Segregation--Line Quality--
Samples--Preparation for the regular Visit of the
Supervisor--Counting--Use of the Timepiece--Awards--Use
of Standard Penmanship Tests._
VII SUGGESTIONS FOR THE GRADES, JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS 85
_A General Not a Specific Plan--First Grade--Second
Grade--Third Grade--Fourth Grade--Fifth Grade--Sixth
Grade--Seventh Grade--Eighth Grade--Junior High
School--Senior High School._
VIII SUPERVISION AND THE PENMANSHIP SUPERVISOR 113
_Supervision in the Past--Function of the Supervisor--
Leadership a Prime Qualification--Personality a
Necessary Qualification--Broad Preparation Indispensable
to the Supervisor--Continual Preparation Essential--
Rating--The Best Qualified Supervisor._
BIBLIOGRAPHY 123
INDEX 126
INTRODUCTION
Reading, writing, and arithmetic have for long been looked upon as the
fundamentals in education. And in very truth they are. Altogether too
little attention has been given the expression of thought involved
in the study of any school subject whether such expression takes the
form of oral or written language. In fact, many failures in school
and misunderstandings in actual life are due to inability to properly
interpret text, read intelligently, or speak correctly.
No small part of this entire problem, especially when applied to grade
pupils, is the mechanical or penmanship side. Everywhere there is
criticism, on the part of teachers and parents, of the quality of the
pupils’ writing. In many instances the process is a slow and laborious
one. The bodily positions assumed by pupils during the operation of
writing are harmful. The effort frequently results in an illegible
scrawl. Too often, little or no attention is given penmanship in the
grades and consequently boys and girls go through life laboring under a
serious handicap.
In the following pages an attempt is made to bring definitely and
concisely before educators the fundamental facts necessary to secure
legibility and rapidity in penmanship, without causing strain of eye or
cramp of hand. The treatment of the subject is simple and direct. The
discussion of the problem of penmanship is followed by a consideration
of the essentials necessary to the establishment of a habit that shall
result in good penmanship. The materials necessary are taken up in
detail. The teacher’s preparation is dwelt upon. Workable suggestions
are given a place. One chapter deals with the minimum requirements for
all and the closing chapter discusses supervision.
The entire work is based upon an extended experience with pupils
and teachers. Every suggestion and direction has been worked out in
actual practice. The volume has been prepared in response to continued
requests from teachers, principals, and superintendents who desire
explicit directions that can be used to supplement any system of
muscular movement penmanship.
The author wishes to express her gratitude to the hundreds of teachers,
scattered throughout several states in the Union, to whom she has had
the privilege of offering instruction and from whom helpful suggestions
have come.
L. S. H.
CHAPTER ONE THE PENMANSHIP PROBLEM
THE COMMERCIAL FACTOR
We are living in a practical age. Every institution of worth points to
the truth of this statement. Of every plan advanced the query comes,
“Will it stand a practical test?” We are constantly experimenting with,
and adopting, new methods, and those in force today may be displaced
tomorrow as being behind the spirit of the time. It is only natural
that the commercialization of penmanship should take place.
When a business man is asked what qualification counts most in
employing clerks he is very apt to say, “Other things being equal,
the good writer gets the place.” Henry Clews, the Wall Street banker,
frankly states that the beginning of his successful career may be
traced to good penmanship.
A letter of application for a position is not judged by school room
standards, but by business standards. These two sets of standards
should be in harmony. An educator of authority finds that “there is
little contention as to the function the child is to serve when he
becomes part of the world in which he shall eventually find himself.
Our methods as practiced however, would hardly be recognized as having
any foundation in the thought for future citizenship.” Think of the
vast army of boys and girls who leave the elementary school at an early
age to earn a livelihood. These should be given the best practical
equipment.
To be sure, there are those who cite instances of great men whose
handwriting is almost unreadable, and argue that point in favor of
allowing all public school pupils to be poor writers. Common sense
teaches us that it is unwise to burden ourselves with an unnecessary
handicap.
Others will say that it is not worth while, as every one will use
a typewriter upon entering the commercial world. Only a certain
proportion will enter the world of commerce, and a majority of those
who do enter tell us that they have as much work to do with pen or
pencil as on the typewriter.
The initial drafts of the majority of all important documents are
usually written with the pen. We have the word of many an author
that an attempt to dictate the first draft results disastrously to
the content of the manuscript. We therefore infer that in matters of
importance the use of the mechanical device is not conducive to the
best composition. The typewriter is of great convenience after the
first draft has been revised.
