The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-03-08
EDUCATIONAL.
Talks on Educational Topics.

There are several courses for the
town boards of school directors. One
is to abolish all the schools in the town
except one or two, make these as good
as possible, and transport all the child
rem living in other parts OF the town to
these central schools. Another way is
to allow all the schools to 90 on just as
they have in the past. Possibly this
might in some towns be best for term
or two, especially if there is great
prejudice against the new law; but in
most towns there are small schools
which for very obvious reasons ought
to be discontinued. so far as dollars
and cents are concerned, il will be much
less expense to the town to carry five
or six children from some back district
to central school than to support a
school in the district; but it will be
best in most towns to make changes
gradually, to give the people time to
think the matter over and see for them.
selves that the consolidation of schools
is the best way.
If every candid, thinking farmer in
Vermont would say, 81 am going to
do all l can to aid in carrying out the
provisions of the new law; am bound
to see it have fair trial in this state
and see If we do not thereby secure
better schools There would be little
trouble. The one great trouble is prob
ably going to be the distance some will
have to 90 TO school. The transporta-
ton problem will be one of the most
knotty ones the directors will have to
solve. A few figures from Massachu-
setts may be of interest. They are for
1912. The state paid over $50 600
for transportation of pupils. One
county paid S5.657 90. Four towns
paid over 81 ,000-the town of Concord
paying 81 ,422. But most of the towns
paid small sums from FIVE dollars up
wards. A large number of township
-expend money for transportation of
pupils. The report saya that it is found
10 be an economical investment, an
actual saving in money, to bring the
children together at the public expense
rather than maintain separate schools
in the outlying districts.
One thing needs to be said: 1t will
not be right to subject the children to
either bodily or moral harm while being
carried TO and from school. No cousid-
erations of economy would justify the
carrying children in cold or wet weather
with insufficient protection. Nor would
any consideration whatever justify the
employing driver who used profane
or indecent language, nor should such
language be permitted among the chill
dren. In fact, the only proper way is
to employ drivers who will see that good
| order IS kept among the children while
being carried. Little children who are
carried a distance from home must be
carefully looked after by the teachers
or some one appointed for that purpose.
In order to make the law success, the
parents must be made to feel that THEN
title children are being kindly cared
| for.
In the ordinary mixed schools, if the
| school is large the teacher cannot spend
much time in teaching the youngest
pupils and in such cases, if the parents
are of ordinary intelligence, do not see
the use of sending young children tt
school. The teacher cannot spenc
more than five minutes or SO day witt
the pupil, and it would seem in many
cases better for the parents to spend {
little time in teaching the child to reat
and spell. There are some very elab
crate systems of teaching children &c
read, aud no doubt the word and sen
tence method is better than the old A
B c method. The best book hav'
ever found TO use at home is "The Be
ginner's Reader" by 7, T. Collard. l
introduces only one word at time, ant
can be used with any series of readers
Another very useful work is " Preparing
| n
is not at all difficult TO use. An elah
crate work is Badlam's " Suggestiv
Lessons in Language and Beading
This is specially for teachers, and Gov
ers the ground thoroughly.