The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-08-21
Supt. Hanna Has Word
to Parents and Others
SCHOOL OPENED SEPT. 2. I'M
PORTANr TO HAVE CHILDREN
PRESENT OPENING DAY.

The city schools will open Thurs
day, September End. All who are
interested should note this for there
have been persistent but false rumors
that it was to open two weeks later
Let's all look forward to this date
and be ready for a prompt entrance
at the opening.
Children who are six or who are to
be six before June 1, 1914, will be ad.
mitted at the opening. 1t is not the
intention to urge or advise parents
to send all children of this age. On
the contrary it is the writer's opinion
that 1t would bet better not to put the
child in school until he is six or more
unless he is we'll developed for his
age. This paragraph shows who
may come, not who must come. And
it means to emphasize the fact that
but one first primary class will be
started in the course of the year and
all beginners that are expected to
enter any time during the year should
be on the alert and ready to enter
promptly when school opens.
Older students, and their parerfs
should be ready for this opening. The
first days of the year are the very
most important, for the foundation
principles of subject are being de-
veloped. This is especially true in
the high school. Many parents do
not realize that a student takes sever
al absolutely new subjects each year.
In most of them he can't go into the
regular class and make up his back
work at leisure. Every lesson is
built on the previous lessons. The
first lessons must be learned before
the pupil can move step. If the
pupil enters late he must work alone
and with little help, to say nothing
of having to work fast enough to over
take the class.
Nothing in scholarship succeeds
like success, and nothing is so dis
couraging as being behind. being
alone, finding the task hard and with
little help. Disadvantages are dis.
couraging, and discouragemept in
turn heaps up ones disadvantages
mountain high. Late entries and a
bad start are the cause of start
ling number of failures and Of quit
ting school long before the pupil and
parent had originally planned that he
should.
Let's have every pupil get good
start this year, and then let's, all
concerned, be watchful of the first
slackening of pace, the first weaken
ing, and correct it at once. If this
is done persistently and intelligently
we can make the good scholars better
and the would-be failures almost all
success. Isn't 1t dreadful thing
to fail in a great thing from sheer
carelessness? Can there be any
thing more regretful than to lose one
or two of the best years of ones life
and possibly suffer a handicap all Of
that life, just because of not knowing
how important the START is?
Not only should the city pupils be
thinking about the opening of the
Valley City school, but many stu
dents from all over Barnes county
should be interested. Many stu
dents have finished their courses In
the rural schools and they should al
most without exception be thinking
of some further work. Graduates of
the rural schools, or any school, who
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should go to school Immediately If it
is at all possible to do so, for after
one years lapse of time the enthusi-
asm is much lessened, the pupil Is
year older and feels it, he has had
taste of money making and likes 1t,
and usually there is no returning to
school after a years break. Fathers
and mothers on the farm, if you have
children who have completed their
courses in their home schools, send
them on to the high school. Valley
City high school gives courses that
just fit these boys and girls and will
make them like school. Push them
on; don't hold back on them.
Valley City gets many students an
nually from the smaller high schools
of the county, and from greater dis
lance, and she is specially fitted to
care for such students because of the
large variety of courses she offers.
It is very proper that these schools
should cooperate in such a manner.
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