THE EDUCATIONAL FACTOR
Again, would it not be vastly worth while, even for school purposes
alone, to learn rapid, easy and legible hand-writing, since a majority
of pupils spend nine years in the elementary and junior high schools? A
good percentage finish high school and many pursue a college career for
four years. What an asset good easy writing is in school and college!
Every pupil owes it as a duty to himself and to his instructors to
express himself legibly on paper.
Finally, while its worth cannot be fully estimated, good writing is
eagerly sought and its possessor finds it ever a ready servant and
valued friend. We should strive for usable knowledge. In McMurray’s
_How To Study_ we learn that “It is a part of one’s work as a student,
therefore, to plan to turn one’s knowledge to some account; to plan
not alone to sell it for money, but to use it in various ways in daily
life.”
EDUCATIONAL VALUE
Perhaps the most widely recognized educational value of good penmanship
would come under the head of utility. Pleasing angles, graceful curves,
uniformity, and clear strong lines appeal alike to all. From the
attitude taken by many educational folk, relegating this subject in the
curriculum to the background, we might think that they prefer illegible
writing. Yet frequently these are the very persons who are heard to
complain the loudest and longest over poorly written test papers and
unreadable letters from friends.
Muscular movement penmanship may be utilized to advantage in school and
out. In the first place it saves the pupils’ time and physical energy
in execution and the teachers’ time and energy in interpreting. In the
second place it is most emphatically demanded by the world that many
of these pupils will enter upon leaving school. Parents draw their
conclusions, many times, regarding the quality of work in the school
largely from the appearance of written work.
Pupils who have persistently followed the drill until it has influenced
their actual writing will soon realize their power: here is the
evidence on paper, the measure of the effort put forth. They have
conquered both mentally and physically. Will not the confidence
established in their own ability be of value to them in mastering other
subjects? What gives more pleasure, self-respect and encouragement to
persevere than the conscious knowledge of skill? This consciousness of
power and skill is a tremendous educational force and one that should
receive constant recognition with reference to penmanship.
Many are the pupils who have great difficulty in gaining book lore, but
who find the manual arts attractive. To such the consciousness that
they can do even one thing well is a powerful inducement toward the
mastery of something less attractive.
Pupils learn before they finish the elementary school that proper
conventions must be observed in order to preserve social order and
relations. When these conventions are overlooked to a great extent in
writing, pupils are not gaining the most that the subject has to teach
them. When irregularities become noticeable a check should be placed;
otherwise the habit will become strong enough to be of great hindrance
in later life. In no subject can a tendency to tear down conventions
be discovered more easily than in penmanship and nowhere can we better
impress upon pupils the desirability of obeying, to a reasonable
degree, the conventional lines which all social beings are bound to
recognize.
Who cannot recall at least one “bad boy” who has been completely
reformed by some one of the manual arts? Muscular movement penmanship
has many such to its credit. Teachers and supervisors are called upon
quite as much to reform as to form and inform.
CHAPTER TWO FUNDAMENTALS CONCERNED IN THE PROBLEM
THE PHYSICAL TRAINING PHASE
Pupils who are apt at athletics will easily recognize the purpose of
muscular movement penmanship. They will draw upon former experiences
in the field or gymnasium and compare the value of relaxation, good
posture, rhythm, and continuity of movement. They will recognize that
the same laws of control govern Indian club swinging, field sports, and
penmanship. They will appreciate the fact that to obtain good results
with the pen they must follow with military precision the directions
of the leader. Interest will be doubled when pupils really find
themselves. Many pupils obey the laws of correlation naturally, and
through their athletics they gain control of the muscular adjustment
that operates in the process of writing.
Adult learners of muscular movement frequently have more difficulty
in relaxing completely than do younger pupils. Often with adults the
habit of bodily relaxation has not been developed along with other
habits, and therefore muscular tension prevails. A leading criticism on
Americans is that we never relax.
James says: “It is your relaxed and easy worker who is in no hurry
and quite thoughtless most of the while of consequences who is your
efficient worker; and tension and anxiety, present and future, all
mixed up together in our mind at once, are the surest drags upon steady
progress.”
[Illustration: AT ATTENTION]
[Illustration: RELAXATION]
[Illustration: READY TO ASSUME CORRECT POSITION OF ARMS, HANDS, PEN AND
PAPER]
The mind must be concentrated upon the relaxation of the muscles in
order to get the best results. As writing is feeling passed through
thought and fixed in form, it is very important in writing that the
mind help make the muscles to make movements, just as it helps them to
relax. By putting the muscles in a workable condition at the beginning
of each lesson, great improvement in muscular response will be
observed. Muscular relaxation must be considered seriously if we would
make real progress in muscular training. We all know how cramped and
tremulous the letters are when they are written by a hand that is under
nervous tension. The nerves must be at ease, the pen must rest lightly
in the hand in order to obtain the best results. Teachers who
have not the ability to relax themselves, cannot hope to lead the class
to do so. The tone of voice used in giving directions, whether musical
or strident, has to do with inducing relaxation. The following plan has
proven of value in the class room:
1. Pupils sit erect in seats, stretch arms out even with the shoulders,
feet on the floor, heads erect, while the teacher counts softly to ten,
with the pupils; at ten, drop the arms to the sides. Repeat six times.
