Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-12-04
INFANTS IN SCHOOL.
Protest Against Forced Mental Efforts
in Primary Grades.

in Primary Grades.
A superintendent of schools is quot
ed to the effect that four hours in
school day is enough for children
years of age and under. Four hours a
day in school is great deal more than
is good for children of that age. In
the primary departments of the pub
lie schools the instruction is not after
the manner of the kindergartens. The
children are required to make a dis
tinct mental effort in circumstances
which are unfavorable to their mental
growth. Discipline even in the prim-
airy department continues to be a
fetch, and the ideal teacher is one
who can prevent the restless little
ones from moving in heir seats, whis-
pering and allowing their attention to
wander. A child of is still a good
deal of an infant, and has the infants
impotence of restraint.
Even when the primary pupil is in
terested in the instruction (Which is
rarely the case in the public schools)
four hours of confinement, including
the brief and too infrequent recesses, is
enough to dwarf it's intellect. When
it is necessary to force it's attention
to the lessons, which are forbidden in
the manner of teaching, the four-hom
session is equal to eight hours of it,
i is exhausting. Persons who have
made study of children lean to the
idea that their tender brains are best
served by very brief periods of in
struction with long intervals of play.
The little brain is usually busy enough
in acquiring the education of circum-
stances or in appropriating the infor-
nation which it meets in it's every
waking moment. Many of the chill
dren OF 6 years are sent to school
simply to be got rid of, and since the
state permits this the teacher would
best serve humanity by assuming the
role OF nurse rather than that of a
teacher of certain serious studies.
Superintendent Skinner of New
York state has affirmed that the Young
are constantly overtaxed in the
schools, and that the usual course of
study is enough to account for the
cases of i'll health and of mental de-
bility. 1t is the declaration of Prof
Balm, who speaks with authority and
after practical experiment, that every
minute spent in study beyond a GER
ain limit is worse than wasted; that
Tor a time the fresh brain is in a. re.
ceptie condition, but when the child
ceases to take a lively pleasure in
study it is mischievous to ATTEMPT To
teach it further. Superintendent
Skinner has said that much of what Is
included in the present exacting
courses OF study sis in no way essen
tlal to a thorough groundwork for a
ch1lds education" and that in every
grade, from the lowest to the highest
there are too many studies. 1t is es-
pecially dangerous to the future of
mere babies of years to force their
attention to text book matters and to
compel them to silence during four
consecutive hours each school day.
Unfortunately, the protests of school
superintendent, which are ignored by
scnool boards, do not fall into the
hands OF parents. 1t is strange that
the members of school boards usually
believe that the only acquisition of
knowledge by the child is the time
hablt-that it can learn things as long
as 1t may be compelled to study
therefore their opposition to fewer
school hours a day and to further bol-
ldays. Every brain worker knows
that by frequent rests he can accom-
pl1sh more than by an uninterrupted
application of his mind to any work
It is only by arousing parents to Tn.
dangers of overstudy that the intelI-
gent teachers can bring a wholesome
influence to bear on the school board.
Record.