The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-02-06


THE burden of making up the lost
time will necessarily fall upon the
teacher There is too much play in
some school rooms and not enough
actual work. By planning her work
carefully, stressing the important
topics and giving less time to topics
not so important. and by lengthen;ng
the time OF the recitation and length
oning the school day, great deal OF
the ground can be covered.
Parents naturally do not want the
preparation of their children for life
to be impaired, nor do they want their
children to lose year in school. If
the pupils are required to spend an
other year in the same grade that
they are in this year it will mean the
loss practically Of year; the pupils
have not been responsible for the lost
time, and teachers should exert them
selves to make up this time"
Before stating the question which
is the purpose of this article, it may
be said that the State Superinten-
dents comments on the manner in
which the time Of the daily school
program is spent may be true in some
instances, but in many instances they
are not true. Upon the opening Of
our schools the first Of the new year
teachers were instructed to slit out
the essentials and concentrate on
them, and they were proceeding to do
so. OF course there is room for
wide difference of opinion as to es-
sentials in the normal development
of boys and girls, but that is not
point pertinent to this discussion.
1t has been the sympathetic, if
somewhat grim, resolve Of the Dillon
teachers to do everything in their
power to make the pupils make good
approximately in their grades,
even though it has been believ-
ed that a considerable portion
of the time has been lost
unnecessarily. To this end the home
study and open air work were Or
ganized after the recent suspension to
keep minds working and work go
ing during the interval OF suspension.
And we are willing to swallow Mr..
Swearingen's FOUR O'CLOCK pro-
gram, with necessary grade modifica-
tions, il the patrons Of the schools
want it. This brings the discussion
to the question to be asked: Do the
patrons want the four o'clock pro-
gram put into operation!
This program will necessitate a
dinner hour, an arrangement OF the
dinner hour so that pupils and teach
ers can get dinner and get back to
school between 1915 and LIS. This
would seem like small straw in
the way, but this very issue has been
in the way of an earlier extension OF
the school hours. This arrangement
would add one hour to the school
program for the greater amount OF
class room work.
The Superintendent's statement
that the burden of the work OF max
ing up lost time will fall upon the
teachers is true. But pupils will have
to study harder, lose less time in
street frolics, and patrons will have
to cooperate more strongly in both
spirit and action, if the extra burden
voluntarily assumed by the teachers
is to result in making good the work
of the year. Certainly the loss of
year in the education of the child is
serious matter, more serious than
many seem to think. 1t is infinitely
more serious than deferring a much
needed. blowing of a crop Of corn.
Patrons are asked to vote on the
question by note sent by children to
the superintendent's office.
Very truly,