The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1879-09-30
correspondence
Days ana Dollars Lost,

4D0y8 8mO NOAh0HO AM0ts y4#|
OF the many canses retardine the progress
Of pupils in our public schools. none are more
detrimental, nor more dtscouraging to the
faithful teacher, than irregular attendance.
The difficulty in dealing withirregular attend
ance is that parents are most at fault. they
do not seem to understand and appreciate the
unquestionable fact, that missing a day, or
half day, at school, now and Their, is fatal TO
aging to the whole school. g.. ay
Forty or more years ago, when the s'three
Rs" were about the only branches taught in
public schools, and these very inperfectly, ii
did not matter much if a pupil was absent
occasionally, because the teaching was not by
classes to any great extent. Now, many more
branches are pursued, pupils are taught al
most exclusively in classes, and the whole
work is systematized so that each school day
shall accomplish a certain amount of work Of
a certain kind which will not be repeated
any other day. Hence, a pupil missing by
absence one recitation is very apt to fail in the
next, for the reason that what follows, in any
study, depends largely for its meaning upon
what has gone before. 1t may be compared
to the reading of every second page in a book
and skipping over the rest. Could we hope
to understand books by suc, methods of read
ing? Certainly we could not. Neither can
pupils at school understand when skipping
one-fourth, or more, of the work necessary
for the class of which they are members.
The whole time of the teacher is occupied
with classes, and this is right because it &C.
complishes the greatest good. 1t would be-
manifestly wrong to sacrifice the interests OF
the class for the interests of an individual
absentee; and, therefore, the loss should fall
where it properly belongs; on the delinquent
pupil, and not on the whole class.
A few years ago l published, on the last
page of my weekly school report, the follow
ing Twelve Reasons why pupils should not
be irregular at school. They are pertinent to
every parent and school child 50 long as their
lessons remain unhecded or unlearned.
1. Irregular attendance at school cult
Yates the habit of trifing with the most i'm
portant duties of youth. 2. It wastes the
time of the teacher and school with repiti-
tions for the benefit of the absentees. 8. 1t
causes interruption and disorder in finding
the places of lessons for delinquents. 4. 1t
furnishes excuse for the loss of yesterdays
lessons, and causes failure in those of to-day.
). The pride of the class is wounded, and the
interest of the class diminished by it. g.. Ii
causes failures which are chargeable to the
absence and not to the instruction. 7, The
regulations of both teacher and school suffer
from it. 8. 1t sets a pernicious example be-
fore the school. 9. 1t gives truants a chance
to escape correction by pleading "kept al
home" 10. It creates a habit of indiffer-
ence and repugnance to school work. ii.
1t wastefully increases the cost of education.
-. 1t demoralizes the school.
As we are about commencing a new year in
public school work, let teachers and parents
join hands to insure punctual and regular at
tendance. Teachers should urge its impor-
lance, and parents should be willing to make
sacrifice of less important matters in order
that children may get the benefit of ever,
school-dollar by strictly improving every
scool-day. TIL school law wisely provides
that there shall be but five school-days i'll
the week, leaving Saturdays for doing chores.
etc., and no good reason can be assigned for
the prevailing, demoralizing, ruinous habit
that so many of the pupils in public schools
are allowed to contract and foster. Think of
it parents. Your children are forming habits
that will grow into character, and 90 with
them through life. Do you hope to see them
more attentive to business duties than to
school duties? Be not so easily deceived.
Upon you depends, largely the responsible
ity of intoxicating in the child the habit
Of faithful attendance at school-the place
consecrated to the exaltation of humanity
through the education of the child.
W.. EGBERT SMITH,
Territorial Supt. Public Inst.
HELENA ITEMS