The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-06-24
MANKATO TOO...VACATION SCHOOLS.

AS a result of the long-headed and
progressive action of the last legis-
lature, the older students and teach
ers OF the state not only have an op-
portunity to prepare themselves
further for the teaching profession
but the children of Mankato have the
chance offered to few cities of "vaca-
tion schools" Last year about $50
children Of Mankato availed them
selves of this privilege and at least
300 are expected this year.
A recent editorial in the Pioneer
Press speaking of the vacation schools
says the following:
"Boston, Brooklyn, New York nd
Chicago have tablished them, and
in Boston the regular departments of
the public schools have been kept
open to some extent, although the ex-
penses have been met by private sub
scription.
The idea is an attractive and even
an impressive one, in more ways than
one. Perhaps the first consideration
is that it takes in children who would
otherwise be idle or, fguratively
speaking, serving an apprenticeship
in the streets, where little good and
much evil would be acquired by
them. \
Even if it meant school all the
year round to some of the pupils it
would not be bad thing, for there
was never a more absurd notion than
the one that children particularly
need vacation of two or three
months every summer.
The vacation school, with the fresh
teachers, its varied curriculum and it's
relaxed rigor of discipline is a great
blessing, we may be sure, to the ma
jority of the children who attend it,"
State Superintendent W. 81. Skin
ner, of Nebraska, in an .article favor
ing short vacations, says:
1.-THE average child leaves school
before he is IL years of age. His par
ents are not able to keep him in long
er, for he needs to help earn the liv-
ing. 1t seems wrong that twenty
five per cent of those schools years
which are available to him should be
lost in these long vacations.
But 1.-THE loss to all is more than
three months in every year, for lit
it takes time to start again. Pupils
have forgotten much and have lost
the habit of study and quickness of
mental work. Hence child.
rem loose more than three months
they loose nearly four months.
In towns, every parent feels anx-
ious about how his child is to spend
the vacation. 1t is a period of en-.
forced idleness. The parent finds it
hard to keep the child in good com
pany, and harder still to keep him
from doing evil because he is idle.
If anybody needs to keep busy it is a
child. Moreover, he wants to keep
busy in his way. He is continually
appealing, "What can 1 do?" MAY
1 go here?" MAY 1 go there?" His
own idleness is burden to him, I'M
less he is turned wholly loose, and
this no thoughtful parent dare
do.
The kind of summer school we
need; (a) One of shorter daily
hours. Let the hours be from a. m.
till noon. These hours are cool
enough for work. (b) Let Saturday
forenoon also be included. To- Light,
en- the tension Of work for the whole
year. Forty-eight weeks of moderate
tension will do less wear than thirty
six of high tension. (d) Bring in
much nature study for this summer
term. This grand growing season is
now lost to our school course"
The model school, instead of max
ing its hours from to IL, will hold it's
session only from $50 to IL. 1t does
not include Saturday. 1t lightens
the tension of the year by advancing
the childs power to work easily. 1t
includes a large amount of nature
study and recreative work. making
provision for such subjects as studies
of trades or industries and manual
training.
A very interesting and instructive
article on vacation schools in the
June number of the Review of Re-
views emphasizes the value of these
last.named features for summer
school work. 1t also states that
the New York city school board has
set aside $4,000 for the maintenance
of vacation schools. Mankato has
better privileges and conditions in
her vacation school than New York
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