Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-01-20
THE " TARDY BELL.n

Judging from the report published
In another column, the great end in
view among the managers of our pub
TIC schools seems to be the elimination
OF hardness. While punctuality ia a
thing to be desired, and the habit of
promptnesS should be encouraged.
there is such thing as carrying this
anCl-tardy crusade TOO far. It has come
under our observation more than once
Cnat children one minute late have re-
turned home to lose half day from
school, rather than incur the wrath of
some teacher, trying to make a clear
record on hardness. - Hutchinson
News.
While We agree with the News that
this crusade against hardness NAV be
ovesdone, yet we wish to defend any
reasonable effort to induce promptness
in the children's getting to school. A
pupil has no right to come late to school.
for he can not do so without disturbing
the school work, and thus interfering
with the rights of others. Parents are
sometimes to blame for the hardness of
their children, because, not realizing
the great Importance of the matter.
Ghey fail to start them to school in
time. Now and then it may happen to
be impossible for the pupil to finish his
task at home in time to be prompt at
school, but we are decidedly of the
opinion that parents should, if possible,
require no more work of boy or girl in
the morning than he or she is able. by
rising early, to accomplish in time for
school. If parents expect the teacher
to strive hard to advance their children
they certainly ought, if possible, to see
that their children get 20 school i'm
time and attend regularly.
But if, as the News saws. children
will, when only one minute late, return
home rather than enter the school.
room and incur the displeasure of the
teacher, there IS mistake somewhere
in the government-probably too severe
a penalty. We think that a teacher
with an average amount of ingenuity
could SOON do away with this by pre-
scrlblng proper penalty for this kind
of absenteelsm.
Say what you will in the way of criti-
cism. the fact remains that Hardness
is great evil and interferes seriously
with the work in a majority of our
schools, and often requires heroic meas
ures to remedy it. But the best RENE
dy teacher can have is the co-opera-
tion of the parents in the matter.
The plan of allowing the school or
grade quarter-hollday, at the close of
the week, as reward for mo tardi-
ness" though criticised somewhat by
educators, seems to me a reasonable
and proper incentive, and if hardness
were so rare that the school could be
given the quarter-holIday every week,
the children would still lose much less
time from their work than they do
when frequently interrupted by tardy
pupils. By the quarter-holiday the loss
is not more than one hour and a quar-
ter, or one hour and half, for the
week. whereas, if there is much tar,li-
ness, the loss of time by Interruptions
is much more than this.
One of the best remedies tor tard:
ness Is TO make the opening exercises
SO interesting that every pupil will do
his best to get in on time. There are
many different ways of doing this, some
of which will readily suggest them
selves to the live, ingenious teacher.