New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-08
ovERwoRK IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS.

The subject Of "Oyerwork in the High Schools
is very debatable one. but also that TO
great extent depends on the professors and stu
dents themselves.
think I honestly say that there is not more
work expected than the average girl or boy is
capable Of accomplishing There are, Of course
exceptional cases Of -strenUosity on the part
Of a few, that results in brokendown health, and
there are those. too who have never learned to
study who refuse to take advantage of the easy
days to help out the hard ones. In my argument
l shall use my high school, the Manual Train
ing High School OF Brooklyn. basis. and at
the end Of the the students Of the different
high schools required TO pass the same exami-
nations the work in the individual schools must
be about the same.
In the Manual Training High School. at the time
Of my attendance, the day. which began at 8
o'clock and ended at $50. with half an hour at
noon, divided into six periods. Aside from the
regular high school studies. which consist of Eng
lish. mathematics, history, language and science,
from four TO eight hours week were devoted to
sewing millinery, etc. for the girls and shopwork
for the boys.
In other schools this time is given up 10 study.
believe. On the days when the manual work
came, of course there only four periods left.
and, drawing also took four periods 4 week. il
left an average of three lessons a week that re-
quired outside preparation Now, of course. it
might happen. and often did, that The programme
would be arranged that there would be day
and consequently there arose the hard and easy
days, but this difficulty is easily overcome.
Each student has his own programme given him.
and the day the programme was distributed
we went from class TO class the professor would
look il over with US and arrange to give
little work as possible the hard days For ex-
ample as l look back remember term
when had Thursday, English, science,
French history, mathematics and German.
Trouble upon trouble" you would say Here
are six subjects Each professor considers him
self entitled TO at least hour of home study.
therefore these poor students are expected to do
six hours more OF work after they go home"
But you would be entirely mistaken; they
not expected do any thing OF the sort. Probably
the night before there were but two or three les
sons 10 prepare Why not do some OF Thursdays
work Them Besides our professors knew that too
much work means nothing well done; consequently
Oh Thursday we would have sight reading in Ger
man no preparation; composition in English. no
prep IA ton and perhaps sight reading in French
never came more than twice a week. and were
thus prepared for from the beginning Of the term,
there were really no hard DAYS. and II some days
we had four hours night work, others might
have but two So a careful student by looking
al head could do an hours extra work easy
night and save himself hard night. This was
an easy matter 10 arrange. as the subject work
for the Individual days does not change through
out the term. For example. In the German work
Il might be as follows: Monday grammar; Tues
day prepared translation " ednesday, composition.
Thursday sight reading; Friday. grammar: In
sis way student would know his work for