Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-11-14
Rsport II the Delaware Public Schools. for the

J. e
do do Males. 1902
do do Females
Average daily at,endance-AIales. .230
do do do Females~23I
Total ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 46I
Difference between whole number en-
rolled and average attendance. .I39
Per ceut. of attendance. a
We desire very much to make our per cent.
of attendance much larger in the future than
we have in the past. We greatly fear that
many parents do not see the difficulties arising
from tie irregulari'y and want of punctuality
of their children in their ATTENDANCE at school.
They make the school secondary to everything
else / would be amusing to our readers were
we to present many Of the excuses parents
give for the abSense of their children. We
have received such as the following y moth
er apolog:z.rg for the Iardine>s OF her daugh-
ter says, we have sT Ielt boarding at our
house, and he lies abel 50 late in the moruiCg
that we cannot breakfast in time for her to get
To school earlier" Thus by indulginy this la
" student, the daughter is forced TO be tardy,
and TO disturb by ler late entrance. a Whole
department Of pupils. \ little girl brings
this excuse: Aunt Eas nj oar house this IN lrn-
ing and mother wanted TO 90 piece with her,
and had to stay at home To take care of the
Children And thus we might repeat a score
OF excuses in our possession. jIst as furrib,e as
the above. The most trivial thing will keep
the child away from school. Parents did you
ever think Tor 4 moment of The effect such
course will have upon your child?
Perhaps no one evil is more destructive to
the vitaIi = a.d efficiency OF school exercises.
than thar Of irrogdaritv OF ATTENDANCE l.
'fays its withering hand upon the teachers fair
e>t plans and prospects, and thwar;s them as
eff rIuaily as though il hal been invented for
that special purpose To The scholar himself
the Consequences are not less demoraliziag.-
1t robs him Of his confidence and dignity. de-
s.roys his interest in study, arrests him in
career OF success, aud thus paves the way for
future crime ard degradation. Not only IS the
irregular pupil injured. but the whole school is
made TO suftr-is kept in an unsettled state,
perhaps from one end of the term to the 9th
er. Ii is runons to classification. Every
school, If the teacher would lay ont his strength
to advantage, must, to considerable extent,
be classified. Hs mind as far as practicable
mus. act upon masses Of mind. A scholar by
being absent oHe-A1Lf the time, it may be dem
on.trated is, 10 all intents and purposes Of the
school, absent Gil the Ii ne. One day he is alb
sent and loses that day S lesson; the next day
he Is present but is still deficient in his lessons
because, as he say vs. to lis teacher, Il was alb
sent yesterday, and not knowing where to
study, have not studied at all Again he
is absent-again he is present-the same re-
suit follows, and at the weeks md he has
learned nothing as ii should be learned. Such
is the effect upon the pupil himself. But this
difficulty is not now bnif told. lie is a men,
Der Of the schoJl-the teacher must consider
him as such; and he fees bound, if possible, 10
keep him along with his class. The instructor
is obliged to devote particular attention to
this scholar sing'y, by which The other pupils
are robbed Of the pro portion Of his lime which
is their due, and they are ob iged to suffer an
injury the most of all unpleasant, for when
scholars are always at their post, have learned
their lessons it is cruel in the last degree, that
they should be deprived Of the pleasure Of
showing their EaithfnIness-the pleasure of
good recitation. Nor is this all The teach
er-lhe unlh0ught Of the teacher Is not made
of iron or brass. His patience being SO fire.
quenty so thoughticssly, and so unnecessarily
taxed, and his best efforts being so i'll requitcd
he may, unless he is superbuman. relax his cx-
erionS. AS soon as his spirits flag, the whole
school will impercepiibly catch the feeling, and
they al, are the sufferers. This is not an ex-
lreme case; it is not fancy picture; it is not
speculation. Ii is history; it is what might
he said Of many of our schools. Can any one
wonder then that we should earnestly urge
that parents should cooperate with us in this
particular And shall it eycr be that for som,
trjling erraud 1--WE have wished thousani
times Tie word were ",xpunged" from our
lapguage} which by early rising might as well
he d,'uc long before school hour-mast it ever
be that the teachers lif. shall &c one of per-
p!exiiy, and h. 'lesign Of our public school
System frustrated.
" nat has been sa.d in regard to irregular
attendance will apply with equal free to the
want of punciuality at the openiBg Of school
Parents lei Us cn'reat you to think upon these
things. ard see if the evil cannot be remedied
There is no reason why the Public Schools Of
D,iawa;e should rot rank among he first class
schools oil the State. Give us yoar co-opera-
tion and such we will cndeaYor to make them
W. GARTER