The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1900-07-20
Annual School rleetings.
Sunhower Ranch, J

Dear Graphic-l was digging pOta-
toes the other day, when it came into
my mind that it was about time for
our annual school meeting. This is a
gathering which we feel obliged to at
tend and which occurs every year.
However we try not to worry about 1t
beforehand. We never make any
plans as to the school or the school
board or anything until that day.
Cross bridges when you come to 'em
is our motto is school affairs.
In our district we generally manage
to do up our school work on school
meeting day and then we have the rest
of the year for more important things.
case of window-lights and put 'em in,
and to get few boards and nail 'em
on in place of those torn off by the
folks who hold church in the school
house. And then we instruct them to
hire not less than hird-grade teach
er and to get a stranger if possible.
We've always found that it we hire
stranger it takes people longer to
begin finding fault and we generally
have about two months of first rate
school, leastways we suppose it is first
rate as we hear no complaint. OF
course by that time people begin to
find out that the teacher is no account
and after that We generally have it hot
and heavy till school is out. Some
times somebody takes interest enough
to carry around a petition to have the
teacher put out; but about the time
the board makes up its mind that's
about the best thing to dO-in comes
another petition, stating that the
teachers father is an old soldier
whose pension Is SO small that it only
keeps him in tobacco, and that he is
entirely dependent upon the wages OF
his daughter, the teacher, for the re-
mainder of his support, and asking
that on this account the teacher be
tried again. AS this petition bears
about the same list OF signatures
board usually takes three days to con-
sider-and when they get to consider
ing they usually keep it up till school
closes.
Most of the teachers we have had
would have pleased the people we'll
enough for we aint hard to suit in
teachers if they had of took pains to
keep on The right side of the children.
| should think that would he easily
done-our children's all nice, peacea-
BILE children.
Last winter we had considerable
trouble on account of the chIldl en-
taking up the family quarrels. There
was one woman who Is a church men,
Der and it got out some way that sne
had went To a circus once when she
was first married. and some of the
school children got to hear of it and
they twitted her children With it.
Then her children told the other ones
that their father was worse than their
mother because he killed u sick COW
and peddled it out in the neighbOr-
hood. Then the school diviG ed into
two factions and during the rest of
the term the teacher WAS occupied for
the most part in the pacitication of
belligerents.
There was teacher come round to
me when l was on the schOol-board
to get the school who wanLed forty
dollars month and looked like she
might be pretty good teacher. But
pshaw! [ told her we couldn't pay
any such price rs that. We hadn't
any scholars i'll any of the higher
studies and any body would do to
teach our school. NeighbOr Green 8
daughter would teach for thirty-five
dollars ana we would save five dollars
u month toward buying our coal
believe in patrOnlzlnS home talent
myself.
She said that small scholars like
ours were the very ones that needed
correct training because it wasn't too
late and that al Inexperienced teacher
might do them more harm than good:
that the more high studies a teacher
new the better she could teach even
reading and writing.
However, We concluded to hire Miss
Green and we bought the children u
box of slate pencils and some tablets
aud everything to learn with and sent
'en aiong TO school. | never heard
no complaint only Miss Green ordered
more slate pencils the second month.
sad the children We're out. 1 Sent
word that thought a gross of pencils
was enough for one term and that my
children would have to get al Ony with
tLdt many for shouldn't buy them
any more. Miss Green stopped to
our house that night on her way home
from school. She see l was pretty
mad about the slate pencils being
wasted so and she said she guessed
they could pick up pieces enough in
the yard TO get along with but she
any but whole pencils.
She told me she'd made one box of
chalk last three months and it would
have lasted longer only Johnny Smith
was always drawing pictures of steam
engines and other machinery on the
hoard whenever he could get hold OF
q piece of chalk.
|, So she had to keep the chalk locked
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