Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-03-17
Educational
Column,
GUY STANTON FORD, Editor.

The people of Grand Rapids, contlnu-
Ing their present progressive policy
before the heginnlng of the twentieth
century, should have:
| l.. Made permanent the policy of pro-
| fessIonal supervision by one man who
makes supervision his sole work.
IL. They should have made minor
improvements in the high school build
| lng-hardwood floors, single seats
throughout and, if possible, better
lighting facilities.
Ill. Each grade should have either
Its own reference library or a wide
| range of supplementary books. This
work should provide the seventh grade
with good equipment of books in
geography and the eighth grade should
have supply of suitable works on Am
ericaH history.
". Every room should have been
made as pleasing as its architecture will
allow. Tinted walls, good pictures and
we'll selected casts indicate our needs.
'. The school system should be
completed by the establishment and
maintenance of kindergarten.
Inc editor OF this column made a
mistake last week in announcement of
vacation. 1t is one week later April |
to April H.
~
The following in a personal letter
Supt. Mathie of Wausau furnishes an
item of interest: eve selected plans
6 nj ch
building to accommodate over five hun
dred fifty scholars in an assembly room
which is to be on the second floor,
There are to be nine recitation rooms
on this floor; also as many more on the
third floor, counting the laboratories,
science lecture room and the CONNER
clal departments. On the first floor we
shall have eight class rooms for grammar
grades and in the basement manual
training, domestic economy and gym
nasium. We shall be very glad to show
you through when 1t is all completed
and doubtless we shall get football
team some day as marvellous as the
Grand RAPIDS team of 1897" We con-
gratulate Supt. Mathie and his corps
and the people of Wausau.
~
A letter from W. II. Luehr tells us
that he is having a successful year at
Manitowoc. The graduating class there
this spring numbers twenty-five with
an average age of about seventeen,
remarkably low age for high school
graduates.
Prof. j. W. Livingston of the Stevens
Point Normal, who was one of the
Institute conductors, mentioned the
fact that the country teachers gathered
last Saturday seemed to be above the
average in interest an intelligence, due,
he thought, to the considerable sprink-
ling Of high school graduates among
them.
*
One of the interesting questions to
school men, at least, in the next cam
paign is: 'Who is to be our next state
superintendent" Mr.. Emery is dis
tinctly out Of the race by his own
motion if nothing more. Of those
mentioned for the republican uomina-
ton, the name Of Pres. L. D. Harvey
of the Milwaukee Normal is most fre-
quently heard. Among others men
toned are J. W. Livingston of Stevens
Point, D. D. MaYne of GAINESVILLE and
L. A. Williams of Fond du Lac. For
the democratic nomination the candi- |
dates are fewer, ex-Superintendent O. |
E. Wells may be placed on the ticket
again.
1t is too bad that an office like this
has been seized by the politicians and
made a matter of party selection. IfI
the State Teachers association did not
fear getting into politics it might, in
this matter, exert the same influence
that the bar association does on judicial
nominations.
The question of wages for grammar
grade and primary teachers has been
agitated actively in Chicago since last
December. At its last meeting the |
board of education advanced wages of
these teachers $75 for next year. After
this there will be an annual increase Of
$50 until grammar grade and primary |
teachers receive 81 900 year.
~
Among the excellent exercises pre-
sented at the institute last Saturday
was one on Arithmetic by Prof Living
ston. The following things, he said,
sho' d be made second nature with the
should be sunk into the
I. Reading and writing numbers.
II. Fundamental operations. (a) Adj
dition table, fortyfve combinations.
(b) The unit figure in addition. (c) The
table.
LII. Factoring (a} Prime numbers
to one hundred. (b} Factoring num-
bers below one hundred.
". Aliquot parts of one hundred.
Cheaper Than Ever.