Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-12-27
COMMENTS ON THE SCHOOL DAY.
Supt. Hand Makes Comparisons Be-
twccn City and Rural Schools.
COLUMBIA state>

one, >AeSOp, tellS us or certain
fox that gravely advised all Of his
friends in convention to have their
tails cut off because Of the alleged In
convenience and danger which said
tails entailed upon their possessors.
Somewhat likewise city folk and city
teachers arc given to commiserat ting
and patronizing the rural schools.
Now the rural schools need great
deal Of attention and improvement,
but there are rural schools and rural
schools. Many Of them have good
school houses, good teachers and rea-
sonably 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 the
studying Of things around them, and
one OF the agencies which have con-
tributed to their advancement has
been their school day OF sensible
length--not from sun to sun, but
from $50 in the morning to $50 in
the afternoon. In these schools the
supervision Of the chldren's study
has not been ideal, but there were
set apart regular periods for study
under the eye and direction Of the
teacher. The children Of these schools
carry their lunches and eat them,
though not warm, at sensible hour
in the day. Then, during the longer
recess periods, the teachers are the
companions Of the children to a de-
gree rarely reached by the city teach
ers with city children.
Docs Its Work Deliberately.
After all, is it not possible for our
highly organized city schools to learn
something from the better rural
schools? The rural school opens it's
daily session early, runs through its
schedule deliberately, intersperses
rccitations with study and relaxation,
provides q time for Il needed lunch,
does its school work chiefly at school
and Is through. In contrast, the city
school opens it's daily session late,
runs through it's daily schedule like
an express train, almost every minute
Of the teachers time is assigned to
recitations, the teacher and her pu-
pills meet only in the classroom, the
school closes early and-the children
go home to be taught by their moth
ers, because the teacher has had lit
tie or no timo to give assistance
where it was needed and when it was
needed. The close of the school day
finds the teacher more or less fa-
tgued, she carries home with her an
armiul Of written exercises, many Of
which should never have been writ
ten; she is hungry and oppressed.
Ravenously or languidly she eats af-
ter her fast, then she sits down to
read and correct that armful Of eX-
ercises. 1t is such moments that She
nn1 hof hnr nrly to I,D,
aho is uudorpajd.
IIow ~ It Win hex pupils? Al tho
close OF the school day they snatch
up few books, rush home as hungry
@s young bears to gUlY down their
lon,,. rush out to play or 10 the NOV
les or for a JOY ride, stay out until
dark or later, rush in to eat again,
sit down in the noise and confusion
Of the family freside to go through
the form Of studying for a period.
then fall asleep with lessons un-
learned. Day after day this routine
is gone through in the name of edu-
cation and being educated. What a
ludicrous performance! Any bust
ness enterprise or industrial plant
that would undertake to run on such
a schedule would be in the hands Of
a receiver in short order. and it's
managers would he objects Of ridi-
cule.
In tho industrial world we have
left behind us the twclve-hour work
day and tcn-hOur day, and many OF
lis are trying to reduce the eight
hour work day. All this is in the
world OF machinery in which one ma
chine does the work OF ten men, 20
mon, 90 men. In the intellectual
world things arc a little different.
There is yet no patent process where
by a group of children may be edu
Gated by attending school few hours
day, five days a week, SO weeks in
the year for six Or seven ycars--the
time at which the majority Of Amer
lean children leave school. 1t takes
time for the human mind TO grow and
for human character to be developed.
There is yet no royal road to learn
ing.
Advantages of Long School Day.
The advantages OF longer school
day with lunch period at school
would be:
The teachers without neglecting
the recitations would have more time
TO teach the children and to direct
the children in how to study.
The teacher would be able to re-
lcvc herself and her pupils Of some
OF the drudgcry Of written exercises.
Hundreds Of these exercises arc call
ed for simply because the teacher has
no other way to reach all her pupils
in the course Of the short school day.
The children would have The adj
vantage Of being drilled in their
Study and Of nttiup tho nrOpSr ac-
sistance and instructions when ii is
needed. Children need to be taught
how to study.