A practiced eye will soon see whose arms are tense. Ask pupils to
become as limber as they would in skating, jumping, dancing, horseback
riding or swimming.
2. Pupils sit erect in seats, bend forward from the hips, raise arms
over the desk, and six inches from the desk, make a square turn at the
elbow, count ten slowly, drop the arms on the desk; repeat six times.
3. Pupils sit erect, bend from the hips, both elbows on the lower
corners of the desk, relax, dropping the forearm on the desk; repeat
six times.
4. Retaining position in paragraph 3 let pupils roll the muscle below
the elbow in a circular manner to a soft musical count, from one to
ten. Eyes should be first directed toward the arm, then away from it,
toward the ceiling. By following the last suggestion, it is observed
that pupils relax unconsciously. All of this drill will be of no value
unless pupils are able to retain a relaxed condition of the muscles
while the writing instrument is in use. Let them take the handle end of
the pen, and prepare for this circular motion before making it.
5. It will be necessary for the teacher to spend a few minutes at the
beginning of every lesson with one or more relaxing exercises during
the first months of each school year, and later if found necessary. It
is advisable to break the lesson with relaxation exercises if it is
observed that pupils are becoming keyed-up through effort.
6. Rhythm and regularity of movement are essential. Pupils’ counting
aloud relieves the tension. It may be necessary to lay the pens down
once or twice, for a few seconds each time, during the lesson. Ability
to control the writing arm comes in proportion to our ability to relax
the controlling muscles. Control in the matter of penmanship is a vital
educational factor. Says a well known authority: “Could the school
teach effectively the lesson of self control, we need have little
fear of the results when the product of the system is thrown upon the
currents of the world. What is the most important attribute of man as
a moral being? May we not answer, the faculty of self control? This
it is which forms a chief distinction between the human being and the
brute.”
CORRECT POSTURE
Correct posture while writing is an essential; first, from the
standpoint of health, and again, that we may have free play of the
writing muscles. Proper seating has an important place here. The desk
should be sufficiently high from the seat, so that, when a pupil is
seated and with both arms on the desk, the shoulders should not be
raised. If the desk is too low, pupils will bend in the shoulders
instead of from the hips and the chest will be compressed and the spine
contorted.
No doubt many cases of spinal trouble are a direct result of improper
seating and unhealthful posture during school hours. Pupils frequently
bend the neck and strain the nerves and muscles uselessly. The hint,
“Heads up” is often a sufficient reminder and will serve to correct
this ungraceful and harmful habit. By sitting almost square in front
of the desk, circulation is not impeded in any way and relaxation will
result more easily. The body supports itself, and must not touch the
desk. The eyes should be fourteen inches from the paper. In order to be
comfortable, the feet must touch the floor. It is within the province
of the manual training department to provide wooden footstools of
simple construction for the small pupils who must sit at large desks.
With the feet on the floor, body erect, ready to bend from the hips,
chest high, arms hanging at the sides in a relaxed manner, we are
ready for the next step. By placing the elbows at, or near the lower
corner of the desk, raising forearms, then relaxing and dropping to
the desk, the pupils are impressed with the idea that they must keep
the cushionlike muscle on the desk. The elbows may extend beyond the
edge of the desk, perhaps an inch, if this adds to the comfort of the
writer. There should be a right angle turn at the elbow.
Drill on correct posture should be given frequently until acquired,
several times during a lesson, in fact, while learning. Too many
liberties with these rules will cause trouble later when the next step
is to be accomplished.
[Illustration: READY FOR WORK]
With the forearms on the desk, close the right hand; open and close
several times; with the right hand half open, the tips and nails of
the third and little fingers touch the desk. The knuckles of the
thumb and three fingers should be in sight. Every joint is bent a
trifle in correct position of the hand. The two points of contact then
are a large portion of the under forearm and the tops and nails of
the third and little fingers. The wrist should be kept straight and
free from the paper. The side of the hand must not touch the paper.
