Boston YMHA Hecht House

              Henry Ehrlich. M. d.
178 COMMONWEALTH AVE.
BOSTON.   MASS.
ame room teaches them vital lessons in team play and considerat-
.ves twem relaxation and freedom.  It might easily be i -
troduced into our pro,     or the little boys several times a week,
if it is supervise .
on,  who sturte; work with problem boys lost interest
in the work, and was not willing to 2o home visiting.  I did not a-
gree with her philosophy of disci;line, found it too burdensome a
task to take up with her in detail, and did not make an ef.ort to
re-secure her.  I felt that her ideas of discipline were not applicable to Hecht House.  Frankly, however, this wos inefficiency on my
part to allow her to leave, regardless of what she had to offer,
ws Levohn, because of '.he nature of her work (landswiramin
could handle but a few     .  It was also necessary for the boys to
remove their shoes, anu the small boy who would not delight In running gleefully about the hall in his stocking.; feet is rare.  Our five
hoys proved themselves to be very normal in this respect, and became
difficult to hanolle.  Miss Levohn was given a , roup of , iris which
was very successful.
Leo Moodman, who started a group in aircraft, a project which
fascinated the older after.ooon boys, v/as needed at home, and was unable to continue the class,  Another year this should he continued,
*&.   the materials are at hand.
Ith one or two exceptions,"the disturbing elements" or disconcerting individual problems occured among the afternoon boys who
are older and also belonLj in the evening groups.  I think that it
does not seem fair to exclude them from the afternoon classes, but
in many cases tney are too old to be handled effectively by women
volunteers and wor.ers, and present a problem in the corridors, by
being noisy,     ...  owts and hats, breaking into classes, etc.
The same boys are not problems when they are in art or wood worki
classes.  Thus, I Lelieve another year they should be allowed in the
buildin, on those lays only that they have definite classes.  Several
of them also do excellent clay and lea'.her work.  However, I am not
sure that they should te taught in the same classes v/ith the younger
boys.  The senior hoys who have he^n in the House this winter because
of unemployment, and sometimes the midgets and junior boys are undesirable in ths; clusses of the little boys because of their objectionable language, habits, and conversation.
We have allowed the boys to take home what ever boats, toys, and
gifts that they have made this year, rather than to save them for
exhibition purposes.
I should like to mention here that Miss Lexenberg has given much
assistance to me in planning holiday programs and parties, and in
supervising the groups for which I am responsible when I could not
do so.  Mr. hotenberg, I     ve has handled the boys exceptionally
well, and has kept their ea< ei Arterest in art and wood working.
Several pronounced "impossible" older boys have done excellent work
in his classes.  Archie 'laser handled his c.roup well, as did Hyra;.n
Naglin, whose attendance was less regular.
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