Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-02-25


OF district ownership of |
school text books.
Having had about five years oppor-
tunity for investigating the subject both
as parent and teacher. / find the TO
lowing to be true:
l. 1t is cheaper. My observations
have been to the effect that below the
high school the expense for text books
per year is about 80 cents per pupil and
in the high school about 55 cents per
pupil making the average about 40c.
cents. Last year my school fell some
what below that figure and left the text
books in much better shape than at the
beginning of the year. This year bids
fair to give like experience. find
that four first readers 1--WE use four diff
ferent readers) will last about three
yeass, that three third readers used al
ternately will last three to four years.
The third readers, beginning Arith-
metic and Biographies, will last as long.
Above the fifth grade all of the books
last from to years and in the High
School many of the books last 10 to II
years, as long as any book ought to be
used In fact, assuming that text books
should be changed once in or years,
few books need be bought save at in
troductory rates which in my observa-
ton has been a most liberal one in Ne
braska-an even exchage in some in
stances.
2. 1t is cheaper to the heavy tax
payers. L have made careful esti-
mate of the cost of school books in the
families Of the heavy tax payers of two
town schools and l find that in each
case the cost of books for the children
from those families alone il bought at
retail would more than pay for the
books used by the whole school. That
instead of paying for the books of the
children from the poorer families, the
wealthy families actually are assisted to
pay for the books used by their own
children. In making this estimate L
took fifteen of the wealthiest families,
whether they had children in school or
not, and with the above results.
3. 1t is healthier. Where books are
owned by the pupils there is no oppor-
tunity to control their sanitary condi-
ton. The books are here and there
about the home. In the sick room or
elsewhere and are brought to the school
room as they are. Where the district
owns the books they are usually fumi-
gated width sulphor smoke two or three
times during the year and the germs of
disease destroyed. This is done with
little trouble and less expense.
4. 1t is better. Were free text more
expensive. Did it cost more in dollars
and cents. the advantages which accrue
in the graduation, classification, and
management of the school would more
than offset the increased expense.
When pupil enters school he is placed
where he appears to belong and given
books to meet his present needs, later
if it appears that he is not properly
graded he can be placed in class
higher or lower as this needs require
without consulting the parents pocket
book. In all cases the book may be
made to fit the pupil instead Of making
the pupil fit the book. Again there is
better opportunity for makeup work.
A pupil is 70 md to be back in some
study. He may be required to make it
up, much more easily since all the
teacher need do is to hand him a
text book and set him at work. The
parent need not be consulted. Reviews
are much easier to obtain. Every
teacher knows that pupil needs to re-
view certain branches. Sometimes it is
the fault Of the former teacher. This
can be handled nicely under free text
books, but imagine a parent buying a
fourth reader for boy whom the last
teacher placed in the fifth reader. Last
year I placed my tenth grade in the
third reader for yasdrill in expression and
with splendid results. L could do this
because / had the books on the shelf at
my disposal, but do not think ! should
have asked the parents to purchase
third readers for the pupils under any
conditions. The item Of supplementary
books is of value. AS stated above, we
buy about one set each year so that the
pupil gets the benefit of four times as
much practice in reading at the same or
even less expense than he would if the
parent bought the book. The same
holds good to greater or less extent
throughout the whole school. The diff
ference is that instead Of one pupil
using book, number of pupils use a
number of books. AS illustrated by the
first reader each year and uses three old
ones. AS to the care of books. / am OF
the opinion that books last longer than
where the pupils own them. The
teachers are much more yigilant and the
pupils understand that the teacher has