Slip a card under the side of the hand to test this point. The muscles
that hold the third and little finger in correct positions need to be
strengthened. Pupils are apt to straighten the fingers and bring about
a tension or go to the other extreme and curl the third and little
fingers into the palm of the hand and glide on the knuckle joints. Both
positions strain the ligaments and bear away from, instead of toward,
good control. It is most important that a beginner should watch the
position of the hand. Other mistakes may be rectified gradually, but
correct position of the hand must be established at once.
The penholder is held by the thumb and first and second finger,
touching the second finger near the root of the nail. The first finger
joints are bent slightly. The first finger rests on the penholder at
least an inch from the point of the pen. The thumb joint is also bent.
The penholder may cross above or below the knuckle joint of the first
finger. The penholder should point half way between the shoulder and
the elbow. Keep the penpoint on the paper squarely, wearing both nibs
equally.
[Illustration: READY FOR ACTION
READY FOR PENHOLDING]
In _Comprehensive Physical Culture_, we find this valuable suggestion:
“In sitting it is necessary to hold the chest up; to guard against
bending forward at the waist line, for this contracts the chest, cramps
the lungs and stomach, and often produces dyspepsia. In sitting, if
one wishes to bend, the movement should be from the hips, but never
from the waist; the knees should never be crossed, for this position,
besides being inelegant and ungraceful, often leads to paralysis by
diverting the blood from the leg through pressure. The one rule to be
observed by the woman who seeks to be healthy and graceful is to keep
the chest active; it should never be relaxed; holding this part of the
body constantly erect gives real poise to the carriage and strength
to the muscles. A fine bearing is of great advantage, for it has a
significance which people intuitively recognize and respect; the person
who comes before us chest raised and head erect inspires confidence.
Other things being equal, the person who elevates the chest constantly
is more self-respecting than the one who habitually depresses it.”
CORRECT MOVEMENT
Pupils must be taught that a line is the product of the motion used;
“that the motion preceding the contact of the pen to the paper must be
in the direction of the line to be made, and that some letters being
more complex than others, less speed should be used.” For example, the
straight stroke exercise is essential as a beginning step in movement
application because it not only stretches the muscles, but correctly
done it teaches direction. Movement that prepares for the straight
stroke exercise is best obtained by taking correct position and pushing
the first finger to and from the center of the chest with the third and
fourth finger nails gliding on the desk and forming a movable rest.
The wrist must be kept free at this time, and the forearm moves on the
cushionlike muscle below the elbow. We base the direction or slant of
down strokes in letters later upon this straight stroke exercise. If
the ovals, the next exercise in order, take an incorrect slant at any
time, return to the practice of the straight strokes as a corrective
means toward the proper slant.
Pupils must know that the direction of movement is one of the chief
essentials, and that before they can possess ability to produce
properly proportioned forms they must develop their movement in the
proper direction. They must be led to understand that the mere free and
easy action of the arm in any direction is not necessarily a movement
that can be used in writing.
To insure against too slow a movement it will be necessary to use some
measure for time. Counting is a good means of regulating the movement;
it keeps the class working enthusiastically together, and gives an
idea of how fast to practice. One count should be given for each down
stroke. The count, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, 20; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 30, etc., to one hundred is
advised for straight strokes and ovals. All pupils counting in concert
with the teacher at the rate of about two hundred down strokes per
minute is effective, as the oral count relieves the muscular tension
that is apt to prevail at this time. Insist that every arm move from
the shoulder and that each pupil feel correct movement and observe his
own arm. It is advisable to use the watch, and time pupils daily on a
part of all drill work. If the count be too rapid, nervous spasmodic
movements will result; if too slow, the fingers or wrist joint will be
apt to act, and finger movement will be the result. A steady rhythmic
beat is essential, to tone down the speed of the nervous and erratic
and inspire the slow ones into more rapid response.
There is a subtle influence in the sprightly musical count as well as
in the conversational count, such as “round, round, round,” or “light,
light, light,” to induce proper width to a narrow oval, or lightness to
a heavy line. A mistake that is fatal to early progress is frequently
made by allowing pupils to take the pen in hand to write before
automatic movement is gained. Much drill on relaxation and study of
the writing machine and attention to rhythm work at the correct speed
is necessary at the beginning of each lesson, to make for automatism.
Sufficient speed to discourage finger and induce muscular movement must
be insisted upon at all times.
At this point it will be observed that pupils vary in regard to
their ability in the use of free movement. The group plan meets this
difficulty very successfully. Some allowance must be made for new
pupils, those habitually irregular, and for the slow pupils in rooms
where children have not been segregated for ability.
When all is done that can be done by the class plan to make pupils
understand relaxation, posture, and motive power, we find that there
will still be some who have not made sufficient progress to advance.
