Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1893-09-27
Grading Country Schools.
To The School Boards, Teachers
and Trustees 0f Wayne C0un-
tn, ". 70:

cora wafer powers ana the opposi-
tion of the ono book people aud
those who believe in the "good old
way" the good work goes right on
in some of the counties of this
State. What is meant by Grad
ing Country Schools2 1t means
that if earnestly and honestly per-
sisted in that every pupil attend
ing the schools of Wayne county
shall march intelligently 70: ward
until the course prescribed by
law, aud prepared by the State
Supt. is successfully completed !;
it is giving our schools an onward
start and allowing them TO nolonger
drift along from year to year &C
cording to the particular within of
every individual teacher and
school board. In Mononga'ia and
/ believe Marshall and II few other
counties, tho pupils of their
schools are taking theirproper place
in the grades Of their schools with
a determination to complete
the course. 1t means that there is
no more turning back when n n ew
teacher comes along and takes hold
of a school. The classification
record shows just where every pu-
pill belongs and the teacher taking
up tho work, where the last teach
er left it, carries it forward to tho
close of the eighth grade and of
course to graduation. But it Is
argued by some of our teachers
that you can not grade country
school like you can town schools.
| would ask, Is graduation help
full to city schools2 If it is, and
there is not a shadow of a doubt
but that it is, there is not the least
pretense to a reason why the coun-
try school should not also be graded
and thus get the same benefits.
While there are many why they
should:
l. q majority of the boys and
girls of Wayne county get all their
education from the common coun-
try school and therefore it should
be as complete as possible.
2. Our future welfare as a coun-
try depends upon the very boys
aud girls who are now getting their
education in the common country
schools, as the citizens of this
country and it Is therefore highly
necessary that their intelligence
must be of the very highest grade.
3. Every reform of whatsoever
character must come through the
people, and when you improve the
country schools, you touch the life
Of every future man and woman of
the country, and you thereby point
out to him a road to a higher and
better intelligence and ask him to
join you and work therein.
4. Grading the country schools
not only does this, but it will en-
list the sympathy and arouse the
enthusiasm of the patrons in
way which you can in no other
way reach them, and if earnestly
pushed forward, you will soon see
the teacher, pupil and patron all
working together to improve their
educational interest, and the result
will be a general upheaval of edu-
cation all along the line, and n
new impetus to country life. But
some one says this may be good in
theory. Yes, it Is, but it is better
in practice. 1t is askedi How
are we to grade the country
schools with such Irregular attend
ance, frequent changes of teach b
ers and irregular length of school
term in the different districts? l
answer, by following tho graded
course prepared by the State Supt.
Of Schools and adopting it to the
proper classification of the schools.
You thus have a clearly defined
plan of progressive work to be fol-
/ lowed, which results in the con-
certed action Of not only the teach
or and pupil, but also the patrons
and school officers. Since the
schools of some Of the counties
have been successfully graded,
maintain that tho schools oil
Wayne county can also be graded
Therefore a failure on tho part OF
the teachers to do so will DO con.
sidered sufficient cause to revoke
A len 81 A. Al a. -