HOME WORK.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVIII, Issue 11334, 30 July 1897, Page 6

HOME WORK.

TO THE EDITOR. Sie, —Ifc is a long,time, I fear, since ;that “ Sydenham Schoolgirl,” left of , wearing short frocksj but we are glad to learnirow smarb-she island what a help to her .mother and her sisters and her cousins and her aunts?' But this is T 'how it is with usl have five nephews attending school, four of whom have home workset them. Wo live mostly in our kitchen. After tea the table is cleared, arid do what we may and help how we can it is half-past eight before that table is clear' again.-, So 'long 'as,-' the children are at their books I cannot r do any sewing, knitting or darning, so that I have to sit far into the night to get anything done for myself, as I have to be at business by 9 a.m. How if all this overwork was gain to the children I would be quite pleased and happy to help, but I think six hours’ hard study is quite enough for any boy or girl tinder fourteen years of. age, and the net result of it all is, the glorification of the teaching staff and their chance of a better billet. It is cram, simple cram. Only one child in a thousand is able to assimilate all that is stuffed into them; but then they are passed the sixth standard at fourteen years of ago. But perhaps it is the fault of the system more than that of the teacher. Now I don’t remember seeing one letter from a head-master amhngst the hundreds on this subject that have appeared in your columns and, those of other newspapers throughout the colony Theymust havestroug opinions on the irmtter. One strong argument' in my opinion is that home work so much takes the place of what shouTcbbe that quiet hour before bed the children’s hour—instead of the worry over sums, maps, grammar, history,

spelling and composition till everyone is tired of it all) night after night. Hours after one and another of the children will start up in his sleep and shout out a solution of some problem. Now then, my masters, what say you ? Or ■ are the mothers to take the matter in hand ? They can soon make an end of all the trouble — and they will.—l am, &c., AUNT JANET.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Will you allow me a small space in your valuable paper to reply to “ Sydenham Schoolgirl”? In her letter she states that she has to get up in the morning and get her sisters’ break p ast. Well, to my mind, I would be ashamed to admit that I had such lazy sisters as to allow a little girl of ten to get their breakfast. —I am, &c„ anti-boasting.

TO THE EDITOR. : Sir, —May ,1- answerSydenham Schoolgirl’s ” 'letter? '1 think 1 shd has been indulging in a little self-praise at the expense.'pf: her schoolmates; 1 used-to; attend Sydenham School, and j I do not think all the* liome-les_sohs given there require much perseverance to get prepared. For years there has been no regular written work, and very little to prepare. They generally have time to learn any spelling they may have in school, and always have real the lesson from which it is taken, beforehand. There are four of us, and three still attend the school, and though we are neither very clever nor, like our little friend, very persevering, wohave never had very many mistakes in,' spelling, or in anything else, for that matter. Of course, as our old , mistress said, “ If children will not attend ,to work in school while lessons are going on, they must make up for lost time out of school.” And in my opinion, if boys and girls would do their best in school hours, it would not take either much perseverance or cleverness to do all that is expected in the way of home-lessons, and there would be less comp 1 aints, both from teachers and scholars. —I am, Ac., ANOTHER SYDENHAM GIRL.