The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1920-01-02
OUR CITY SCHOOLS
Several citizens have lately VOC


Several citizens have lately voiced
! protests to me concerning the cit,
! schools and seenl to ..hlnli that / can
do something, so l will be the goat
1 and try to turn on little publicity.
i AS nearly as we can read it, the law
provides that a school day shall con-
slst of five and one half hours OK
elusive of intermissions. But city
schools usually have fifteen minutes
less and in grades 4 to inclusive in
twenty days at $500 dollars salaries,
the amount unearned would be s22.-
10 monthly. It is not asserted that
teachers are to blame for this petty
graft. only that it usually exists.
What is the answer?
Pupils are required to furnish ex-
cuses for hardness but requests for
excuses for pupils being kept after
school seems to be something differ
errt. In some instances pupils claim
1hey We're not told why they were
kept AS matter of fairness and as
Hendlng to more of cooperation be-
tween parents and teachers, also get
ting rid of the temptation for YOUR
neighbours hoy (yours never would do
such a thing) lie about why he does
MT get home till dark, the school
beard should provide blanks and
teacher should fill in pupils name. his
delinquency and time detained, in
every such case and give to pupil.
The proposed intention of the
board to do away with the school bell
and, Theoretically, to require all pu-
pills to carry watches, is we'll worth a
little thought. 1t is likely that some
one forgot to put the bell into the
plans and this is an attempt to white
wash them. At any rate a sensible
reason has not been given SO far. They
say 1T takes too much time to ring a
pell, that 1T would tend to shake the
school house down if placed ON If
ana anywhere else it would be an Of
tense against their artistic sense. and
anyway, there will be less hardness
1T pupils have no means of knowing
When school calls as heretofore, but
simply required to be in their places
~ilen an automatic gong rings or be
called tardy. Those are the excuses.
Does any sensible person believe
the absence of the bell helps pupils to
Know when school calls? Or perhaps
they intend next year to have them
come blindfoldcd. Probably nine
tenths of the half day absences are
those of pupils who went back home
rather than face the odium and i'm
convenience attached to hardness.
TAKE typical example. A boy leaves
nome at S:15 and is to deliver six
quarts OF milk on the way to school.
He has ample time, but two customers
nave word tc say on business mat
: tiers and in tine absence of the bell he
Is one minute late. He is sent home
TOT an excuse, but neither parent is
now at home and will not be until
noon or perhaps night. This, or some
thing similar, has repeatedly happen
ed. Why not abolish the bells ON the
churches and the clocks that strilsa
also the whistle as marking time.
Ihey only make people late!
III the school board could raise
salaries as much as 5000 without main
they can find money and means to
put up the bell and see that it is rung
as heretofore. A first bell, then anoth-
or i've minutes before the gong rings
to call to order would probably lie
more acceptsble to Che great majori-
ty of parents thin what, the board
proposes. Tell themso.
E. F.. Atwood.