American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-06-01
educational department.
0vertasking.

you are Teacher or a Director,
Read Often in our experience as a
teacher, we have been led to ask ourselves
if school children are not, in majority
of instances, burdened with too many
studies. Our conviction has everbeen in
the affirmative. Increased thought and
experience have only served to strengthen
this conviction. 1t seems to us impossible
for an ordinary child of twelve Or four
teen years to give due attention to three
or four leading studies, without risking
serious injury to its health. Nor can we
think it is the true method of teaching to
force great amount of labor upona a child
than can be borne without fatigue We
propose briefly to consider the subject
For the advanced scholars of mixed
school, or for pupils in the highest room
of graded one, there will be the follow
ing studies Reading, (including defni-
tions to be memorized,) Mental Arithme-
tic, Grammer, Geography, Written Arith-
metic, Spelling and Writing, making sew
en- studies in all. The amount of time
to be occupied by these stndies does not
exceed FIVE hours and half; and indeed
scarcely that Deducting thirty minutes
each day for recesses, and allowing for
the time consumed in opening and closing
school, it will not reach that amount. OF
these seven studies, four (Mental Arith-
metic, Grammar, Geography and Written
Arithmetic require the closest attention
that can be given, while portion of an
other (the definitions in Reading) de-
mands equally strict application. Wri-
ting should not occupy less than half an
hour; recitation in Reading, twenty
minutes; and that in Spelling, from ten
to twenty. A recitation in each of the
other branches named will occupy TWEEN
ty minutes Five exercises of twenty
minutes each, one Of thirty, and another
of fifteen, make in all twy hours and
twenty-five minutes; adding to which
thirty minutes for recesses and for
opening AMI closing school, it leaves three
hours and five minutes in which to study
six lessons, Writing, of course, does not
require previous preparation } or frac-
ton over thirty minutes for each. OF
these six studies, two (Spelling and Rea-
ding may be prepared in twenty minutes
each leaving thirty-fve minutes for study
ing each Of the other four. And yet this
estimate is perhaps too liberal. Suppose
a lesson no longer than a column in Me-
Nally's 4th Geography be assigned, who
will be so unreasonable as to expect a
child to commit it, and perhaps "hunt it
out" " in the space of thirty-fve minutes?
And what is here said of Geography can
be uttered with still greater truth of
Grammer and Arithmetic.
Some one will say, Eyes, but why don't
the scholars study at home" We ans
wer--
l. That is matter beyond the teach
er's jurisdiction. .......r.
2. Parents often have some task for
their children to perform in the mornings
or evenings, or both.
3. St,s hours . + mental labor and close
confaemeet ont Of each ttcenyJoor, e.rert
strain enough on the mind Of any ordi-
nary pupil.
The mere imposition of too much Ia
dor docs not comprehend but small por-
tion of the evil. The child in its endea-
vor to have one lesson well studied ne
elects and fails in another This failure
is followed by reproof, and perhaps pun
ishment. At another time, an effort is.
made to study all the lessons thoroughly !;
and, as result, there is partial failure
in all. Perhaps this is followed with an
other reproof or punishment. The child
is in consequence perplexed and discoura-
ged. 1t gets out of sorts with itself, with
its lessons, and with its teacher. How
many teachers are there whose expert
ence has differed from this ?-AHegha-
| man.