River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-09-06

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facts in regard to the public schools,
the knowledge of which may help to
bring patrons, pupils, and teachers
into closer relation, and thereby in
crease the efficiency of the work done
in the schools.
The great hindrance TO progressive
and thorough work in our public
schools last year was irregular attend
ance and hardness.
Many pupils, and l fear some pa
rents, do not seem to realize that
going to school is not mere pas
time or an affair of pleasure, but
real business.
A school can not do the most posi-
BILE for those who attend it, unless
all parents and pupils recognize that
the work is so co-ordinated that the
work of few days or a week throws
a pupil behind, tends to destroy inter-
est, and is damaging to the school.
A few facts drawn from the final
report of the school year 1891, will
show that the attendance was very
irregular, and that the small per cent.
of those enrolled who were promoted
at the end of the year, must be at
tributed to irregular attendance.
The whole number enrolled during
the year was 40S; the average daily
mum Der of school children who were
out of school every day 1877, or just
about ] of the public school children
stayed at home while but Z were in
school.
Now by making every allowance
possible for those who were enrolled
but did not remain in school longer
than a few weeks, and for those who
were compelled TO stay at home on
account of sickness, these figures still
show that the attendance was not
what it should have been.
The effect of this irregular attend
ance is shown by the small mber
who kept up their work through the
year to the required standard for pro-
motion at the end of the year. OF
the 40S enrolled but POS took the three
Term Examinations for promotion,
and BOB of the POS were promoted.
Thus the pupils who were in school
continuously kept up their work to
the required standard for promotion,
and those who failed of promotion are
pupils who did not attend school regu-
larly enough to keep up with their
classes. In other words, little more
than 30 per cent. of the pupils en-
rolled in the public schools last year,
was so irregular in attendance that
year just where they were one year
ago.
These figures present hOmely facts
which we would gladly pass over in
silence, but the good of the schools
demands that they be presented TO
the public. 1t costs too much to keep
up system of public schools to per-
NIT of the children of school age to
remain at home, and the demand at
present for at least common school
education, is too great for more than
% per cent. of our pupils to get prac-
tically no good out of one years work.
/ sincerely trust that the school year
of 1915 will be one in which all par
ties concerned will endeayor to get
the most possible out of the school
privileges offered, and that the pupils
of the River Falls public schools will
enter the first day of the year with a
determination of remaining in school
continuously 10 the close.
Let the pupils make school their
business, aud the officers and teachers
will spare no efforts to make the school
a complete success. With the i'm
proyements that have been made in
textbooks, etc, this year, and the
healthy sentiment in favor of the
public schools that appears to be
growing i'm the community, we have
every assurance of successful year.
Respectfully,
H L. WILSON