Marist School - Guidon Yearbook (Atlanta, GA)

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boy's co-operation in his own advancement. Without it his mind is left untouched-his intellectual faculties do not act: they remain undeveloped. An essential means of education is missed. The student must give of his own: and it is by building according to the guidance given him in the class that he successfully realizes the scheme of mental improvement. No homework is asked of him that is not easily deduced from what has been fully explained by the professor. lf the homework proves beyond his strength, the reason is not that too much is demanded of him, lzut that he has not used well the opportunities of his class. The College gives then to homework equal prominence. if possible, with class-work. lt requires that homework be done with the utmost cxactness, neatness and fullness. School closes daily at 2 p. m. Parents are requested to hold their children to strict account for the disposition of their time after that hour. lt is hoped that parents will realize the fact that, as a rule. to pursue successfully a course of study, will require all the time of the pupil: and that it is, therefore. undesirable that any encroachment upon his time be made by the pursuit of any business occupation or by an excessive indulgence in so- cial amusements. To secure the best results, it is necessary that the attendance be regular. lfailure in studies is usually traceable to absence frem recitation. The parents are asked to aid the teachers, so that there may be no absences, tardi- ness, or difmissals, except in case of necessity. ln order that the work of the school may be well done. it is necessary that the daily recitations should be prepared out of school hours, and if a pupil does not study at home. that fact should be considet'ed prima facie evidence that he is not faithfully doing his work. lt is recommended that the parent or grardian of every pupil assist him in making a sys- ematic schedule of studv for each day of the week, showing the time and place for the preparation of each lesson. 9. Th C m- Tlere we must remind parents of the attitude pu:A?ter of the school toward the use by their boys School of the college campus. gymnasium., shower- Hours baths, etc., after school hours: During school ' hours, for the regular recreations, and for the obligatory military and physical periods, the campus is used bv all the pupils of the school, and by order of the school. liut after school hours, for afternoon recreation and for free athletic development, the campus is used only by those who have the consent of their parents and the consent of their teachers. All may use the campus: but those whose parents object, or those who have not fulfilled their duties in all respects may be debarred the use of the campus. A word from the parents, as a word from the teachers will be suffi- cient to rule a pupil oft' the campus for a definite or an indeli- nite time. The school would have its patrons understand that it is a privilege granted to all the pupils to use the campus after school hours: but the school would have its patrons understand equally clearly that it does not consider itself responsible for anv loss of time which might be consequent upon the abuse of the privilege. To secure the co-operation of the parents, a 10. Reports. double report. of the boy's efforts on the one hand, and of his srccess on the other. is made monthly. lt is made seriously and at great cost of time and labor to the teachers. A maximum mark, 100 per cent,- whieh should mean, if it means anything at all. a maximum excellence, a relative perfection.-is not to be looked for: nor will it be often found. lint 80 per cent, the Honor Mark, can be obtained by the correctly graded pupil. 60 per cent. generally. is the pass mark. There is a wide margin between a poor daily average of an hour-and-a-half home work, and a worthwhile daily average of three hours home work: and the monthly report of 60's or of 80's is, generally, the correct register of the home application. 10

