Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-09
WORD TO SCHOOL OFFICERS
Remark, Of State superintendent Pertinent
TO Opening Of Schools,
STATE FAIR DOES WELL FINANCIALLY
Practically All OF the Nebraska Ma
tIonaI G~uardsmen Vote 60 60
Into Camp ut Fort
alley.

AnIOukuDuL lut bNdNfH NeAAAI6
tion to many matters of Importance in con-
nection with the new school year:
AT this time. the beginning of another
school year, I desire to extend TO you the
heartiest greetings Of this department. ana
our best wishes for the success OF the
schools under your supervision. May suo-
stantial progress mark the year work
from month to month. hope the following
suggestions may prove of some value;
We hope to meet many of you In Lincoln
during the superintendent and principals
section meeting. October Is, Il. lS. A splen-
did program Is being prepared. see the
August issue OF the Nebraska Teacher. 4
rare treat is in store for all who attend.
This meeting means more TO city superln-
tenGents ana principals than even the State
Teachers association. You cannot AFFORD
to miss II.
Many cases of sickness may be attributed
ITO impure drinking water. Remember that
in the majority of cases the wells or
MIGRANTS at the school houses have not
been used during vacation, and that the
water Is very likely stagnant and UNFIT for
supply of pure, fresh water is available;
And all school yards should be cleared Of
weeds and rubbish.
A new school law places United states
history among the requirements for a third
grade certificates reduces the number of
third grade certificates to which one person
tendance at teachers county institutes
compulsory, and after July 1, 1903, requires
a knowledge of the clements of agriculture
for first and second grade county %certifi-
Gates.
Permit me TO cali the attention or county
superintendents to their duties as stated in
section IA of subdivision Z, and superintend-
ents Ia metropolitan cities and in cities of
the first and second classes should cooper
are with the county superintendent in these
reports. me superintendent of the Ne
braska School for the Deaf at Omaha is r
tie Blind at Nebraska City is J. T. Morey.
Showing of school Buildings.
The biennial report of this department
will be issued January l, next. Much of
the copy for it is now ready for the printers
copy will be forwarded as prepared.
School. Buildings and Grounds in Ne
part Of this report. We hope you will loan
us again the cuts of school buildings used
In the former publication for use in this re-
graphs will be sent in for the same pur-
pose. photographs should be forwarded 70
us before October Is to insure their use.
teachers should not attempt to do more
than two years of high school work, unless
In exceptional cases: Particularly where
the principal is required to teach all or a
part of the eighth grade subjects he should
not be required nor should ne attempt to 20
beyond the tenth grade. Many injuries are
received at this office relative to a two-
years course for high schools. Permit me
10 Suggest the following: Ninth grade, adj
Xanced English grammar, with English
literature and composition, civil govern
ment and bookkeeping, algebra, physical
~seUsrSphy' tenth Grade, rhetoric, algebra
and plane geometry, botany and zoology,
general history Teach these well and do
The work of the Nebraska Teachers Read
Ing circle is, as you know, voluntary, but
there should BE- teachers reading circles
IN a majority of the counties of the state.
Interest and civility in reading circle work
depend largely upon the encouragement
from the superintendent or principal. II
he manifests interest and enthusiasm in
professional study his teachers are guided
by his example, This is a valuable auxiliary
In securing better work in your schools
which we Know Won will annrepiafn Won
and your teachers cannot afford to miss
this opportunity of spending at least one
hour a week In the study and discussion of
Hodges Nature Study and Life and one
or more of the six other books recon-
mended by the reading circle board. For
circulars of the reading circle work and
outlines of the various books apply to your
county superintendent.
Promotion from the eighth grade to the
High school should be a clearly defined
step. Pupils are often permitted to slide
along from year to year through the eight
grades; but IN the eighth grade, where in
a ,well-graded school all common school
subjects are completed, there should be
called a halt" l believe that no other
one thing that is possible and practicable
would do as much for the public schools
of Nebraska as to have It we'll understood
that the eighth grade is not necessarily
the eighth year, a division of the course
to be completed in a term Of nine months.
nor that 1t is a year Of preparation for
the High school; Uet us drop this idea
Of preparation for something else). But
let us have 1t thoroughly understood that
the eighth grade is a place for the salts
factory, Intelligent completion Of all COM
mon school subjects, and that Il is no
disgrace for a pupil to remain there two
years. / believe no other one thing would
so rapidly and so thoroughly as 10 keen
about 80 per cent Of our pupils in the eighth
grade two years.
High school AEe Limit.
Establish a minimum age for admission
to the High school, say 10 years. Many
compare favorably with those of the city
or villege because they have gone over
their higher arithmetic, geography. gram
mar, history and physiology two or three
winters in succession, and are more ma
ture than their city cousins. In common
school subjects | wish to include reading,
writing, spelling. written and mental arith-
metic, geography, United States history,
English grammar and composition and
physiology. Omit prosody in grammar, but
emphasize the ability TO read, write and
speak the English language correctly, and
to spell. Superintendents and principals
should be firm In requiring pupils to go
it has been but indifferently completed.
In cities and villages there should he
| held an examination for promotion from the
eighth grade TO the High school. as rigid
as that required by the county superin-
tendent for graduation from the rural
school, and with specia' emphasis on the
pupils knowledge and use of the English
language. 1t might tend to increase the
interest to have graduating or closing exer-
1 III " AlA1 NAAo AAN
eighth grade or grammar school course,
held in the High school room rather than
i'm a public hail or an opera house. Ger
tifcates OF the completion. of the work
should be granted, giving final grades
either for examination. or based partly upon
| classwork, emitting the holder to admits.
sion to the High school without further
examination.
Let us urge upon pupils the necessity
of DENYING themselves the pleasure OF
social diversions during the school week
and to make Friday evening the time for
fun and recrs alton. But the home mus
cooperate with the school in this plan
II good results are to ensue. We often
hear parents complaining against so much
"party-going and party-giving" among our
young people. Yet II parents fail TO aid
in a proper control of these amusements
1.-THE bad health and wasted energy and
poor work due to. party-going must remain
without remedy
The proper cooperation of the home is a
necessary fac.or in the success OF tis
school. Patrons meetings oner a splendid
opportunity to enlist the interest and sym,
the home Join hands with the school or
This motto. S"The school first. society after
wards" Let the home stand by the schoo
in a reasonable amount of home study b,
pupils in the gramma grades and I'm thu
high school. Hon. II. II. Shedd, presiden
OF the Ashland Board of Education, hai
this to say for home study:
'If the high school had no other purposl
except to furnish the young with constan
employment in the evening, II would be n,
/ small ADVANTAGE. Insofar as a reauiral