The important question is, when are these pupils going to have an
opportunity to learn? How can encouragement be offered to those who
have done well, and at the same time continue repetition of what is
necessary with those who have accomplished but little?
The group plan is advised by many successful teachers. Assign pupils
who have done well and who can practice in the right way to seats at
the left of the room (“A” group) as the teacher faces the class, it
being understood that those who prove themselves unworthy of being in
the “A” group will have a place in the “B” group. After the segregation
is complete and the plan under way it will be well to keep a check on
the “A” group; some pupils forget quickly when left to themselves,
while it develops independence and pride in others. The “B” group will
occupy the rows to the right of the teacher as she faces the pupils,
and by stepping to the extreme right side for the survey every hand may
be seen while at work. The members of the “B” group understand that
they are there because they need special help, and will be promoted
as soon as they learn the lessons already mastered by the “A” group.
At the beginning of every lesson a careful but brief review will be
necessary of the points that the “B” group is expected to learn. The
entire class should give attention at this time.
The “B” group is still preparing with the handle end of the pen while
the “A” group will be actually making lines. Economy of time should
be studied, or the period will be wasted; both groups must be kept
busy all the time. The same count will answer for both divisions.
Occasionally it will be well to give the “A” group a certain amount
of work to accomplish and to note if it is done within the right time
limit. They are to compare carefully with their models and also to work
for improvement in the product without special instruction. The “B”
group will not make so many exercises but their posture and movement
will be growing stronger every lesson. In order that they may not
become discouraged, it is well to let them make some of the exercises
each day but the greater part of the time should be given over to rapid
changes of relaxation, posture and movement until these essentials are
thoroughly ingrained. The “B” group will be greatly helped by working
at the board, to the same count that the “A” group uses at the seats.
Once during the lesson allow the “B” group to rest and watch the “A”
group work. The pupils in the “B” group will not cover as much subject
matter as will the “A” since it is composed of the new pupils and those
who have the greatest difficulties. No pupil should be promoted to the
“A” group until he assumes correct posture in all written work and can
make ovals, straight strokes and short words with correct movement. He
must prove his ability as an independent worker and show reasonably
good results in order to be considered an “A” pupil.
VISUALIZATION OF LETTER FORMS
It has been said, “The three arts of education are seeing, reading,
thinking. The boy who learns to see is awakened; the boy who learns to
read is enriched; the boy who learns to think is emancipated.” Why does
not an artist always make a desirable and pleasing picture? Perhaps it
is because he does not see the subject correctly or to advantage, or
perhaps he has not mastered all the mechanical difficulties. It is for
the teacher to decide whether all has been done that can be done to
assist the pupils to see the model letter form correctly. Perhaps there
exist mechanical difficulties in posture and movement that prevent a
free execution of the letter form that may exist in the mind.
Pupils should understand that they are to educate the head and hand
together. Concentration on correct forms goes hand in hand with
practice. Some pupils have greater aptitude than others toward
perception of form; it is certain that the hand will not learn to
reproduce constantly a form that has not been fully and entirely
idealized by the mind. It has been discovered that human beings
vary greatly in the completeness, definiteness, and extent of their
visual images. Pupils should be impressed through as many sense
channels as possible. Some learn through explanations, others through
demonstrations at the board, still others by working at the board
themselves. Out of this variety of impressions each pupil will find the
one that is most lasting for himself. Every penmanship teacher should
recognize this principle of multiple impression.
Mental pictures are what we mean when we speak of “noticing” things.
We think we are noticing all sorts of things during our waking hours;
as a matter of fact, we recognize fewer things than we suppose. Ask a
pupil to describe any familiar object and prove this statement. If you
point out the various characteristics he will quickly see them, and
will be likely in future trials to see them; but if left to himself
he would need a great deal of time to become familiar with the main
features. Frequent review of model letter forms is necessary, for it
keeps our minds fresh and helps to reveal new and hitherto unthought-of
aspects. Each view well considered, then put aside, freshens us for
the next one. We are thus led to make trials and discover relations
which otherwise would remain hidden. Many pupils, for the most part
unsuccessful, never get so far as that. Many who fail believe that they
have seen all there is to see, take up something else, or do nothing.
Pupils may be led to observe the forms of letters and their common
characteristics through variations of common principles. To illustrate:
many letters are modifications of the oval exercise, near or remote. In
almost every writing system on the market we have four, the O, A, C,
and E. Modifications of the straight stroke are more numerous still;
then we have letters that show a combination and modification of the
two exercises. Pupils should be able to see and describe just which
stroke gives slant and character to the letter. There is a striking
analogy in the beginning, ending, and width of many of our letters.
