The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1942-02-05
A COMMENT ON
SIX-DAY SCHOOL

A COMMENT ON
SIX-DAY SCHOOL
For more than twenty years
we have planned and labored
to institute one of the best
school systems.
Under the guise of Patriotism
two groups of men have taken
the first steps to put our school
system on the toboggan.
The one group was represent
ted by a small group of its
membership; of these, not one
is representative of either the
farmer or the parent of school
children. The other members
of this group thought they were
representing the wishes of our
parent group.
Most of our trustees thought
they had been properly advised
as to the wishes of the parents
in our community. I believe
none of them went out to learn
the wishes of their constituency.
Any Defense Measure Must
Be Constructive
Is any measure that pulls our
school system from her high
place constructive?
The sugar beet fields repre-
sent the only field eligible for
i child labor. We have no S for
this class of labor during the
month of May.
High school youth will nor
maily be out of school in plenty
of time to assist in field work
so there is no virtue in disrupt
ing our regular procedure here.
There has been some argu-
ment that teachers could get
other jobs. For my part, we
need every good teacher on our
payroll, and I shall insist on a
schedule which pays our teach
erS twelve times each year, with
an added premium to those
teachers who enhance their
value through travel or by at
tendance at some good school
during the vacation period.
We need our teachers - but
those good enough to get other
Jobs will be able to secure bet
, ter wages, better hours, less re-
sponsibiiity, and better working
conditions! Why then should
they return to US in the fall
for a bob-tail term of school?
Would that constitute a recon-
mendation for any teacher?
We recogn!Ze: some of the
boys and girls will be needed
next fall. They will be needed
for late harvest and threshing.
Some will be needed in the su-
gar peet harvest. A few will top
sugar beets, only a few.
Now let me ask you: if you
be the parent of five children
of school age: how many of
these are eligible for field work
in the fall? If you will check
up, YOU will find the answer to
be one. Now, if you have needed
your youngSter you have hereto
fore kept him out as you re-
quired: while the others went
to school. When you finished,
your youngster re = entered
school.
Here is a thought our farm
ing trustees did not get: This is
a sugar measure primarily. We
will grant we are all sugar
minded since sugar has become
necessary in producing explos-
ives. But, none of us can use
our youngsters in the beet
fields for more than three weeks
working time. Most of us will
have finished with our children
in two weeks.
Viewing these facts, why shor-
ten our school term.
Were there no other argu-
ment: Six school days are too
many, and the strain too great,
for most of our school children.
The teachers are never con-
sidered-they are only paid. Too
often the teacher is begrudged
his salary. Often the salary is
just a little short on one end
that end before pay day, and we
have things to say about the
teacher. There should be a back
kick to that.
Many of our people are afraid
to speak their mind for fear
of being called pro-something
or other. Let us not forget the
fifth columnist has adopted Just
those tactics to cover up his
own meanneSS.
In closing - school is our
first line of preparedness, an
other term for defense. We are
all for defense: Can we be less
than all for school?
J. Ernest Weinberg.