The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1910-01-29
IMPROVING THE STUDY PERIOD.
A Number Of Suggestions BY Super
intendent Kratz, Of the Calumet K
Schools.

recently in third to ninth grades, prove
that one-fourth Of the time of pupils is
wasted thru mind wandering when con-
ditions for study are most favorable
and the study period confined to only
five minutes. Had the time of the
test been extended to twenty or twenty
five minutes, the usual length of the
study period, the proportionate loss Of
time from mind wandering would have
been very largely increased.
The papers gave evidence in some in
stances that progress towards better
study habits had been made but in others
that no serious attempts had been made
by the pupils to overcome mind wan
dering and not even an earnest desire
aroused to acquire better habits of
study. Surely if pupils once grasp the
need and advantages Of these better
study habits they will not remain indif-
ferent. Have we taken them sufficient
ly into our confidence and made clear
the fact that with such improved study
habits, school work will become more
interesting, greater power will be gained
and the pleasure of mastery will be
theirs. Some Of them have unwittingly
fastened upon themselves the habit of
mind wandering to such degree that
they are severely handicapped and are
beginning to doubt their ability to mas
ter this or that subject, even think that
they are 'born short" Make clear to
such that if they will only cooperate
with you in gaining control of their
minds and forming better habits of study
they will ere long gain power and mas
terry. Here then is our great problem,
How can we arouse and sustain the pu-
Pills interest in acquiring self mastery?
One way to solve this important prob
lem is. to point out in the most interest
ing manner we can devise, the relations Of
mind, body and WILL We all know that
we can make our feet and hands do
what we will them to do. The feet are
set in motion and we walk where
we will to walk. Our hands pick
up what we will them to pick up.
Our minds in the same way can be train
ed to do whatever we will them to do.
When we will to study geography, they
can be made to study geography and
not drift off to something else. In
other words, we all have will which we
can train to stand behind our bodies and
our minds and. make them do what they
ought to do.
But our minds run away from our
work so often, and they do it sometimes
so slyly that we don't know it. So we
in studying must be on the watch, OF
we waste much time and fail to gel
our lessons. In the study test, there
were three gates thru which the pupils
mind slipped or were led away most
namely, ear-gate. eye-gate, and thought
gate. Hundreds said that thru ear
gate their minds ran after the singing
in another room, the opening and close
ing Of the door, walking in the hall, ETC.
and 80 some of them tried to shut theil
ninds in to their work by blocking uT
their ears.
Hundreds Of other pupils discovered
that their mind were enticed away from
study thru gate, a. in looking At the
clock. looking at the teacher, looking
around the school room ETC., so some oi
these tried to keep their minds from
dodging their work by keeping their
eyes fastened on their books.
Hundreds of others found that they
were tricked into neglecting their les
sons, because their minds, even while
they blocked their ear and kept theil
eyes fastened on the book, were play.
ing truant thru thought gate and were
off thinking over the Christmas presents
the skating at the rink, what their next
mark in arithmetic would be, wonder
ing even how long they could keep their
minds on the lesson. Pupils must
therefore be on the alert to catch their
minds when wandering and bring them
back as quickly as possible to the les
son. Thus by continued effort they will
gradually overcome such mind wander
ing, save much time and gain much
power.
Many of the pupils did not plan wisely
how to study. Some of them memor-
ized the words and failed to grasp the
ideas or meaning. There was no as
Il - la - 4 4.