Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-06-28
What is Needed.
LANCASTER. june 23. 1883

schools Ladies and Gentlemen:
Monday evening July 2 is the time
appointed by law for holding the next
annual school meetings in this state,
and at that time you are expected to
assemble in your respective districts
and arrange for the management of
your school for the coming year. Much
of the success of the years work win
depend upon the unselishness of your
action in these meetings and the fidelity
of the officers in whom you place the
interests of the district.
This opportunity is taken for calling
your attention TO the fact that in many
districts there is urgent demand for
improvement of school house and
premises and that at no other time or
place can these things be better dis
cussed and settled than at this annual
meeting. If any improvements are
needed in your district, let them be
made at once Is it not poor policy to
put off until another year what demands
doing this? Does not correct policy
dictate that your children and your
teacher should at once have the benefit
of anything that is essential to their
welfare and the welfare of your school?
Some of the urgent needs of many
schools are here mentioned, your judg-
ment win tell you whether or not they
are what they ought TO be in your school.
A good black board is as essential to
good work in the school room as a good
pillow is to good work on a farm. Is
the black board in your school room
good and sufficient in quantity? If SO,
all right, if not, one of the first appro-
priations should be for a good black
board, or for more of it if there is not
already enough. If the present black
board needs stating, it is well to see
that it is done by the time the next term
of school commences. Ii new black
board is needed throughout do not at
tempt to make one by plastering on the
wall The chances are against its be-
! ing success in a country school room.
The best black board is one made of
slabs of slate sawed three feet square
and about three-eighths of an inch thick
1t can be put in your school room for
thirty cents per square foot. 1t never
needs repair and is practically everlast-
ing. This is the best but costs the most
to begin with. If the walls are smooth
MANILA paper neatly pasted on and
slated makes a good board and one that
with care, Will last a good while. There
| is also good canvass black board that
will cost about eighty cents per yard
/ 40 inches wide, that is well recon-
mended. A very good board can be
made from well seasoned lumber if it is
rightly prepared and slated. Painting
black board made of wood spoils it.
After the first coat is on the oil comes
/ to the surface and makes a gloss that
:
on it. Especial attention is called to
i blackboards because they are of the
/ first Importance. Every school should
have q few good outline maps for use
in the geography classes, These are
not for mere ornament but for use, and
the board should see that the teacher,
whoever he or she may be, does use
them. Geography, while one Of the
most important, can also be made the
most attractive and interesting even to
beginners by the intelligent use of out
line maps. A most excellent set of
eight maps, good size and in very
handsome case can be had for from 20
to 25 dollars. With anything like
decent care they ought to be good for
20 years at least, although in constant
use. Smaller maps can be had at
cheaper rates. A globe is not an essen
tial piece of apparatus, but can be used
to good advantage by an intelligent
teacher. A small one will answer all
purposes and the cost need not be more
than two or three dollars.
Seats and desks should receive your
attention, The uncomfortable desks
and seats in many schools are the
cause Of much fatigue, annoyance and
disorder. Many of them are also quite
destructive to clothing. They are also
frequently so arranged that it is almost
impossible for the pupils to learn to
write. Good desks ought to be good
for 20 or 80 years if the school house is
not turned into play ground, at recesses
and noon. If you have worn out, I'M
comfortable desks in.your school room
and can replace them with new ones,
your children will have cause to be
grateful to You, and they will make
greater progress in their studies, for it
/ is no easy task to study diligently
while uncomfortably seated Your
purpose in sending your child to school
/ is that he may secure an education. If
1 there is not a uniform series of text
books in use in your school, you can
do nothing that win add more to its
general welfare and lasting progress
/ than to adopt and put into use a uniform
set throughout. BY uniformity it is not
meant that the books should be all from
one publishing house, but simply that
all the pupils in one grade should use
the same kind of books. Some of our
schools are bothered with half dozen
different kinds of Arithmetics etc. thus
increasing the number of classes and
decreasing the amount of time which
can be given to each class, This point
is one of the first importance and can
not lay too strong claim TO your atten-
/ ton.
Two well built, respectable out houses
should be found on every school ground.
They should be kept neat and always
in good repair. Common decency as
well as the health and morals of your
! children imneratiyely demands this and