Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1905-06-14
Longer Terms for Rockbridge
Public Schools

EDITOR GAZETTE In my article
last week special attention was
paid to comparison of the aver
age attendance upon the public
schools in the various districts Of
the county, with the deduction
that improvement would result
from higher standard of teach
ing, longer terms and the con-
tinuance of teachers for a longer
period at the same schools. The
present article has to do with the
frightening of the school term
and with special reference as to
the manner of securing the best
results from the same.
The demand for longer terms
has been met by a promise to keep
the schools open six months. 1t
seems to be taken for granted that
the additional month is to be
placed at the end Of the term. Ii
YOU want to increase the per cent
of attendance compared with en-
rollmRnt you must place the added
month at the beginning OF the
term-that is, open the school a
month earlier. 1t opened at the
usual date this year the school
term would begin Monday, Oct.
10Th. Ten weeks from this date
brings us to Friday, Dec. 22nd,
when there is an interruption OF a
weeks holiday. During these
first ten weeks the attendance is
good. But the halcyon period
ends with Christmas. After that
comes bad weather, which inter
| feres very much with the atten-
dance of all except the large boys.
AS only one-fourth of the school
consists of large boys, of course
the percentage of attendance to
enrolment is very seriously affect
ed. Moreover some of the girls
and smaller children who live
farthest from the school have
been kept away SO much that on
returning to school with the advent
! of pleasant weather they find that
they have lost their standing in
the classes and cannot keep up
with their associates unless the
teacher hae time to give them
special individual attention. In
some cases she is able to do this
| in other cases, not. frequently the
report comes home, INA, I'm
learning nothing at school; Wish
you'll let me stop" The request
| is generally granted, Every schoo
trustee knows the attendance II
his district is lowest during tb'
| last month of the term. Let vi
see whether the matter will bt
mended by extending the schoo
term farther into the spring.
Resuming operations Monday
Jan. 1st, 1908, the old school tern
of five months would end witt
Friday, March 9th; and If the de-
cision of the authorities should be
to open the school Monday, Sept
18th, 1905, (instead of Oct. 10TH,
March 9th, 1908, would still be the
end of the new six months term
This would give the large boys
the same amount of schooling they
now receive, while it would give
an additional month to the other
scholars-who are not only the
more numerous class, but are more
| in need of heightened period OF
| instruction.
If instead Of opening the schools
earlier in the fall, the term should
be protracted into tbs spring by
the addition of four weeks. the
schools would close Friday April
9th. But two weeks before that date
spring blowing will probably be
gin. So the large boys will re-
ceive only two weeks additional
, instruction; and to give them that,
we would deprive the other schc lar'
of four weeks schooling at sea
son of the year when the atten
dance is IS per cent of the enroll
ment. 1t ia not poor schools that
make attendance irregular; IL il
irregular attendance that makes
poor schools.
} GEORGE DARIEN