The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-11-24
Hand Points to Advantages
Of Long School Day

49, b
Of Long School Day
Columbia Supcrintendent Submit,
Some Facts Worthy Of Serious
Consideration.
WH Hand, superintendent of tn,
Columlsia sity schools, In a discussior
OF 'rhe Longer School Day." has the
following Ia sayx
One, ,Aesops rtells,, US Of. a certain
fox that gravely advised all his
friends In convention to have their
tails cut of, because, of the, alleged
3nconvenience, and danger which said
tails eptailed upon: their possessors.
Somewhat likewise city folk and city
teachers are given to commiseratipg
and patrcnizing the rural schools.
Now the rural schools need 4 great
deal OF attention and improvement,
but there are rural schools and rural
schools. Many Of them have good
houses. good teachers and reasonably
long terms. In rural schools Of this
class are to be found some of the best
prepared pupils in the land.
They know much from studying
books and they know much from
studying -thinxs about them, and one
9f Aeaagencies~ which has contributed
n their advancement has been their
aehooas day of sensible, length mot
fronssun- 10 sun l,ut from S:30;in the
ucrning to $3.50 in the afternoon. In
thesss schooass thee supervision of the
children's- study has not been ideal
but there were set apart regular pc
riods for study under the eye and
direetionsef theIteachers The children
Of these schools carry their lunches
and eat them, hough not warm, at
q seasonables hour in the day. Then
durings <he-loBcer recess period the
teachers are the companions of the
cnildren to . degree rarely reached by
city teachersr with city children.
After all, is it not possible for our
highly orgspized city schools to learn
aemethihg from the better rural
schoelaf, Ths .rarak school opens its
daily session early, runs through its
schedule deliberately, intersperses
recitations with study and relaxation,
provides timss for y needed lunch,
does its school work chiefly at school,
and-is throughs In contract, the city
school opens its daily session late,
runs through its daily schedule like an
express train, s!most every minute of
tho teachers time Is assigned to reci-
tations, the teacher and her pupils
meet only in the class room, the school
cloaes- early. ahd-the children go|
home to be taught by their mother|
because the teacher has. had little or|
no time to give assistance where It'll
was needed and when it was needed.
The close Of the school day finds the
teacher more or less fatigued, sheI
carries home with her an armful oil
written exercises, many Of which
shouldcnever have been written, shel
Is hungrysa and depressed. Ravenously|
Or laHguiklly she eats after her fast,
then ahetsits down to read and cor
rect thsem armful Of exercises. It isl
N ch5moments that she feels that
her worAris hard and that she is un-
derpaid!i&
: How is4it with her pupils7 At the
CLOSE of.the school day they snatch
Up fewhooks, rush home as hungry
~ young, bears to gulp down their
food, rush out to- play or to the
movies or for joy ride, stay out
until dark or latar,: rush In to eat
again, sit down IN the noise and con-
fusion ofethe Family, fireside to 60
through the form Of. studying for 81
period, then fall. asleep with lessons
time is zone through In the name Of
educationzeand being educated. What
a ludicrous performances! Any busi-
ness entsrprise or industrial plant
that would undertake to run on such
& schedule would be in the hands Of
a received inshcrt order, and its man.
ayers would be objects Of ridicule.
In the industrial world we have left
behind US the IL hour work day and
the ten hour day, and many Of US are
trying to reduce the eight hour work
Gay. All this Is in the world Of ma
cbinery, in which one machine does
the work Of ten men, 20 men, so men.
IN the intellectual world things are a
little different Theresisayet no pat-
ent process whereby o. group Of chill
dren may be educated by attending
school . few hours day, FIVE days in
the week, SO weeks In the year for
six or seven years, the time at which
thsoamajority Of American children
lsans school. It takes. time, for the
human mind to grow and for. human
chssaetsr 10 be developed. There is
yst.no royal road to learning.
Tlte advantages Of q longer school
davp with lunch period at school
woulA be.'
Ths, teachers without neslecting the
.se3kaxipmsp Srouid have more time to