The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-05-12
THE TRUTHFUL
STORY Of BILLY
AS THE PARENT SEES 1T, AND
RIGHTLY TOO-ARE THERE
ANY BILLIES IN ABB
BEVILLE?
(Proper-Gander)

name) was Such a nne, well grown
bow at six and showed so much intel
ligence for his age that his mother,
contrary to her plan with his older
brothers and sisters, decided to enter
him in school at six instead of wait
ing for him to be seven years old.
Billy, healthy and strong, amiable
and willing, took the first grade like
? flash and ended his first school year
with E. to his credit.
Because he was so much bigger and
stronger than the average child OF his
age, and because he looked at least
two years older than he was, his
mother thought best for him to skip
the advanced first grade-this was in
the old days when there was still such
a thing-and having been teacher
herself before her marriag ge to Billy's
father, she helped him sufficiently
with his school work to keep the skip
from being too difficult for him.
Billy easily overcame the slight
handicap of the skip, and did excel
lent work in the second grade, and
ended his second school year with
another E. to his credit.
The ,.ar that he entered the third
grade, the school that he was attend
ing inaugurated the new system OF
mid-year promotions, system which
allowed pupils making a sufficiently
high average to skip half year and
enter the next higher grade at mid
term, instead of taking the whole
grade.
Billy took the first half of the third
grade at ar easy gallop, and passed
the mid-year examinations with an
other E. to his credit. His young
teacher passed him up to the fourth
grade. Billy did not understand much
about it, and did not wish to leave
his young teacher, of whom he was
very fond. His mother, however, OBJ
jected: 81 don't think he is old
enough for fourth grade work, Miss
Blank" she said. "Billy is very
young, though he is so big. do not
wish him pushed" The young teach
er. however. was firm. "The school
allows the mid-year skip for those
who can make it," she said. '1f any
child deserves promotion, Billy does.
If he is not allowed to go up to the
next grade, the trustees will have to
make a new rule" So, Billy was
passed up to the fourth grade at the
age of eight years and half after
having been in school two and half
years!
Somehow he did not do quite as
good work, however, as he had prev
iously done. He labored more over
his school work, and seemed tired and
listless as spring came on.
His mother thought the school
work was too difficult for him, and
stopped him from school in April, in
tending to make him take the whole
grade over, beginning the first half
of the fourth grade when the school
opened in September.
When school opened in September
the teacher in whose grade he had
been the previous spring, missed Billy
from her class, looked INN up and
had him transferred to the last half
Of the grade, of which she was the
teacher.
Billy's mother again objected, cit
ing the fact that he had found the
work of the first half of the grade
difficult in the spring.
:: The teacher insisted that she knew
Billy's capabilities better than his
mother did, and that it would kill his
ambition if he was kept back. ..
His mother, however, insisted, so
the matter was taken to the principal
for adjustment. He, of course, took
sides with the teacher, and Billy was
passed up to the last half of the
fourth grade. At this time he was
nine, but still did very good work,
and was passed up to the fifth grade
at the mid-year promotion. In the
fifth and sixth grades, which he took
STRAIGHT. he did only average work,