Smyrna times., 1922-10-18
SCHOOL GROUP FOR FARM BOYS
A Hundred Day Platoon Course
Adopted in the Smyrna High
School for Retarded Pupils

Adopted In the Smyrna High
School for Retarded Pupils
The School Laws provide that chill
dren between fourteen and sixteen
years of age, who have not completed
the work of the eighth grade, shall at
tend school not less than one hundred
days beginning not later than Novem-
ber first. With the prevailing prices
of farm products and the unsettled
condition of the farm labor market, it
has become necessary for a great
number of our farmers to take ad-
vantage of this provision in the school
laws. AS a result, a number of our
rural pupils fail to report for school
until November first, in the fall of the
year, and withdraw early in the spring
of the year. 1t is humanity impos-
sible for these pupils to "keep-up" in
their school work with their regular
classes, and as a result, they have
been educationally retarded with fail
ure staring them in the face year af
ter year, until they finally withdraw
rather than be classified with pupils
several years their junior. The
Smyrna Schools are organized on the
6-3-3 plan of organization having six
elementary grades (1-6); the Junior
High (7-8-9) and the Senior High
(1O-11-12). Departmental work is
carried on from the fifth to the
twelfth grades inclusive. 1t has been
our aim and purpose to place pupils
into groups according to their edu-
cational status and rate of progress
in their school work.
1OO-Day Students Placed in Group
The above organization however did
not provided for these Hundred Day
Pupils" and the Hundred Day Pla-
tOOn" an opportunity class was or
ganized. All normal students four
teen years of age and above, who are
retarded in their school work on ac-
count of irregular attendance, are
placed into this group for special in
struction regardless of their grades
educational status or rate of progress
In general the instruction is two fold
to benefit he individual and to bene-
fit society. There is an appropriate
modification of the course of study
and methods of teaching. The course
of study is adopted to the individuals
peculiar needs as we'll as to plan fol
him suitable, useful occupation. 1t is
not necessary for him to pass any en-
trance examinations or bring any
credentials. 1t is a school to which
anyone may go at any time to leaT
anything. An institution where az
opportunity is offered for learning t.
live as well as learning how to make
living. The individual basis of in.
struction is employed where the pupi
makes his own rate of progress. There
is a diagnosis of the difficulty of each
individual pupil, which with the aiC
of his teachers, will enable him tC
make up the deficiency. The clas.
period is equally divided between
group discussion and supervised
study. The students is not segregat
ed. He enjoys all the advantages O
departmental instruction by coming il
contact with the same teachers in tn,
same subjects as the regular students
Tentative Course of Study Outlined
, The following is a tentative cours,
of study for this group: 1.-The abiI
ty to read and appreciate Englisl
, prose and poetry; business and per
sonal letters with grammatical cor
! rectness and proper spelling. 2
| Arithmetic through decimal fractions
business arithmetic. 3-Americal
History with some acquaintance witt
| the lives of great Americans and pre-
negatives of citizenship. 4-Persona
, and community Hygiene and Physica
: Education. 5-The study of the sew
! eral vocations and professions and vo
: cational guidance. 6-The specia
: courses of Agriculture, Industrial Art
: and Household Arts are open as elec
: tives.