The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-12-05

grades-not even excepting the High schoo
and Superintendent Boies, OF that city, in
recent interview, assured me that ever
this sweeping change ia unattended with
bad results
sour ablest medical writers are Of N,
opinion that the br-in Of the chill six
or seven years OF age is not able TO stand
| continued nen'sl effort for more than three
or four hours per that ovectaxing
the brain by i've hours work produces, in
many case-. disease and incapacitv for
study" / quote this sentence from the re
port OF p special committee, appointed by
the 81. Louis Board of Public Schools to
investigate the merits Of the half-time sys
tenn. The average age of the children at
present attending our schools in the lowest
grade, is about 6! years These little pee.
pie go to school at S:i5, and remain there,
with a few intermissions. until 3:45 P NJ.
They spend bu; about one-ihird Of this
time in actual Rotations.
BY the proposed plan they will recite
| just as many times in a day as heretofore,
and the only loss, il loss it NAV be termed
will be in writing, and that will be amply
compensated for by the increased vitality
| and consequently greater energy with which
the additional fresh air and exercise will
endow them with for their next years
work.
For instances, the present course of study
requires twenty recitatioLs in reading, each
week or four each day. In Kansas City,
ST. Louis, Chicago, -. Joseph and other
cities. only fourteen recitstions per week
are required.
In most OF our schools the 10th grade is
divided into three classes-the 9th grade
into two classes The average time TO be
allotted for recitation, in the 10th grade
will be ten minutes which fer four rscita-
tions would make for o c!a.- forty MIMI
ties and for three class Is - Ia nut"- OF two
hours. The proposs,i session frr In.h grade
pupils will be s. hou:- IL !ens with an
intermissiou Of fifteen IlInutes Il will be
seen, therefore, that ample ;m,- will be
given TO reading aud III. IL will Still, remain
one hour to be de yOl..i iu drill In writing
and arithmetic.
The average length -. :. recitation in the |
9th grade will b. 10 r,Inut.s, which for |
four recita;ioDS wonid make sixty minutes |
and for two cia>--- i2U minutes or two |
hours, which would leave margin of over \
half an hour for arithmetic .nd writing, |
and in this grade az much more than this |
would be obtained by dropping one of the
reading recitations (even then We would |
have more than any other city in the coun-
try, and substituting an additional recita-
ton In arithmetic or writing. During the
time one class Is reciting the other classes
can be writing or attending to such work az
the teacher may assign them.
For years past in this city, i am info-m-
ed, the lower grades have been atteI i ng
school practically but one session The
half time system will merely divide the
lime in an equitable manner.
AT present this system is in operation in
he third Avenue, Usage, North and South
Leayenworth coiored schools-it is at pres
mt confined TO the 10th grade and in some
instances only 10 sections of this grade.
he object Of this report is to lay the mat
er before your Honorable Board tina. the
anne system may be introduced into the
9th grade at the Morris school and as oc-
aston offers, be pushed up through the
over grades in all schools.
The came causes which operated in other Z
tiles to make the half time system not !
My preferable bat also necessary obtains in g
Already your schools .
re largely overcTowded, ard tine demands /.
1r accommodation, in sOuie districts, are
0 great, that in another year, unless We
dept this system il viii e almost impossi-
lie TO get along without the erection Of at
last three more rOoms-ous 10 the Third
venue, North LeaveuwOrth and South
coioreG schools. Already
lese schools are strained 20 the utmost to
the children who are ;hrong-
* in.
These rooms can not be built and fur
lshed for less thn S2iGO; and no meas
res OF economy, at present visible, will
lab'e your Board 10 set aside such 4 sum,
say nothing OF another II 900 10 defray
lie salaries OF additional teachers.
Again, the condition sof the furniture in
lie Morris School tmost OF which has been
use for eleven year.. is such rs TO dc.
and renovation, ard that, of course,
cans an additional outlay. .
To adopt the hail time system now. will
fable Us TO make preparation for the de-
ands of another term: it
I'll increase the efficiency of
our schools by adding 10 the
wer grades; il will enable the Board 10
ange the furniture in Morrisischoul, mach
which is in sLch a condition a. TO i'm
ir, In a measure, the health of the chill
Ell it will save enough, in al reliability,
ttS VI btAt YOU
extend the school year TO ten months.
stead OF nine a. a, present; il will fur
an accommodations, without additional
penses, Tor the l2O to $50 children who
,uld otherwise be unprovided for.
| endorse il heartily and uuegu;yocalIy.
Respectfully, submitted,
FRANK A. FITzPaTRrCK,
Supt. Pub. Schools.
1t was decided that no new teachers be -
Ipioyed to fill tic vacancies caused by the
ignation of Misses Ferguson and Dun
M.
The subfc, OF charging tuition fees TO q
n Resident pupils in the High School was
zen up and discussed for some time; the Z
cussion resulting in decision to look II
lie more closely after this branch hereaf- 10
In connection with this, DR.. Neeiy as 70,
airman OF a special committee, reported az a.,
'orably on the increase OF the salary OF
Of. Grant to 81 $50 per year, which re- III
IT was adopted, with i report from DIR. Y!
ever to pay teachers wages due for the %
It month. de-
IN motion it was decided tina; the iani,or -
the Morris school receive $40 per month
"a during the three winter months. =
III Hotioh oi br. ->eeiy. IrOi. FITZPATRICK i
) granted leave of absence from De- Il
nber 1lth TO December 10th, during y
ich time as superintenden; he will visit.
schools OF various cities, and on his re-
n, submit report OF his observations l
IN motion of Mr.. GRANGER the Board de- u
ed to hold future meetings in the room 90
he High School building, thereby saw
an expense OF 500 year
he Board then adjourned. ar
SPLENDID OFFER.
po.J a..