The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1911-03-30

even to prescribe any regulations
for the pupils study hours. If the
pupil begins to get behind in his
work the teacher investigates to find
the reason and if he finds that the
failure of the pupils to know his
lessons is due to a failure to use his
study hours properly there is moth
ing the teacher can do except to
punish the pupil and try to get him
of his own accord to use his study
hours to better advantage unless
the teacher can get some one in the
home to see to it that the time and
place for study are kept sacred for
that purpose.
| 1t is absolutely necessary that
there shall be a regular time for
study if there is to be any systematic
! studying done. A regular place for
study is just as necessary, for even
the most studious boys and girls
can not study to advantage in a
room where the other members of
the family are talking and telling
the various experiences Of the day.
The writer remembers his fruitless
efforts to study in the family living
room with nine other children talk
ing, playing or studying aloud.
There was no time to get off by
himself in the afternoon as the
mornings and afternoons were con-
sumed in riding to and from school.
He was given the privilege Of max
ing fire in his bed room and study
ing there; but this was so much of
an undertaking that he preferred to
combat with the difficulties in the
living room.
1 appeal to the patrons of the
Scotland Neck Graded School to ar
range a comfortable and cheerful
study room for their children.
In the third place it is essential
that some older person shall have
control of the study hour and study
room. A pupil means to be respon-
sible and may promise his teacher
that he intends to study more, but
the very next night a show comes to
town, or some other boy whose par
ents do not control him asks him to
meet him down town and he breaks
his resolutions. Or perhaps the boy
or the girl goes to the study room
and is tempted to finish reading a
book or gets to talking with some of
the others studying there and the
hours for study pass by unimproved.
This makes it necessary for the
study room to be near the living
room so that father or mother can
hear what is going on in the study
room and go in frequently to keep
order, to encourage and perhaps to
help with knotty problem.
Do not work the problems for
your children. Just give them a
suggestion and let them do the work
themselves. Unwise help or doing
the work for the children is worse
than no help, as the pupil whose pa
rents work all the hard problems fol
HIM may pass fairly on class but will
fail nine times out of ten on exami.
nation.
l appeal to you, parents, to help
us make this school as effective as il
can be made, as effective, perhaps
as a boarding school. Last Thurs.
day morning after the chapel exer.
cises we made an appeal to the chill.
dren to study more, and more than
four fifths of them promised to spend
not less than two and one half hours
in good hard study out of school,
Won't you help them carry out these
resolutions?
J. B. AIKEN, Supt.
The above was written before
the fire occurred, and it is even
more necessary for the pupils to
study at home now that our class
rooms are not equipped with desks.
1t is our desire that the work shall
60 right on for the remaining eight
weeks in order that the grades may
be advanced next fall, and much can
be done to help us in this by both
parents and pupils.
i Let us all work together to the
end that we shall develop a better
school spirit than we have ever had
and our present disaster may event
ually prove to be a blessing.
J. B. A.