Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-03-23
CONSOLIDATION OF RURAL SCHOOLS.
10 syste Of
Tow hip hools.

the room to differ in temperature two
degrees. or the maximum to exceed 40
degrees. So says the Iowa state board
of health. In any fifty rural districts
there is likely not more than one school
building that provides for ventilation in.
u proper way, because ventilation was.
not understood when such buildings
were constructed
The light streams in from both sides.
OF the room. making cross sights, glar-
ing in the faces of the pupils. straining
the eyes, and causing glasses to be
needed altogether too soon. Not many
rural school houses have windows put in
the right manner; such things were not
understood at that time. Pupils do not
enjoy light that hurts their eyes They;
can not be contented in breathing foul
air. Nor can they do good thinking
when the cold makes their feet attract
attention. Is it fair to disregard these
facts? Nowadays the up-to-date farm
Fer building barns for his horses, or
sheds for his cattle or hogs, takes pains
TO secure not only warmth, but ventila-
tion, light and general comfort The
farmers wife desires the chicken house
to have proper arrangements so that
the poultry may bring greater returns
for the money invested; women in town
think the same way In such matters
The expense is paid by the individual
and not every one can afford such
things yet. But the people OF any group
of districts can afford perfectly up-to-
date school building if they will only
unite their money at one place.
Now let us go inside the school house
again to see the work as 1t is really ex-
rerienced every day by the pupils and
teacher. We are not to go as fault find
ers, but as observers. 1T is fact that
the blackboard Is generally poor. There
is hardly ever any apparatus, excepting
maps and possibly globe The library
consists of a dictionary and only few
books. for a small district does not buy
as literally as a larger one could. Not
much is usually done in the way of
school room decoration.
a study of the program shows that
each pupil must have from four to SIX
or eight studies, making about twenty
five or thirty recitations for the teacher
tn conduct for all the school. The nuns
Der of pupils enrolled does not usually
exceed twenty or twenty five. and some
lllile5 1dIlS d, ~ w do IsNO VI tlli et-. Iout
whatever their number, the classes re-
main about the same, and the length of
|recitatons can not exceed ten or fifteen
or twenty minute Usually the smaller
| figures-if all are given their fair share
o. the teachers time. Short recitations
do very Well when lessons are easy; but
every pupil knows that lessons are hard
every day. Children need to be taught
how to study. 1t is impossibs to do as
much or as we'll in fifteen minutes as IN
Thirty or thrty-five minutes. Tho
younger pupils do not need SO much
more time to recite. but they do need
more of the teachers supervision. The
older pupils. especially those who attend
only in the winter months, can not be
helped along as fast as they should be-.
All pupils deserve better chances. The
|sc!der ones should nave bookkeeping
with business practice to learn the uss