100th Anniversary
100th Anniversary
of the
Tennessee School for the Deaf
1845-1945
A History
of the School
- : (Substantially
Carr's History, with Modifications and Additions) : -
The preceding sections have dealt with the growth of the school and its improvements from time to time as an educational institution. The purpose of this section is to give a rather brief picture of the school as a visitor would find it today. The aspects to be noted include general organization, objectives, administration, the staff, the pupils, methods of instruction, and the curriculum.
The chart presented at the end of this section was compiled by the Administrative Head of the Tennessee School for the Deaf, Mrs. H. T. Poore. It reveals the administrative set-up of the present time (1945).
A. General objectives of the Administration:
1. To discover through as many agencies as possible and to enroll in the school all eligible persons requiring education by the special methods of instruction used with the deaf, for whom no other provision is being made.
2. To acquaint parents and agencies with the work of the school.
3. To take advantage of every opportunity to educate the general public as to the capabilities of those persons handicapped by any degree of deafness.
4. To plan for the continuous appraisal and readjustment of the educational program to fit changing conditions and to adapt the program of the school for the normal to fit the social, physical, mental and vocational needs of the deaf.
5. To develop a school democratic in its instructional program, organization, and method.
6. To develop a curriculum based on the idea of child growth or development rather than on the mastery of a group of more or less related subjects.
7. To recognize that learning comes through experience, that growth is continuous, and that individual differences exist.
B. Individual objectives:
1. To make of each individual the best possible member of a democratic society and prepare him to bear the responsibilities, to share the benefits, and to contribute to the betterment of society by developing within him, through guidance, general patterns of conduct that will aid him in meeting new situations that will face him in an ever-changing world, beyond the reach of the school influences.
2. To insure every individual the opportunity for full development of his capacities and ambition.
3. To promote a health and physical education program that provides for periodical examinations for all children, corrective treatment for those who need it, recreation and play facilities and guidance in healthful living during the twenty-four hours of the day.
4. To provide opportunity for growth through manual activities in a well-planned vocational educational program based on the vocational opportunities in the respective communities and the aptitudes of the individual to the end that the individual may become self-sustaining.
5. To develop appreciations, abilities, and expression emphasizing appreciation of the beautiful, of shared activities, of high standards of conduct, of good workmanship, of nature, and the special abilities to concentrate, to read, to speech-read, to speak, to write, to study, to follow instruction, to maintain sufficient economic status.
6. To encourage normalcy by providing an atmosphere that will be conducive to the eradication of a handicap consciousness.
The school at present is under the direct control of a superintendent, who holds authority and responsibility for administration from the State Commissioner of Education. Part of this administrative power is delegated to the principal, selected by the superintendent. These two officers are closely associated in all policies of the school.
The teaching staff is composed of forty-one members. twenty-six of whom are employed in the oral department, six in the manual department, and six in the shops, and two in the physical educational department.
Each teacher has been employed to fill a particular need of the school and has had some of the education, training, and experience necessary to carry out his or her assigned duties. These teachers keep up with modern trends in educational practices in a number of ways. They are asked to subscribe faithfully to publications of the organizations of instructors of the deaf; they frequently attend conventions of these organizations and summer schools for special education; and a number of them attend the University of Tennessee, which also is located at Knoxville.
In addition to individual study of educational procedures, the staff members are brought into close contact with each other through the Teacher's Association, which holds meetings throughout the year. The purpose of this organization is to permit the airing of problems of common interest, to discuss and decide on certain teaching methods and curriculum content, and to hear speakers who can contribute to the general growth of the staff.
From the very small initial enrollment of six pupils in 1845, the school has grown steadily until it has reached approximately 315 pupils. Seventy-three counties of the state were represented in the student body of 1940-1941.
A survey of the causes of deafness among the children enrolled results in a lengthy list of diseases, of which meningitis, influenza, whooping cough and measles are most frequent. Hereditary causes account for only 2 per cent; in a great many cases the cause is unknown. It is frequently difficult to determine the actual cause of deafness or to establish the age at which deafness occurred. However, considering data which can be relied on, it can be assumed that approximately 61 per cent are congenitally deaf; 22 per cent lost their hearing at two years or under; 9 per cent lost their hearing between the ages of six and twelve years; 6 per cent lost their hearing about the age of twelve years; and in about 2.4 per cent of the cases the time of hearing loss is not known.
