FORTY YEARS AT SCHOOL

by George St. John ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 1959

Told by its headmaster of forty years, this is the story of the Choate School in Wallingford, Conn. Founded in 1896 by Judge and Mrs. Choate for a family school Choate had, by 1908, an enrollment of 51 boys when George St. John left a teaching position in Tarrytown to become headmaster. By this time Judge Choate was retired and the school was run by his three daughters, a situation which, at first, made the chain of command difficult to determine. Eventually, at the Judge's request, the school was given permanence by incorporation and there began that steady growth -- the headmaster was convinced that to meet fairly each boy's needs there must be larger numbers in order to place each boy according to his knowledge and capacity -- which the author records with obvious dedication and loving care. There were setbacks, mainly financial, but always heartening rescue and a renewal of what St. John calls the ""genius"" of the school. Finally in 1947 he retired at 70 having maintained Choate as a family ""old line school"" instilled with a vigorous educational philosophy. He was succeeded by his son Seymour.

Pub Date: May 14, 1959

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1959

Categories: NONFICTION