Evening star., 1937-10-29
OverWOrking
On Studies
Harmful
Missed Lessons No
Excuse for Risk
y Of Ill.Health.
By ANGELO PATRI.

II HAVE room in the car for one
more. Could Jean come along?"
II wish she could. Shed love it.
She is crazy about the camp, but she
has so much studying to do. She works
about six hours after school. Some
times it is after IL when she stops.
She's doing two terms in one, so she
can graduate in June with her old
class. You know, she lost a whole term
because of that illness"
That is not good. Six hours of work
after a school day of earnest effort
such as this child put in is too much
for the health of an adolescent girl
Her chief duty, the first one her par
ents should consider, is the growth OF
her body. She needs IL to II hours of
sound sleep. She ought not TO be
worked to the limit of her strength
daily. 1t is not safe to use up every
atom of energy a child possesses. There
must always be margin of safety.
Graduating in June meant gradu-
alton from college year earlier, a saw
ing of a years time in high schol for
Jean, but it was to be saved at the risk
Of her health, and the price and its
threat are too great. There is no hurry
about graduation. I know that it seems
fl1O,tnI, MnnaU ic
scarce; life is uncertain; better work
while there is time and chance.
Yes, because life is uncertain, so un-
certain that nobody can foretell the
future of any child, or his own for that
matter, and because the balance is al
ways in favor of youth in the time re-
lation, why hurry? Health must come
first. Growth, try as you may, cannot
be hurried. An illness that took out
a years schooling, or even one terms
work, is not good basis for the idea
that extra work is helpful. 1t ought
to be a caution. Don't try to make
time. You cant do it, anyway. and
even should you push the child along
to be graduated with her class, what
of it? Lessons have little relation to
growth, or health, or spiritual power.
For these time is needed.
The child who has failed in his
terms work and cannot be promoted
is often sent to Summer school to
make up his work. Whether this is a
good plan depends upon the reason for
the failure. If the child is perfectly
strong and well, and lost his work for
some outside reason, the scheme may
work. But, and this is very often the
case, if the child failed because he was
not mentally prepared for the work
studying under pressure during the va
cation months rarely helps.
Drill, or pressure, does not help the
backward child. 1t helps the child who
is really fit and who has a basic no
tion of the work, but it confuses and
wearies the backward child and leaves
him worse off than before.
The best treatment to give the
backward child is rest, change of
occupation for the vacation period.
Send him back to school refreshed in
body and mind, and if there is any
chance for him he has it then. The
overdriiled, overroutined child goes
back to school tired of the whole busi-
ness. Consider well before using a va
cation period for makeup lessons.
Mr.. Patri has prepared a leaf1et
entitled "a Book List" giving the titles
of a wide variety of books all children
should read. Send for it, addressing
your request to Mr. Angelo Patri, Child
Psychology Department of this paper.
Inclose self-addressed, stamped g.
cent? envelope
Copyright. 1879