The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-01-03
A WORD WITH PAREETs..

A WORD eth PARENTS.
In the Annual Report Of the schools
ef-Lyon county there were several things
70 be particularly noticed. and among
these things that they should see that their
children were regular 10 their attendance
at school. List gear the percentage of
attendance eas only about 63. 100 of those
enrolled, aud one or two of. the poorest
schools we're eft gu. at that, Wbich would
double have reduced the average to
about 60 per cent. This is certainly q |
very bad showing for county that votes /
money as freely as this does for school |
houses and schools. II is not to be sup |
i.nossd possible 10 make the attendance 100
s,cs-Ass and certain necessities a,
hom. o.. comp... nnavoidably. some ir-
regularity but We ought 70 make show
ing OF nearly if not quite 90 Der -ns
Ten or fifteen per cent. should be reg.srd-
ed IS . very eide margin for those cases
where pupils are of necessity detained Al
home. The facts before Us indiSate most
alarming evil. The figures do not show
the real losses to the schools. Five OF the
schools recorded 80. and Two reported IS
i This is fair. bar Eve reported under 50.
! This irreguiarity of attsndaoce affects not
only the absen.ees but the whole school,
keeping classes back, dess@oying interest
in study. aud disconraging the ,,eachers.-
/ During the past year some fifteen thous-
aud dollars have been expended in the
county for school purposes-lui.e little
amount for Us 90 raise with our other *
lpepduures: aud get shall not exceed the
truth when I-ssy that, more Cham one half
4 the amount has been thrown away, so far
as any. bsns6t the cou6ty is concerned.
Every teacher and intelIigens obseIvss Of
schools viii concur 10 the opinion that
3 with an. attendance ranging SO low as So
per cent. not near one hsis OF the bene.
fit which might and ought to he derived
from school will accrue to the commu
t nifty. This is most serious evil TO which
! The attention Of the friends of schools con
not be too urgently directed and it is also
exceedingly discreditable to district aod
community. Il shows that there is some
thing wrong somewhere, and We must
agiIate the mstter until the evil is felt aud
, remedi4d. -. sefles v.r5f
1 Look at the following statement made
BY the teacher in district No. 8, fire.
mont It is SO suggestive that I take it
separately. This District is quite email
aud poor. but taxes itself very heavily ia
| order to keep up school for the bsnef
, of their children; but look at the report
. Il is not pleasant to bring these facts to
the light, but our schools are public in i.
situations and we mat look well to their
, welfare. On the Grst week there were D.
, rolled 10 pupils. consequently there were
S5 school days to thoscchildren that week
IL ~
fdeys absences and Is days tardiness., An
oninous bsgianiag. Sumo com menced
J with the fret day. SONS with the second
! day, and so on through the week. while
y the strength of others would not carry
8 them five days ~i,hout the appearance 90
the record OF 2o4 days of absences. Tbs
second week sew q moro were enrolled
making whole numbers 90, consequently
/. $50 school davs: members reported pres.
y eut. SO: absences worse than before. AZ;
II hardness, IL. Third week SO enrolled
/ so school days: 81 present; absences,
: 43; hardness, 80 Fourth -vsek, SO en-
b rolled: 100 day o: SO presen.: SO absences
i 10 taldiness. Fifth week. So were en-.
II rolled. SIKH weed, SO were on the reg.
), ister. These facts speak for themselves
! Here is district voting / s mill tax foI
. schools aud then foolisbIy, nay culpably
. neglecting to improve the privileges tina
g have been provided for the benefit of tn
III children. But the worst of the matter
this is not a solitary case There are ssy
eEal dietricis whose reporte have not eou'
J in .ha, apprehend viii make lit,le bet
Il Ter sho wing.
II Subjoiusd is semi mon,hly report fr On
part of the schools, made at the reques
of the Superintendent. 1t is expecis
that every school 10 progress will be re
ported in the semi-monthly report. 8
. that the people may see what each neigh
IL borhood is doing and thus provoke .o1
if another to good works.
>. G. G. MORSE, County Sup't.