Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-15
A SIX-HOUR DAY
IN THE SCHOOLS
"a Rational Adjustment to Gain
the Modern Ends of
Education"
BY A. S. MARTIN

Superintendent Of Schools. Norristown, Pa.
TIME Six-Hour School Day and Directed
i study is a fundamental departure from
the short high school day Of the static
school systems. 1t Is a rational ADJUST
ment to gain the modern ends of educa-
tion-preparation to live In real world
II provides a school day long enough to do
all required work in the school and elm
mates the evil of home study incident TO
the short school day The long school day
enforces the rights of the citizen to have
the public school education take place IN
the building erected and equipped at public
expense for this purpose and under the dl-
rection of the teacher paid by the public
to do the teaching.
Directed study is essential because it is
more important to know how to study, how
TO investigate, than to know limited num-
ber of facts OF knowledge directed work Is
desirable because method of work in the
shop is more valuable than the ability to
construct limited number of articles of
wood or Of metal. This direction so nee
essary is impossible when the school day
is short.
The short school day provides only for
the hearing of classes The building, with
it's libraries, laboratories and shop equip
ments, is closed to the student until 0
o'clock in the forenoon and after 2:15 or
1880 in the afternoon. The teachers, as a
rule, do not begin their work before $3.50
and finish their work at $3.50 or a little
earlier In fact in certain instances the
close of the school day begins work dis
tinct from the service of the school dis
trict, but to the teacher of equal interest
with his school work
This anomalous control of the high
school building-a control which excludes
the learner nineteen hours of the twenty
four-compels home study at night. The
stuuent suffers from the handicap of poor
facilities for study, lack of libraries, ap-
paratus and intelligent direction. Twenty
per cent OF all the high-school students do
not have the opportunity for home study
and 20 per cent have not the inclination for
| study at night, and others need the stimulus
| of systematic direction for effective study.
Defects of Short Day
School administrators who are more
| solicitous of the welfare of the students
| than of the ease of repeating traditional
programs, who are more interested in the
| scholarship and the efficiency of the student
| body than in many hours of leisure which
| the short school day brings, recognize the
defect of the short school day with it's
haphazard study, and for this reason they
| favor the longer day with its larger service
| for the community. They recognize that
modern life requires a basic training in
| academic subjects as well as in vocational
| subjects-in English, mathematics, science
and history, and in manual training and
| BnOpWOTks DOOkkeeplng and
| typewriting; and domestic science and do
| mestic art. The long school day is neces-
| sary to do this work we'll.
The lack Of adjustment of the length
| of school day and the nature of the work
| Of many of the high schools are evident
| when the number OF students who graduate
| is compared with the entire number enrolled
| In the high school. Frequently failures
cause more to leave from discouraRement
during a given year than tine numesr OF
graduates for that year. The suorreoming
Of the static public high schools II known
| In a general way. to the public notwitf1stand-
ing that reports of the number of failures,
the negative features of the school, are not
| easily accessible to the general public
| High school prinSipals and teachers O.
| course know these facts, but readjustmenss
are seldom made by the high school facuI,
ties.
The teacher is prone TO view any change
from a narrow point Of view because OF
his restricted experiences OF life. Many
teachers have taught ten, twenty or thirty
years and have never seen any other teach.
er teach. have known high school prin
cipals who taught many years and super.
vised for a longer term OF years and who
had never visited any other high school
Teachers OF this type do not have the
mental experience for the grasp OF the
i values Of the teaching profession ana foI
the interpretation of the ideas OF those
who have observed more Wi0elv. uoi1
'lfathera ana principals are pern|lltd II