The following classification of the types of pupils has come to be generally accepted among educators of the deaf. There are two general types of pupils in the schools, each of which usually requires individual consideration. These definitions were proposed and accepted at the thirtieth meeting of the Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf in 1937:
1. THE DEAF: Those in whom the sense of hearing is non-functional for the ordinary purposes of life. This general group is made up of two distinct classes, based entirely on the time of the loss of hearing:
(a) the congenitally deaf--those who were born deaf.
(b) The adventitiously deaf-those who were born with normal hearing but in whom the sense of hearing became non-functional later through illness or accident.
2. THE HARD-OF-HEARING: Those in whom the sense of hearing, although defective, is functional with or without a hearing aid.
Two methods of instruction are employed as a combined system in the school. All pupils are entered in the oral department, in which speech and speech-reading, together with writing, are the means of instruction. Failure to progress at a reasonable rate by this method leads to the transfer of a pupil to the manual department, in which the manual alphabet and writing are the chief means of instruction.
The first of these methods has the disadvantage of being considerably slower than the second. It produces pupils who are more nearly normal in their attitudes and who show greater facial expression than those taught by the manual method. It is an advantage to the individual when he comes in contact with his fellow workers and his employer to be able to speak intelligibly and to read speech from the lips of others. In such cases, the deaf person feels less the effect of his handicap.
The manual method has advantages for those who will never be able to learn to talk intelligibly or to read the speech of others. It is almost impossible to instruct certain pupils in other ways than the manual because of their limited abilities and small vocabularies. An attempt is made to meet the needs of all pupils enrolled in the way that is best suited to them.
The teaching of speech occupies an important place in the academic curriculum because of its value to the pupil as a tool for communication in his social and occupational life. The major part of the school body is taught by the oral method, in which speech is a phase. An attempt is made to employ only the best available supervisors and instructors.
Equally important and as well provided for is the instruction given the pupils in speech reading. This cannot be mastered by everyone, but it is a subject which is of value to the individual in any field he may choose for an occupation. Speech and speech-reading give the deaf person a much better facial expression and an improved attitude toward other people.
A third vital part of the school's program is its training in rhythm, which is under the direction of a competent teacher. The value of rhythm is evident to all who can observe the improvement in posture, in walking, and in speech as the new child begins to feel the effect of his work in the rhythm class.
Since it is difficult for the deaf person to receive directions accurately by means of verbal communication, the subject of reading is stressed. To be able to read with understanding is essential if the deaf person is to do satisfactory work and have continuous employment. The pupils are helped in their selection of books, magazines, and daily publications. It is felt that with an extensive reading program, some of the recreational problems of the deaf can be solved.
The study of language is very closely connected with reading in thought and usage. A system that seems best to meet the needs of the pupils is used. The study of English is taught in connection with language. These courses include the study of literature, both past and present, and the effect is evident in the amount of reading that is being done by the students. There seems to be an awakening interest in many of the pupils since more intensive stress has been put on reading and language.
Arithmetic in the primary and elementary grades is designed to give the pupils a number concept that will be a basis for higher arithmetic. The accent is on shop arithmetic in the intermediate grades. In the high school department a course in algebra is offered, planned especially for those who must pass college entrance examinations, because a few of the graduates go on to Gallaudet College, for the deaf, in Washington, D. C.
The study of geography includes general introductory geography, United States geography, the geography of North and South America, Europe and Asia.
In order that world events may be better understood and pupils may be acquainted with their heritage, courses in the early history of the United States are given.
Courses in general science and health are also included in the departmental division of the curriculum.
Within the last few years a testing program has been introduced as a part of the school plan. The pupils in the literary department are given aptitude, intelligence, and achievement tests to supplement the teachers' estimate of their work. Records are kept of the results of these tests and are used to help in evaluating pupil progress and as an aid to grade placement.
Testing with the individual audiometer is a part of the scheduled program of education. Nearly all of the children in the school are examined regularly with this machine for fluctuations in the amount of hearing they possess. The kind of instruction they are given is partly determined in this way. The use of the multiple hearing aid is becoming more and more important in the educational procedure. During the school term of 1940-41 practically every pupil in the oral department was receiving that kind of instruction.
