Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-11-20

A graded school has fuller and
more complete course of study, is much
more efficient in its work and the pu-
pills are under arrangement enabled to
do advanced work and yet remain at
home. These facts are important and
should receive due consideration when
the consolidation of districts is sug-
gested.
NUMBER OF TEACHERS EMPLOYED.
The twelve graded schools, each Of
which eliminates in high school de-
partment employ 81 teachers; the 8
graded schools employ II teachers, and
the 200 rural schools employ one teach
er each, making total OF 3ll teachers
at work when all the schools are In
session. No other county in the state
has so many teachers under the super
vision of the county superintendent.
INsPECTIONOF SCHOOLS.
The country schools vary in length
from seven to nine months, though all
are in session during the late fall and
winter months, when attendance reach
es the highest limit. To visit and IN
spect these schools requires many hun
| dreds of miles of travel, and in order
| to see them when the attendance is
greatest and most regular, much OF the
| travel must be done in the late fall and
winter months when the roads and the
weather are not at their best. During
| the past year nearly every school has
| been visited; the work of some three
hundred teachers has been inspected,
and cuopestionS and instructions given
when necessary.
CAPABLE TEACHERS SHOULD BE EMPLOYED.
It is to be regretted that so many
districts change teachers several times
during a school year. Instead OF en-
gaging a capable teacher for the entire
school year, a young, inexperienced
teacher is engaged at low wages for the
fall term. then another, perhaps male
teacher, is engaged for the winter term
and possibly another, probably fe-
male, is engaged for the spring term.
This is wretched economy and occa-
sions much loss of time and work on
the part of both teachers and children.
Employ capable and efficient teacher
to take charge of your school at the
opening; visit your school; support and
assist him in it's organization and man.
agement and unless absolutely neces-
cary, make no change throughout the
year. Every change of teacher entails
a,loss of time and labor which amounta
to much more than the few dollars ap
parently saved Cy the employment OF
a cheaper teacher. The records OF
your school are of the utmost import
ance. Besides the register showing
records of names, ages, attendance, ETC.,
there should be "a book in which should
be recorded the form, class and stand
ing of each pupil in every branch stud
led. The records Of last year showed
100 schools graded according to the
course of study; the records this year
show only 124 schools SO graded. This
shows that this grading is in many
cases only temporary and disappears
wholly on change of teachers. This
is due to lack Of records of classified
ton and progress of pupils which
should be kept and recorded each term
in book or register furnished by the
clerk to the teacher for that purpose.
District clerks should furnish the book
and examine it from time to time to
see that these records are full and cor
rectly kept and duly recorded as the
law requires. Under Section 439 OF
School Code "The board has power to
make all needful rules and regulations
for the organization, graduation and
government of the school" and in no
other way can district board confer
so great benefit upon their school at
little labor and expense, than to re-
quire the teacher as soon as practlca-
BILE, according to directions given IN
Manual of the Course Of Study, to
grade the school and make complete
and permanent record of the same and
continue the work SO that the records
may show at any time the form, class
and standing Of any member OF the
school. Harvey's School Register is
best adopted to this work, and may be
found at nearly all book stores.
ATTENDANCE AND GRADUATION OF PUPILS.
An incentive to greater regularity OF
attendance would be created: the in
terest in school work and the desire to
complete the course would be greatly
increased, closer graduation would
be possible; fewer classes would be nee
essary, hence longer time could be
given to each and greater efficiency IN
school work would result.
The statistics of the schools. judging
from the teachers reports received at
Uu1S OlI1C0 OuOW OIL 1hAPA OSOAAOho AA
graduation and closer adherence to
the course of study; and the wisdom of
this is apparent in the results OF the
examinations held by the teachers for
the common school diplomas wherein
118 schools participated and 153 pupils
received diplomas. Holders of these
diplomas are admitted to the high
schools without examination and the
uniform testimony is that they are
fairly we'll prepared to begin the work
of the high school.
THE PURCHASE OF NEEDED SUPPLIES.
Some mistakes have occurred in the
purchase of charts and maps which
have not been approved by state or
county superintendent and which were
not needed, neither were they useful in
the school. The law is plain and posi-
tive on the subject of purchasing school