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

In presenting for your consideration the
system of half-time sessions, | am In u
| measure merely carrying out the ideas ex-
pressed by my predecessor in his last an
nual report.
1t has long been the opinion OF leading
educators that the child of tender yesrs
would make far more satisfactory progress
by attending school but half the usual
session.
OF course, when this view was first pro-
mulsated, it met with great opposition from
the old school people as we'll as from the
machine teachers.
Gradually, however, the system has
gained in adherents, until now scarcely any
of our large cities but what has adopted the
plan In some one Of its many notifications
Providence the pioneer in this move
ment, was quickly followed by Chicago, in
which city it has been in successful opera
ton for nearly five years, and in letter to
me of a recent date, Superintendent DJty
says that under no circumstances would
they 20 back to the old plan.
In Cleveland, Detroit, Fall River,
Milwaukee, Baltimore, Boston, San
Francisco, New York and Saint Louis,
the half time system is giving great salts
faction. My personal experience in the
latter city was such as to leave no doubt in
my mind OF the great efficacy of the new
system. Tried in my own school running,
through the first grade or year. it enabled
us to accommodate upwards of $50 children,
whom otherwise it would have been utterly
impossible to have provided for.
/ am fully satisfied that in proposing this
change am proposing what is in reality
an Improvement upon the present system
of coninipg children of a tender age for
upwards of five hours per day.
As before stated, in various American
cities, the experience of halliday sessions
for primary grades has been tried success
fully.
In Chicago upwards of 1900 children
are thus provided for. The daily session.
in Chicago are three hours for the pupils
attending in the morning and two hours
Only for those attending in the afternoon.
No pupils in the four lowest grades-our
old 10Th, 9th, Sih, 9Th, 9th, ) L and ) 4
grades-of the Chicago schools, are kept in
school over 5! hours per day.
In Baltimore, Fall River, San Francisco
and Providence, the same plan is in Opera a.
ton, while in the other cities mentioned in
only the lowest grade or year are half time
Sessions adopted
In Denmark, Switzerland and England,
the system is found fully established.
The highest English authority in edncs
tional matters recommend four hours Of
school per day as the maximum for al
children under II years of age.
The Royal Commission of 1865 reported
"That eighteen hours q week il often
more useful period OF mental effort than
twenty four, and that fifteen hours, the ut
most that is obtained by the factory chill
dren, is sufficient"
The Secretary of the London Board in
his very able report, for 76.7, upon pri-
mary schools, testiies to the good results OBJ
tanned in that city by the half-time sys-
TEN.
All over England, especially in Sheffield,
birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, and other
manufacturing centers. the new system has
been grated upon the old, and in almos,
every instance the government inspectors
report favorably.
Among the smaller cities in our own
country, Dayton, Peoria, oakland, St. Paul.
Wheeling and Kansas City have adopted
half.time sessions. Superintendent Green :
wood, OF the latter city, in his last annual
report, is quite enthusiastic in Its commen-
datioo.
In Lawrence, only few miles west of US,