The printing department is considered the best vocational department in the school. Usually the best pupils, scholastically, take printing as a vocational subject. Graduates of the school who have had instruction in printing are usually well trained and can get good positions.
In the woodwork shop a boy has the opportunity to learn carpentry, or cabinet making, either of which may lead to a good job. He may also learn something of the simpler forms of electric wiring, which will be a valuable aid to him at home.
For many years the shoeshop has been a popular vocational subject. Pupils who have studied this vocation find good jobs in many branches of the industry throughout the state.
Classes in home economics are conducted for the girls. They deal with cooking, serving, diet, and other home-making activities, as well as with sewing for home use. Besides these courses, many of the girls help with the work in the laundry and with the darning and mending in the dormitories.
The girls are also offered instruction in handicrafts. The work includes such activities as pottery, weaving, metal work, block printing, leather work and Rug Weaving. The variety of activities keeps up interest; the accomplished results give satisfaction to both pupils and parents.
Each child in school is required to take part in some physical activity if he is able to do so. In the fall and spring the older boys spend a certain amount of time each afternoon playing football, track, softball, and baseball. At the same time the older girls have such outdoor activities as tennis, softball, and volleyball. The younger boys and girls also have an outdoor period of planned and supervised play, earlier in the afternoon. These periods are replaced during the winter months by gymnasium classes under the direction of the gymnasium teacher. The older groups come indoors to take up basketball, there being two teams which play regularly. Both boys' and girls' teams have regularly scheduled game:. at home and away, thus making it possible for them to have contacts with hearing people of their own ages. The athletic program is serving the double purpose of maintaining good health and providing social intercourse, both of which are valuable to the pupils. The indoor swimming pools are provided for the use of all pupils, most of whom learn to swim. Regular periods for swimming are scheduled and are supervised by an instructor.
Moral, Religious, and Social Life
In each classroom school is opened daily with exercises of a moral or religious nature. From the young beginners, who merely follow the example of their teacher by standing in reverent attitude with head bowed, to the grown boys and girls, who quote passages from the Bible, these devotional exercises are in the schedule of the day. Sunday School, Christian Endeavor Society, chapel services, and frequent attendance, with an interpreter, by the older pupils at church services in the city are factors in the life of the student body.
Social gatherings at intervals during the year supplement the activities of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. These two organizations include many of the pupils in school who are of the age to take part in them, and they are used to develop such aptitudes and skills as are provided for in the Scouting program.
A cooperative curriculum with the University of Tennessee was begun in 1938. The work offered provides course in education of the deaf and hard of hearing for University students and courses in speech correction and training in acoustics for public school teachers. This work, of a college year's duration, is designed primarily to give teachers wishing the special training necessary to teaching the deaf an opportunity to earn a Master's degree at the same time. It is a study of the techniques used in overcoming the difficulties and problems encountered in this kind of education. Although a prospective teacher may not intend to enter such specialized teaching, a number of the courses are invaluable in teaching in schools for the hearing where loss of hearing and speech difficulties are found frequently.
The health of every pupil is watched with care. At the beginning of the session all pupils are given physical examinations by the nurse in charge, and any not physically fit are segregated. Throughout the year height and weight records are kept, as well as records of all illnesses. Examinations are also made by the physician in charge, the dentist, the aurist, and the oculist. Findings and recommendations are given to the parents, and in so far as possible the wishes of the parents are observed in making corrections.
In cases of infectious disease, care is used in the segregation of indisposed children. This precaution is very difficult because of the inadequacy of necessary facilities. For many years the superintendent of the school has tried to get funds for the erection of a hospital unit but without success. The practice, therefore has been to have certain rooms in the dormitories designated as sick rooms in which are confined all types of ill children. This, aside from being inconvenient for the physician and the nurse, is a poor arrangement in that there is danger in having several kinds of sickness in the same room. The need for a hospital unit is an immediate one.
Graduates of the school go into a diversity of lines of work. The following list of occupations in which they are employed is arranged in the order of frequency of employment.
