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I had heard a lot about Miss Beam’s school, but I did not get the chance to visit it until last week.
When I arrived at the school I saw a girl of about twelve. With her eyes covered with a bandage, being led carefully between the flower-beds by a little boy of eight. She stopped and asked who it was that had come in, and he seemed to be describing me to her. Then they passed on.
Miss Beam was all that I had I expected- middle-aged, authoritative, kind and understanding. Her hair was beginning to turn grey, and her round figure was likely to be comforting to a homesick child.
We chatted for a little while, and then I asked her some questions about her teaching methods, which I had head were simple.
We teach only those things that are simple and useful to pupil’s spelling, adding subtracting, multiplying, writing. The rest is done by reading to them and giving them interesting talks. There are practically no other lessons.
I have heard so much, I said, about the originality of your system.
Miss Beam smiled. Ah, yes, she said. I am coming to that. The real aim of this school is not to teach thought but thoughtfulness – Humanity, kindness and citizenship that is the ideal I have always had, and happily there are p agents good enough to trust me to try and put it into practice. Look out of the window a minute, will you?”
I went to the window, which looked out on a large garden and playground at the back.
What do you see? Miss Mean asked. I see some very beautiful ground, I said, and a lot if jolly children. But what surprises me, and pains me too, is that they are not all healthy and active. As I came in I saw one poor little this being led about because of some trouble with her eyes. And now I can see two more in the same condition, while there is a girl with a crutch just under the window watching the others at play. She seems to be a hopeless cripple.
Miss Bean laughs. Oh, no, she said, she’s not lame really; this is only her lame day. Nor are those others blind, it is only their blind day. I must have looked very much astonished, for she laughed again. There you have an essential part of our system in a nutshell. In order to get these young minds to appreciate and understand misfortune, we make them share in misfortune too. In the course of the term, every child has one blind day, one lame day, one dear day and one dumb day. During the blind day, their eyes are a bandage, and it is a point of honor not to peep., The bandage is put on overnight, they wake up blind. This means that they need assistance in everything, and other children are told to help them and lead them about. It is educative to both of them – the blind and the helpers.
Everyone is very kind, Miss Beam continued, and it is really something of a joke, although, of course, before the day is over the reality of the disability becomes clear even to the least thoughtful. The blind day is,m of course, really the worst, but some of the children tell me that the dumb day is the most frightening. There, of course, the child must use will-power only because the mouth is not bandaged. But come down into the garden and see for yourself how the children like it.
Miss Bean led me to one of the bandaged girls, a little merry thing. Here a gentleman comes to talk to you, said Miss Beam, and left us.
Don’t you ever peep? I asked, by way of an opening.
Oh no, she exclaimed, that would be cheating! But I’d no idea it was so awful to blind. You cant’ see a thing. One feels one is going to be hit by something every moment. Sitting down is such a relief.
Are your guides kind to you I asked?
Pretty good. Not so carefully as I shall be when it’s my turn. Those that have been and already are the best. It’s terrible not to see. I wish you’d try!