Very rarely is the image the exact reproduction of the percept; it
differs in distinctness, outline, detail, and sometimes even in most
important qualities. Look at the model letter, close the eyes, you will
still see the form. Retentive and reproductive powers are at work,
while the image is in process of formation. Form perception, and other
mental pictures than what we are striving for, are present and act upon
and modify present percepts.
Let the room be quiet, so quiet that there is nothing to distract.
Require the pupils to lay their heads on the desks, shut their eyes,
and rest, not for long, for fear of day dreams. Without allowing them
to awake from their playsleep, picture in brief vivid statements,
without repetition, or unnecessary detail, the parts of a letter. Raise
the heads, open the eyes, take pens and ask pupils to reproduce a
picture of the letter just described.
In effective visualization certain conditions must be fulfilled. In the
first place the exposure must have lasted for a sufficient length of
time, very much as is required in photography. We can gain no mental
picture of things where the exposure is too brief.
A careful study of letter forms must engender the habit of observation
and knowledge of the difference between accuracy and vagueness. Since
penmanship is one of the manual arts it will be executed definitely
right or definitely wrong. Chamberlain on the value of manual training
says: “The more accurate the work in hand, the less likely is doubt
and uncertainty to play a part. In grammar and history a mistake upon
the pupil’s part may easily pass unchallenged. The student glides over
an error unconsciously or without intent; and even the teacher may not
detect the fault. In a word both the teacher and pupil are likely to
be deceived. In the shop or in the cooking room it is quite different.
Be the box too short, the metal too thick or too thin, the joint too
loose, the basket askew, the stitches uneven, or the ingredients
improper in proportion, little doubt need enter the pupil’s mind as to
the rightness of his work.”
PRACTICE
A few years ago Dr. Gulick laid down the following hints on training
for the boys in their athletic work in New York City:
1. Always warm up slowly and cool off gradually when finished.
2. Stop practice when you are exhausted.
3. Dress lightly for practice or competition.
4. Practice regularly, a little each day if possible.
5. Have regular hours for eating and sleeping.
6. Don’t smoke.
To a person who has the correct perspective on the penmanship habit
the application of the hints enumerated will seem quite reasonable.
To train in any line, one must practice. Repetition is necessary, and
the time element essential, as it takes many efforts to accomplish the
desired end, good penmanship. The muscles to be trained are large, and
the conventional forms are small.
With a little forethought and planning the practice period may be
varied, live and interesting. Everyone must learn, sooner or later,
that much discipline may be gained by keeping steadily at work not
interesting in itself. James says: “We have of late been learning
much of the philosophy of tenderness in education; ‘interest’ must be
assiduously awakened in everything, difficulties must be smoothed away.
Soft pedagogics have taken the place of the old steep and rocky paths
to learning. But from this lukewarm air the bracing oxygen of effort is
left out. It is nonsense to suppose that every step in education can be
interesting.”
Thoughtless practice might much better be left undone. There is no
use in trying to excuse careless work to oneself with the thought,
“I won’t count this time.” Each careless stroke is being registered
though we do not count it; for nothing we ever do, strictly speaking,
is ever wholly blotted out. Paths frequently and recently trodden are
those that lie most open, and those which may be expected most easily
to lead to results.
The first practice may be difficult, for the nervous and muscular
systems have a new lesson to learn. The second and third trials will be
easier, for the body has begun to recognize what lies before it. The
following attempts will steadily become easier. A path means economy in
traveling. The muscle should work with a fatalistic steadiness; if so,
the result must necessarily be work done in a clean and finished manner.
[Illustration: READY FOR DRILL]
To be concrete, let us presuppose a thirty minute practice period in
muscular movement penmanship, under fairly favorable conditions. The
desk should be adjusted for physical comfort. The light should come
from the left side. Loose sheets of good quality paper eight by ten
and one-half inches in size, with three-eighths inch spacing should be
furnished. At least two sheets should be placed under the one being
used, that the penpoint may be saved extra wear. A fluid ink that
flows freely is best. A coarse, flexible pen, blotter, and ink-wiper
complete the list of supplies. It is assumed that the adopted manual
containing instructions and model letter forms is always on the desk
for reference during the practice period.
Our first aim should be to get the mind and muscle into action. To this
end at least two hundred two-space straight strokes or the same number
of ovals should be made in one minute. Secondly, this will assist in
the form building of the letter to be mastered, which let us assume is
the capital O. A light smooth line will be obtained by limiting the
amount of ink. Make at least two hundred strokes with one dip of ink.
Correct speed will be best obtained by requiring the time limit in all
drill work. Correct slant should develop as a result of the correct
teaching of the straight stroke exercise.
