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Show OUR EDUCATORS ARE WEAK ON THE SUBJECT The last Issue of the Utah Educational Educa-tional Review contains two references to the Heywood banquet hold In tho Weber club, at which tho half-day school question was discussed. There Ib an editorial comment by W. G. Roylance, one of the editors, In which tho statement Is made that tho plan Is In operation in many parts of the country, nnd has proved very advantageous. He speaks of Cincinnati Cincin-nati as one of these places. Wo tako Ifbuc with Mr. Roylance on this point. We know of no city In the United Stntes where the half-day school exists ex-ists except In a very limited degree and not as a part of an entire school system. In Cincinnati there is a school for abnormal children, attond-ed attond-ed by some CO pupils, which has a half-day plan, As we explained yesterday, yes-terday, tho much discussed Gary system, sys-tem, referred to as a half-day affair, Is, to tho contrary a whole-day system, sys-tem, and a very long day at that, school opening at 8 a. m., nnd continuing con-tinuing until 10 p. m., with the children chil-dren constantly under the directing Influence of the teachers. In Ogden the children were to be turned back to the uncertain supervision of parents par-ents or sent Into tho business or factory fac-tory districts to seek work during j half the day. Mr. Roylance seems to recognize one weakness In the local plan, as hs says in his editorial that It probably will prove that a necessary feature of any part-time plan will be the "extension "ex-tension of the Influence and direction of the teachers Jnto the lives of pupils pu-pils outside the school." Turning over tho pages of this Edu catlonal Review, we find on page 12 a description of the buildings nnd appliances ap-pliances of the University of Utah which could be devoted exclusively to agriculture, nature study, domestic science, domestic art, industrial art and manual training, and the question ques-tion 13 suggested: Why, In this trial school of Utah, with all the grades represented, Is not the half-day scheme experimented with before, being tried on the chll-J dren of Ogden? Professor Bennlon and Professor Kingsbury arc controlling forces In the University. If they are convinced convinc-ed that the half-day plan is the right thing, why do they fall to put It into effect In tho school over which they have authority a school which admittedly ad-mittedly Is equipped with- all the apparatus ap-paratus necessary to a trial of the system under most favorable conditions? condi-tions? That neither Kingsbury nor Bennlon Ben-nlon has a clear Idea of what would ,be required in detail to put In. force a half-day plan Is Indirectly admitted admit-ted by Bonnlon in this same issue of the Educational Rovlcw, from which this paragraph Is taken: "Tho only scientific way to test the THEORY Is to put It Into practice and measuro results. Will some city, or rural school .district, join henrt and head with a superintendent of schools in giving tho plan a fair trial?" Again, we ask, Why not try' the thing out at tho University of Utah? Roylance. In his article, says: "In adjusting to Industrial needs arc wc to add to the existing curriculum curri-culum or to displace some of the subjects sub-jects already Included In It?" If Mr. Roylance, In reaching a conclusion, gained no better grasp of the problem than to bo left In con fusion as to one of tho very first steps to be taken, his understanding Is not to be accepted as other thar superficial. |
