New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1900-03-24
EDUCATIONAL.
HOW TO IMPROVE OUR RURAL
SCHOOLS.

The people are looking less anG
less to the politicians and more anG
more to the teachers of the land fol
the solution Of the problems press.
ing them SO sorely upon every side
They realize that the questions OF
destiny are being worked out in the
schoolhouses Of our country and
not in the halls Of our legislatures.
To the teachers have they directed
the inquiries as to how their rural
schools may be improved, and the
question before us now is, what can
we do with it?
To qualify sufficient corps of
trained teachers in the few normals
and training schools at our CON-
mand to provide, out of our pov-
erty, ample means for the extension
of our terms; to build and equip
commodious and comfortable
schoolhouses at the cost of an addi-
tional burden of taxation; to meet
the extra expense and to overcome
the prejudice of educating the ne
gro portion Of our population; to
improve our public roads so as to
facilitate the consolidation of weak
and non-progressive schools; to
secure expert and wise county su-
pervision; to develop a public SEN
timent imbued with sufficient vi
tality of progress to overcome the
blighting influences of isolation,
and to brighten and make happy
the social life Of the country, are
undertakings which, while calcu-
lated to discourage and appall the
most enthusiastic and brave, are
yet at the same time worthy of the
best thought and efforts of our
most gifted educat ators and states
men.
The point of contact in taking
hold of this educational question
is the teacher. Give US a sufficient
number of qualified teachers for
our rural schools, and all other
difficulties will disappear as rapid
ly as dry stubble before consum-
ing fire.
My demand is for a trained
teacher for every school. Is it
possible to secure this under pres
ent conditions? Certainly not. So
long as the people of the rural dis
tricts are satisfied with school
system which gives them a school
for only four or five months in the
year, while the city schools run
nine months, they will have to put
up with incompetent teachers and
inferior schools. Until there can
be offered years work and a
years wages, it will be impossible
to retain accomplished teachers for
our rural schools. What is the
remedyi Place them upon an
equal footing with our city schools
and call to their support the sound
American doctrine that the proper
ty Of the state shall bear the bur-
den Of educating the youth of the
state. Let our educational organi-
zation be by counties which cover
the entire state and embrace every
child within the state, and not by
cities and separate school districts
which are only in spots. That ed
ucational system that gives to the
children of our cities nine months
schooling each year, and to the
children Of the rural districts only
four or five, is not only dangerous
in its tendency, but is contrary to
the spirit and genius Of American
institutions.
There is a great burden in educa-
ting the negro. And there is aris-
ing great prejudice against his
education at the public expense.
OF course this stands in the way of
the improvement Of our rural
schools, but we must overcome every
obstacle. l, for one, am in favor
of the education Of the negro.
To vitalize and unity the force of
a school, expert supervision is alb
solutely necessary. The weak
points in our educational system is
that the country superintendents
are not required to be school men,
and are not paid salaries commensu-
rate with the work that ought to be
done by a county superintendent.
If it pays Memphis, Birmingham,
Atlanta, Galveston, New Orleans
and other cities to employ men to
give their entire time to supervis-
ion when they run their schools for
nine months in the year and are
able to employ the best trained
teachers to be found, how much |
more would it pay county whose
run for a shorter time,
whose equipment is Of the poorest
and whose teachers, as q rule, are
young and inexperienced ! would
the Office Of county super
intendent as a political Office, max |
ing it neither elective by the people
nor appointive by the state board
Of education. l would put it upon
the same basis as the Office Of city
superintendent, having it filled
by county board of education,
just as the Office Of city superintend-
ent is filled BY the city board Of
education. / would give the county
board the same privilege as the city
board now has-that Of selecting
The best man for the best place, it
matters not where they may find
him. The average salary paid the
county superintendent for the en-
lire country is 1928, while Of course
FOR the South it is much smaller
han that. This Will give some
idea a. to tho character Of service
rendered in this position. The
compensation not being enough
70 support him, he must resort to