Having done this preliminary drill we are now ready to consider the
second point of the lesson, namely, the making of the letter O. The
first consideration is the general form. By comparison with the model
we find a striking analogy in width and slant, to the form of the oval.
The ending stroke and the points that characterize the letter must be
observed, and lastly, the size is to be noted. Close the eyes a moment
and see if the image is fixed. Prepare to write by using the handle
end of the penholder until the right rhythm has been established by
counting one, two, for the first O; three, four, for the second O;
five, six, for the third O; seven, eight, for the fourth O; nine,
ten, for the fifth letter of the group. Five “make believe” letters
is the result of this count; we can easily make three groups of five
each, across the page. Time consumed will be one minute for sixty to
seventy-five letters. When the muscular adjustment is perfected through
this preparatory motion, then, and then, only, are the pupils ready to
write. Write and compare with the model, time and again. If the letter
has been visualized correctly, each child will be able to criticize
his own work effectively. Glaring errors should be pointed out first
and remedied. Work on this letter might occupy the main portion of the
writing lesson for many days before passing to another letter form.
Any class that has been drilled correctly on the ovals, straight
strokes and capital O should be able to apply the movement acquired
to a short word and this perhaps forms the most important part of
the lesson. For example take “Omen,” spelling the letters aloud,
capital O-m-e-n. Words so dictated should be executed by junior high
school pupils and adults at the rate of at least fifteen to eighteen
per minute. This will prevent any possibility of a return to finger
movement at this time. Dictation of letters is quite effective with
slow pupils. The application of movement to a word, at the close of
each lesson, will lead the pupils quite unconsciously into a better
movement of all written work. Here they get the help along the lines
necessary to steady and modify the movement, and a chance to get into
the swing of actual writing without too much thought as regards the
content. Such drill serves the same purpose in penmanship that scale
practice does in music. The writing of words at the close of each
lesson serves as the connecting link between the theoretical drill work
and practical writing. Such daily drill work as just suggested at the
close of the writing lesson will effectually eliminate the sharp line
of demarcation between the drills and “real writing.” In a short time a
list of words will be the result, and these with others may be combined
into sentences. The supplementary words given should incorporate
all the small letters of the alphabet; the one-space letters first,
thirteen in all, then the loops above the line, _b_, _f_, _h_, _k_, and
_l_; loops below the line, _g_, _j_, _y_, and _z_; and lastly, those
irregular in height, _p_, _t_, _q_, and _d_. A fair allotment of time
for the above suggestive plan would be five to ten minutes on ovals
and strokes; ten to fifteen minutes on the letter O; and five to ten
minutes on the word-practice.
The group plan seems to be the only logical method of reaching all
pupils with the instruction necessary to their peculiar needs. The
advanced group will be learning to act independently, while the other
will be learning basic principles. Friendly criticism and rivalry
should be fostered, by comparing the method by which results were
obtained. Let one group watch the other work. Let the group watching
count for the other and change about. Generally, the entire class work,
if any, should be posted, unless it be known that a certain page is
posted because of its special merit. Pupils should be taught at the
outset that team work in a drill subject is what counts and should
take proper pride in good work as a class. Every class will produce a
few good writers. In many schools a new lesson is not taken up before
seventy-five per cent of the pupils have accomplished the preceding
lesson well according to standards previously agreed upon. It is
often impossible for all members of a class to attain perfection in
penmanship. We do not demand that in other subjects.
APPLICATION OF THE CORRECT HABITS TO DAILY REQUIREMENTS
The muscular movement writing habit should become automatic when pupils
have developed enough skill through exercises to apply the movement
consistently to all written work. The best skilled teachers might give
a lesson daily in any grade, but unless the principles inculcated
during that lesson are followed conscientiously during the remaining
periods of the day the gain will be slight. If time is allotted for
practice the result is surely worth applying to all written exercises.
The Committee of Fifteen appointed to investigate the coordination of
studies in primary and grammar grades propounded the question, “Has
penmanship distinct pedagogical value?” The following is one of the
best answers: “Penmanship as an art is but pen drawing, as a factor in
education it should be taught more frequently in connection with other
studies. Both penmanship and drawing suffer much from their isolated
position in the school course. We therefore need to teach writing while
teaching other subjects and the reverse.”
In grounding the movement application habit we may well follow these
maxims:
First, focalize the attention of the pupils on the habit to be
acquired. Teach definitely relaxation, posture, movement, and
visualization.
Maxim number two tells us to suffer no exception to occur until the new
habit is firmly rooted in our lives.
Number three calls for frequent repetition. We must therefore give
daily drill on the points that go to make up the correct writing habit.
Fourthly, “Don’t preach too much.” Lie in wait for the practical
opportunities, and get the pupils at once both to think and to act.