1. Operatives (mills, factories, etc.)
2. Unskilled laborers
3. Printers
4. Teachers, counselors, and supervisors
5. Servants and housekeepers
6. Shoe repairers
7. Painters
8. Farmers
9. MachinistsThere are two outstanding graduates who deserve mention in this connection. Mr. Thomas S. Marr, one of the first graduates of the school, studied architecture after leaving school. Later he became the senior partner of Marr and Holman, architectural firm of Nashville. Some of the most notable architectural achievements in Tennessee and adjoining states are products of his work. Among other things, he designed the buildings for the new plant. Upon his death, the school library received a bequest of $2,500 for use in building up that department. J. M. Smith graduated from the Tennessee School for the Deaf in 1935. He then returned home to finish high school with his class at Selmer, Tennessee. While there he became editor of the high school paper and was valedictorian of the graduating class. He entered the University of Tennessee in 1937, became sports editor of the Orange and White, the school paper, and during his senior year he was elected editor of the paper. He was an honor student scholastically during his entire University career. He received a degree from the School of Business Administration in June, 1941. Then he became a teacher at the Tennessee School for the Deaf. Mr. Smith has the signal honor of being the only pupil from the Tennessee School to graduate from a university for the hearing.
The Tennessee School for the Deaf has made gratifying progress, but it is far from the goal of being an ideal institution for the instruction of the deaf. It has been fortunate in having at its head educators who have worked diligently for the things they knew would benefit the school.
The weaknesses of the school may be summarized as follows
The objectives of the school are listed as a basis for goals for which to strive. With the limited facilities and appropriations, the staff is hindered in its efforts to make many of these objectives realities.
In 1944-45, of the forty-one teachers employed, only twenty held university degrees, ten of them having less than two years of college work. Generally speaking, the teachers have endeavored to do something about this situation in the last few years, but there is a need for greater effort in some departments.
The housemothers should be teacher-trained individuals, with a background in child psychology.
In the academic department more stress should be laid on individualized instruction and guidance. The school has too many maladjusted pupils to whom little help is given.
The silent reading program, inaugurated in 1931, has helped tremendously in interesting pupils in reading. It is a well-known fact that the deaf are not good readers. More effort should be exerted in building up a more adequate library along the level of the deaf child's comprehension.
In speech and speech reading, the main trouble seems to lie in the teacher's opinion of the worth of this work. A consensus of opinion as to the importance of these subjects should be reached and more diligent effort exerted in this direction. Principally, it is the problem of the length of the school day that is involved. With a lengthening of the school day, much more could be accomplished.
The departmentalized classes should be centered around a common goal-to make the subject matter courses interesting today in order that they may be used tomorrow in the child's everyday living. This same weakness is likewise true of the vocations taught.
The high school curriculum should be lengthened to include the senior high program. Graduates of the school who wish to pursue higher education must either enter the preparatory department of the college for the deaf or do further work in high school for the hearing before beginning work in college.
The greatest need of the vocational department is space. A trades building large enough for the modern equipment necessary to carry on an extensive vocational program is needed. More trades should be taught in this department. Twenty or thirty years ago the deaf schools led the country in their vocational facilities; since then, however, the public schools have greatly outdistanced the deaf schools in this respect. This is due primarily to a lack of funds on the part of the schools for the deaf.
Girls should be included in the vocational department to a larger degree. While the home economics department has been in existence for some years, it needs much revision in emphasis. Greater stress should be laid on problems that will be encountered in the pupils' homes when they have completed their education in the school. For several years the present superintendent has wanted to give the girls training in beauty culture. The funds for such a project have not been available.
The social life of the pupils has been severely curtailed, because there has been no time for it. The household duties of the boys and girls have been extensive. One of the greatest needs in the life of the pupils within the institution is for leisure. With the means for enlarging the household staff, this problem could be solved.
In the physical education department corrective gymnastics should be given to those pupils who need such a program. More varied activities should be participated in by both the girls and the boys.
The need for a hospital has been referred to above. In an institution of this size, epidemics are bound to occur, and at the present time there are no facilities for combating these menaces to the well-being of the pupils.
There is a growing interest in pre-school education in the schools for the deaf in America. For several years the Tennessee School has admitted children of five years of age, and, had there been the proper housing facilities, even younger ones would have been included. A building is necessary for the pre-school deaf of the state. Admission age has been changed to six.
When sufficient funds are available and methods of correction have been worked out, the quality of the graduates of the school should be considerably improved.
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