The Winchester news. [volume] (Winchester, Ky.) 1908-19??, 1912-01-31

the community at large 1t is not
enough, as so many parents think,
that the means be furnished. There
is community esprit de corps with
the efficiency of the schools for its
ultimate end that does more to make
possible the highest work in the
schoOl-rOOm than any other single
aid, and the attitude comes from the
intelligent study of the broader So
>cial prblems of the school system
and an intelligent support, rendered
unfaihngly.
For instance, there may be men-
toned at this time as both illustra-
tive and timely, the matter of tardi-
nesses and absences Of pupils in the
schools. The records show that
there were 700 absences in the
schools during the past month.
There were $50 pupils, out of an
enrolment of $50. whose attendance
was perfect. 400 pupils then, were
absent 700 times. OF the four hun
dred 80 were absent 100 times.
most of them a day or less. Thi>
lefves 80 pupils absent 300 times OF
and average of two days or one
tenth of the school month. The ac-
tual facts show that more than two
thirds Of these pupils were out of
school for trivial reasons.
But these figures do not show the
actual loss Of these pupils Any
child who is absent one day loses
more than that day from actual par
ticipation and benefit in the wOrf
of the school. Ii absent Monday he
loses Mondays instruction. He also
loses all preparation for Tuesdays
lessons as well. Now Monday
lessons must be learned but to d,
so means that preparation for We'd
nesday's work must be sighted. II
the work is not prepared and the pu-
pill again misses day he is at least
four days behind the grade. In
nine cases out of ten that pupil feels
his loss so that Inc becomes dis
couraged and further adds to the
difficulty of redeeming his place in
the grade.
In most grades there is a large
amount of supplementary material,
not in the text. given by teachers
The absent pupils can never get that
material. Add to the loss caused by
absence that caused by frequent
written requests that pupils be ex-
cused from grades before regular
hours and in many cases the lost
time will be doubled. Parents have
no idea, generally speaking, what
handicap they are placing upon their
children in abetting or permitting
Them to be absent from their regular
work. Aside from the reasons that
have been mentioned there Is the
further one that the break in at
tendance carries with it a break in
the interests of the pupil in his stud
les and in the relations with his
teacher.
| have seen many eases where
teachers had stdiven hard for weeks
in gaining the interest Of an inslif-
ferent boy and just when she had
fair promise of success all her eff
fTts would go for naught because
snne tIloughtless parent took the
child for "A few days visit to some
place. in the end-th school and
the teachers are blamed for the fail
ure Of the child to be promoted, bui
justice would lay the blame at the
door of, the parent.
Experience has demonstrated that
63 per cent. Of the failures of chill
dren are due to absences that are
for trivial reasons. such as the
school cannot remedy but which |
parents could easily reduce to one
fourth. Teachers cannot make up
the time lost from the regular work
except in rare cases. She has the
flow pupils who are entitled be-