Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-10-24
Report Of the Superintendent
or Common Schools Thu, ston Co.

vi CIuunOu SCHOOLS nue 6tOn Co.
EplroE STANDARD:
Will you kindly devote space tor
the following exhibit Of the public
school affairs in Thurston County.
Cards have been sent to all the
school clerks giving the amount of
money apportione3;
\umher of school districts "a
Increase III ilv" years. 4
Number OF >cnool house, No. l has3 IS
Increase i'll five years.. ... Z
No of school children this year. $50. ], ass
Increase III five Years ............ 346
Number of school children last year ! 1874
Number of teachers . 40
Increase III llNe years ............... %
Total amount of school tax last year
Fund from Judge Ready, for fines, l25 90
Fund from K. . Erien, for fines 1850
Northern Pacific delinquent
~ deducted. S435 20
Total amour: apportionrd ..... 703S IS
Amount left after apportionment. So W.
Valuation Of property IN county
School tax levied at 2ls mills .7,e7s.z Is
school fund, fines. from keady's
school fund, fines, fro from District a."
Court. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 800
Total amount, after deducting
81 UeO, tor year ending June 30,
1900 ............ ..-............ 6.9l9.2l
Number of children of school age. ,485. 90
Appointment Tor each child. S4.65.
Amount left over, 1886.
Last year each pupil received 5 Is
making l % more per capita than
for this year. We had fondly hoped
to make better showing. To bring
about needed results we must have
more money for school purposes.
Many districts have but three months
school during the year. Would our
patrons in town be satisfied with
that for their children? 1t may
seem presumtious for one not versed
in financial and political affairs to
suggest that in as much as there is
large surplus of money in the Ter
ritorial treasury, if the next Legis-
lature would reduce the Territorial
tax one mill, and County Com
missioners add one mill to the
school tax, the educational fund
would be materially increased With
out working any hardship to the tax
payer? A four mill tax on orr pres
ent valuation of property would give
us respectable footing until We are
admitted as q State.
In most of the country districts
ths terms are too short and wages
too low to attract teachers of expe-
rience. Our better qualified teach.
ers are deserving Thurston for coun-
ties where higher wages are paid ;
but we are pleased to note that most
of our young teachers show o grow.
ing interest in their profession. The
result of the several examinations
made during the two years of office.
shows that in some of our rural dis.
tricts the work accomplished com.
pares favorably with that in our ex-
cellent city schools. The children
read more Auently and intelligently
and with better expression. Begin
ners are taught to call words at sight
and to understand their meaning.
More attention is paid to copying
words and sentences from reading
lessons. Short study and frequent
recitation periods, alternating with
recreation, characterizes the pro-
gramme of some of our teachers.
Furnish children with plenty of
hard work, and change the work at
the study seats at short intervals,
and they will not grow weary of
school duties. Choice selections of
prose and poetry are committed and
recited in several of our districts.
This will be more generally required,
if the directions in our new readers
are observed. Pupils are encour-
aged to describe in their. own Ian
guage what they have learned in
their reading lessons. Every pro-
cess in early number lessons are il
Illustrated by means of objects. Each
exercise should be a lesson in Ian
guage or grammar. The live teach
er will insist on readiness and cor
rectness of examination, and require
the pupil to speak as much as possi-
BILE. But I am exceeding the bounds
Of a report.
Any aid in securing teachers, or
information regarding county school
matters dsired, will be cheerfully
given, if possible, by
p. c. HALE,
School Supt. of Thurston Co.