Such opportunities are never lacking, since so many lessons are
conducted through the medium of the pen.
Lastly, keep the faculty of personal effort alive by a little
gratuitous exercise every day. After a high degree of perfection has
been reached it is maintained only by the follow-up system of daily
effort directed toward the retention of the habit.
The habit of movement application demands vigorous and continued
effort; the exertion may possibly be so great that the pupil is
temporarily more discommoded than by his former habit. If the wise
course is pursued the old disability will vanish, a new path will be
made in the brain, and application of movement will be established.
The main problem with every teacher is how to assist pupils in linking
up the principles that have been mastered, namely, correct posture, and
movement applied to drills and short words with the practical writing.
The drill on short words will prove as valuable as any other part of
this theory work. By the laws of association, pupils will connect the
muscular sensation of the short, rapidly written word, with what is
required when a variety of longer words or sentences is dictated.
At the beginning of every lesson in which writing is used as a vehicle
for thought, attention to the correct habit will be the means of
setting many pupils right, and of increasing from week to week the
number of those who do all writing with muscular movement. Finally,
all incorrect movement will be eliminated, and we may then return
to visualization. A proper balance must be preserved in regard to
seeing and doing, or our results will be one sided. When a pupil
“finds” himself with reference to the application of movement problem,
attention may be almost equally divided between retention of that
movement and form building. By the time form is established movement
will be second nature, and with a little continuous practice will never
be lost.
It is time to require all written work to be done with muscular
movement when pupils can make good two-space ovals, four hundred across
an eight inch page, and straight strokes in the same manner; have
visualized one capital letter and can make it at the right speed per
minute, for example, sixty to eighty O’s per minute; and can write
short words such as “men” and “mine” with correct movement, in correct
posture, and within the correct space limit. An easy way to begin is to
require application to the subjects where the mind is least concerned
as to the content, for example, the spelling lesson.
If pupils have been taught to turn the searchlight of investigation
on their own habits they will be entirely conscious of the feeling of
mastery that takes possession when muscular movement becomes automatic.
Those who have not thus succeeded should look well into the basic
principles of relaxation, correct posture, and movement, especially
as applied to letters and short words. Study the hand and arm in its
preparatory motion while working at the correct speed. Care should be
exercised that there be no movements of the joints of the wrist, thumb
or fingers. Alternate the preparatory motion with writing until the
sensation of mastery prevails.
CHAPTER THREE THE GENERALLY ACCEPTED SOLUTION: MUSCULAR MOVEMENT
CONSERVATION OF HEALTH A PRIME FACTOR IN THE SOLUTION
Truly, necessity is the mother of invention. At the dawn of the present
commercial age, the finger movement and even the slightly improved
combined movement were forced to give way to some method more rapidly
executed. Whole arm movement also proved inadequate. The method that
has made the commercialization of penmanship possible is that of
muscular movement. By this method only are the fingers relieved from
furnishing the power which should rightly come from the large muscles
of the arm. Muscular movement, as applied to writing, is a rotary
motion with the large muscles of the forearm for a center while the
fingers, though not held rigid, are not permitted any movement of their
own. This movement takes place from the shoulder, the pivotal point,
with the weight of the arm resting on the desk. Muscular movement
method does not emphasize prescribed forms so much as proper method of
execution.
It is no special wonder that the leading educators of the day are now
investigating penmanship. Changing from the slant to vertical, and now
again to the slant, what is the average teacher to conclude? What shall
she teach indeed if she is convinced at all regarding any system of
penmanship, or is qualified to teach any method?
The person who makes practical use of penmanship, the one who uses it
to help him earn his daily bread, points the way. It matters not if
he calls it muscular movement or if he ever saw a penmanship teacher.
Watch such a person and observe his method. Observation will reveal
that practically all use what we term a muscular movement slant method.
It takes the practical person only a short time to discover the method
that will best conserve energy, economize time, and, above all, lead
to writing which will prove readable and attractive. It is a method of
such character as fulfills all necessary requirements and thus proves
the useful tool.
Because we are a practical people, the public is now looking forward
to results from the formal writing lesson. Teachers should expect the
same degree of excellence to come from penmanship instruction as from
correct teaching of mathematics, history, reading, or any other subject
in the curriculum.
It has been remarked many times that commercial schools and business
men have put the stamp of approval upon the muscular-movement-slant
method rather than upon any other. The reason is obvious. In fact,
commercial schools have been the missing link between the oft-times
theoretical public school and the actual business world. Commercial
schools have found it possible during their short course of six or
eight months to give our elementary school pupils an asset that the
public schools have failed to bestow in as many years.