The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-08-02

INOAN O1D NUN FlhoL A0hs
sunshine, a thing practically impos-
sible in winter months. under two ses-
SionS.
1t may be said that under the two
session plan the long intermission at
noon is spent in part out-of-doors, and
in the exercise of walking but all this
has little recreative value as compared
with the excursions and playing Of
games that take place in the long af-
ternoon under the one-session plan.
The one session plan offers certain
advantages on the side of administra-
tion.
Pupils who because of sickness or
other reasons have fallen behind the
class in its work may voluntarily or
by requirement. return in the after
noon from two to three O'Clock to Sc
cure from the teacher just that help
that will turn failure into success,
and will save from the diScouragemenu
that is the chief motive leading pupils
prematurely to leave school. The at
tempt to assist pupils after $50 O'Clock
under the two-session plan is a tax on
tired pupil and tired teacher that is
not fruitful Of the best results. The
tendency of the one-session plan is TO
elevate the scholarship of the individ-
ual pupil and Of the whole school.
The free afternoon gives advantageous
opportunity once or twice week for
the laboratory work that suffers in the
regular forty minutes recitation pc
RODS because of shortness of time.
One session would permit separa-
tion of the high school and the gram
mar school in the morning chapel pc
jriod. The high school could meet at
$50 o'clock and the grammar school
at 1.30. Anyone who talks to school
audiences knows how impossible it is
to suit an address to children of ten
years and at the same time to those
seventeen or eighteen years old. The
chapel exercises would have larger
inspirational value for the whole
school if the high school and grammar
school could be separated.
The primary school under two ses-
sions for the high school is altogether
deprived of the pleasure and the ad-
vantage of assembling in one group.
The one-session plan for the high
school would make it possible occasion
ally-perhaps once week-to get the
little children together for chapel ex-
ercises at three o'clock. The special
days, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and
the birthdays, could be made great
joy to these children and a means of
education and of moral training that
is impossible under present conditions
The one strong objection to the one
session plan that may be urged is that
it seriously interferes with the dinner
hour and multiplies work at home. In
spite of this fact the evident many ad-
vantages of the single session to each
pupil led all but about fifteen homes
represented in the school to express
themselves in favor of one session
when the matter was talked of two or
three years ago. 1t is possible that if
the session should end at so early an
hour as 1916 o'clock, friction with do
nestle arrangements would be so
greatly diminished that practically no
real opposition to the change of hour
would result.
Man is by nature conservative, and
dislikes change. Possibly some of the
former opposition sprung from this
cause, without a clear realization of
the advantages and disadvantages in
volved.
If the board of education should see
fit to order an experimental period of
one session for two months in the fall,
the community would then be in
position to judge the plan with clear
knowledge based upon experience.
Speaking of one session, Superin-
tendent Randall Spau!ding, of Mont
clair, says -" 1t is an old adage that
the proof of the pudding is in the eat
ing. We have tried the one session
plan for twelve years and l imagine
the people here would as soon suhsti-
tute the old fashioned coach for the
electric car as they would the two SEES
sion for the present one-session plan."
An opinion was received from Unit
ed States District Attorney John B.
Vreeland, counsel to the board, re-
garding the letter received from union
men and sympathizers asking that
only union labor be employed by the
board. Judge Vreeland informed the
members that they had no right to
discriminate against or for any par
ticular class of labor.
On