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Character has more to do with the boy's success and happi- ness now and in after years, and with his usefulness to oth- ers, than have the extent and adequacy of the school building and plant, bodily development or even intellectual training. By all means, these important matters must not be neglected, but due formation of character and the independence of the pupil are of more consequence than all of them combined. So, besides the usual constant instilling of the Christian principles of morality and the daily training in the practice of them, in the class room, on the campus even after school hours, as stated above, through the military, towards instruc- tors and fellow students, there are special conferences on politeness and on character several times a week. lint as education is the responsibility of the 7. Parental , parents, a responsibility which can never be C0-0pera- entirely delegated to the school, it is clear ation. that, even thus complete on the College side, it must inevitably fail, if it have not the con- stant supervision and co-operation of the parents. ' lint a merely passive, negative co-operation is by no means enough. lt is not satisfying their obligations if parents re- fuse to ask for their son unreasonable exemptions-such as, for instance, 'permission to leave school before the last class, in order to attend a matinee. lt is not living up to their duty to rest content with seeing that their boy does not miss school except for gravest reasons. arrive late, appear without uni- form or dress untidily. Parents are bound also to a lively interest in the boy's work. They should enquire about it, watch how it is done, notice the marks gained, the rank ob- tained, the punishments inHieted. etc., etc. They should keep before their son's mind the one general object of all his studies. They should see that he applies himself seriously two or three hours daily at home-the College strongly sug- gests from four to six in the afternoon, and another hour in the evening or early morning. And while abstaining scru- pulously from affording help in the written exercises, they should insist that these be completed. They are held even more strictly to deliberately back the efforts and approve the action of the professors, reserving for private explanations with the Vice-President of the College whatever they find faulty in character or method. Naturally. too, by word as well as by example, they will help the College to make character in their son's mind dis- tinctlv paramount to learning or to mere intcllectuality. Only thus. when the College and the home work hand in hand, can a just expectation be had of educational progress: nor is the parent who leaves the guarding and stimulating of a boy entirely to the College, who asks for excuses on the slightest pretext, or who condones what the College authority condemns, quite consistent in his surprise and vexatlon at a disappointment not altogether uncaused by himself. But if both school and home, with patience and self-sacrifice, assist the boy daily. who can tell the glorious results? The College urges upon parents the duty of coming frequently to the school during class hours. that through interchange of light upon the doings and the character and the hopes of the boys, these may be better helped by both teachers and parents. And here we would call the close attention 8. Homework. of parents to a matter, the importance and scope of which is oftentimes misunderstood. l-imnc work, written and unwritten, is an indispensable, ele- mental and integral part of' the Marist educational scheme. When principles. rules and theories have been explained in class, when analyses have been outlined, methods shown, models exposed. it is necessarv that the pupil tix them indel- ibly and practically in his intelligence. There is only one way to do this: bv himself working out the analysis, copying the methods, applying thc-'rules and committing to memory the valuable facts. This is the pupil's original contribution, the 9

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The disparity between the marks in the monthly report, which are for daily recitations and those for eonipetitions CSee page 11, No. 31 or examinations CSCC page 11, 2nd para- graphj is explicahle. The daily lessons are answered orally and are fresh in the memory, besides being brief: wltile the questions in competitions on matters seen some time previous and already blurred by fresher knowledge, are to be answered in writing and are consequently more closely noted. A further point to he observed is that sometimes a boy receives very good marks for application and rather poor marks for recitations or homework, W'illiugness and success are broadly difl'erent things. Monthly reports are not sent out for December and May, their place being taken in those months hy notilication of the examination results. ' The reports are marle for and to the parents. Thev should be carefully scrutinized and, if necessary, discussed ivith the Vice-President. They should be returned to the Vice-l resi- dent within the week of issue. III. EXAMINATIONS The litness of an applicant for the work of l. Entrance any class is not determined by his grading in Examina- the school he previously attended: it is ascer- tion. tained by written examinations. The year's work in any class calls for specilic knowl- edge on which to build and is impossible without this knowl- edge. lf, however, a boy proves delicient in one subject only, he may be allowed a brief time in which to overcome his de- liciency. The rule is inflexible that before promotion 2. Term must come examination. Neither ahsence nor Examina- sickness excuses. A boy must obtain a pass tions. average in each of the main subjects. Should he fail within ten poittts to reach any of these farm averages, he is allowed as a favor to stand an oral ex- amination in the lmranches of that subject, to see if he can raise his average to the required ligure. He is said to be conditioned in that subject. Should he succeed the second time he is counted as having passed. There are two of these general written examinations, one at the close of each term, in December and in June. The re- sults of the former are averaged with those of the latter, in order to decide promotion. A useful educational means is the competi- , m '- .... . . 3 C0 pen tion or private written examination, given at tions a . . . Monthlnd the will of each professor,on special portions of Examhfai the programme recently covered. lt tests not tions so much suFhciency of knowledge., as excel- lence, and is of great advantage in securing a partial revision and stunming up of work done. The results are proclaimed and kept for Iixing, together with the daily recitations and homework notes, both monthly standing and the class prize. Of a somewhat clififerent character is the monthly competi- tion, or examination, which is designed to make sure of the ground gone overi during the preceding month, both as to amount and thoroughness. This is a test of the class as well as the individual boy. It also counts in determining a boy's standing and promotion. While tl1e principle of prize-giving is unas- 4. Prizes. sailable, its abuse, often made to gratify par- ents, is absurd. To multiply prizes or to cheapen them is to destroy 'their significance. I . 11