(Signed) Mrs. C. D. French,
Signature of Parent or Guardian.
A comparison of Leon Noel's home credit record on his slip with the record in the principal's book shows that while he has 405 credits on the former he is credited with only the required 210 on the record. C. C. Calavan, the principal, expects to allow a holiday, or grant additional credit on school work another year, for credits above the half-hour a day. The children of the school at first insisted on making an hour's work the minimum for a day's credit, but Mr. Calavan decided to start conservatively. It will be noticed that Leon Noel lost three points in each of the last two weeks of February. This was because he was not in bed before nine every evening. Mr. Calavan says he is going to change his plan along this line next year, granting three or four evenings a month when a child may be in bed a little later than nine without forfeiting credits. He believes that a happy, wholesome evening, spent in play with companions, has a very valuable place in the child's development.
Sunday-school and church attendance has become popular in Algona since school credit has been given for it. The little daughter in a non-church-going family had never attended any church services until it was brought out that the other children at school were getting credit for such attendance. The parents dressed the little girl for Sunday school, and sent her off, determined that their child should not be left out in the home credit game.
A boy's record was perfect, except that he did not have a church attendance recorded. On inquiry the principal found that Albert's family was of the Seventh Day Adventist faith, and that the boy was at church as regularly as Saturday came. He was at once given credit. The children of the Catholic faith are given credit for attending the catechism class that meets in the schoolhouse Tuesday afternoons.
"The people took hold," said Mr. Calavan. "The Parent-Teachers' Association is enthusiastic over the plan, and is doing all possible to help. Two decided results that home credits have brought about are that we have a much neater, better-kept class of pupils, and our boys are off the streets. Several persons have remarked to me that the school was doing something with the boys, surely, for they all seemed to be busy after school."
The system introduced in Portland, Oregon, schools, is the daily record and weekly report plan. The following suggestions were sent out early in 1914 by the Portland office:—
Suggestions for using the "Home Record Slip"
The regular monthly report card should contain two extra columns, one entitled "Home Work" and one "Personal Care," and in these columns the pupil should be marked on the scale of 100.
One hundred per cent in the "Home Work" column would be secured by a daily record of not less than one half-hour of approved work for seven days each week.
One hundred per cent in the "Personal Care" column would be secured by daily practice of numbers A, B, C, and D for seven days of the week, and for attendance upon some religious service. Twenty per cent could be allowed for each number and twenty per cent for attendance at church or Sunday school.
The matter of bathing should not be interpreted to refer strictly to tub baths, since in large families daily tub baths are sometimes impracticable, and inability to make a good showing on the card would have a tendency to discourage.
Different plans of reward for a given number of minutes devoted to work during a week are outlined in the pamphlet, "School Industrial Credit for Home Industrial Work." These, however, may be modified or enlarged to suit. All time, including the half-hour a day and the amount allowed for all other operations, should be counted toward a specified total necessary to earn the reward.