Evening star., 1932-03-16
IKR RAMER WOULD CUT HOME WORK
AND PROVIDE PUPILS LIBRARIES
Urges End of Burdensome
Lessons for Students
to Do at Night.
Ultimate Goal Is Revolution
ary Change in Whole
Program.

Drastic reduction in home work as
signments Tor pupils and the building
up of small working Libraries" at home
are advocated by Stephen E. Kramer.
first assistant superintendent of schools,
for the improvement Of the school
childs lot.
Mr.. Kramer Is particularly interested
in the reduction of might lessons" and
he foresees even the complete elimina-
ton of them. This ultimate goal, how
ever, he believes, will be q part of a
revolutionary change in the whole
school program, involving the estab-
lishment of year-around academic terms
and the further lengthening of school
days.
A revolutionary" on the subject Of
home work since his own years as an
elementary school teacher, Mr.. Kramer
for years has advised teachers to cut
down their lesson assignments. He has
urged particularly the elimination Of
all week end class assignments.
THE trouble with the home work
system Mr.. Kramer holds, lies in the
fact that it places a burden on parents
who undertake to do their children's
lessons for them"
Burden on Weary Child.
Pointing out that the usual o'clock
dinner schedule following the necessary
hour or two Of out-of-doors recreation
generally means a child can't begin his
home work until o'clock, Mr.. Kramer
says a child is too weary to accom-
pliSh the amount of work generally
given him by his teachers. Then the
parents, seeing the childs struggles, are
likely to step in and help him. This Is
particularly true OF the subject of arith-
metic, the educator believes. and the
parent aid frequently results in the
child reaching school the next day
unable to explain his" solutions to
his written problems.
Week end home work" Mr.. Kramer
said last night, should not be given
at all. If there is one night in the
week the child feels he has freedom it
is Friday night. On Saturday night his
parents may wish to enjoy some social
life or the child himself may not feel
like studying after the hard play that
his one free week day has given him.
Sunday afternoon generally is broken
into by dinner or guests and then Sum
day night the poor youngster awakens
to the fact that his lessons have not
been done SO he digs in with weary
sort of will, and the inevitable result
is blue Monday for him in Glass;
Commenting further on the week
end lesson question, Mr.. Kramer said
school. Mr.. Kramer believes Monday
should be set aside for that purpose
Hence there'd be no formal lessons to
be heard on the weeks first day. If a
child wishes to do some review work at
home over the week end, that should
be his own choice, but he should not be
burdened with any formal assignments.
Nothing Lost by Rest.
when I was teaching" Mr.. Kramer
recalled, Il never gave any home les
sons on Friday, and my pupils certainly
lost nothing by it, and I am OF the
opinion that they gained, If only by the
mental recreation that freedom gave
them"
If he sought to aid parents as well
as their children in his proposals con-
cerning home work, Mr.. Kramer was
less gentle in his discussion of the
average parents with respect to book
purchases. -,
Now that the free text book law
relieves parents of the expense of buy
ing full complement Of school
books" he said, "they certainly should
try to give their children at least
minimum working home library. They
should have a good dictionary, good
atlas and perhaps q simplif1ed ency-
clopedia."
His assertion that such books would
not be expensive was borne out by in
quiries at several leading book stores.
Two dollars will buy very good die
tionary; the atlas, containing ample
maps of various sorts, can be bought
for $3.50, and various forms of ency-
clopedias can be secured for as little as
So The last-named volume is a con-
else book, containing more than 10000
articles on all sorts of subjects about
which child might need information
in the limited research he is called
upon to do at home. Other encyclo-
pedic works can be had at IS volume
for a two-book edition, while a 12-
| volume work, now in process Of COM
pletion, will sell for s25, should the
more fortunately situated parents de-
sire more elaborate library for their
| children.
Mr.. Kramer believes also that insufi-
|