Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1904-04-06
CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS
IN THE RURAL DISTRICTS
SUPERINTENDENT CARROLL WRITES OF
HIS PLAN TO IMPROVE RURAL SCHOOLS.
By this System 1t is Claimed Educational fa-
ciltles Ia the Country Will be Greatly
Improved and Interest Stimulated.

dent of Free Schools in Kent County
is the author of the following inter
esting article on rural consolidated
public schools, which was published
in tho Woman's Edition of the Will
mington Evening Journal:
The last few years have witnessed
great advancement in the educational
interests of the towns and cities
Large sums of money have been spent
for better buildings, laboratories, lib
raries, etc. Teachers have been better
trained, better paid, and have, there
fore, become more efficient. The
course of study has been improved so
aa to meet the existing conditions.
Business courses have been added to
meet the local demands. The growth
of these centres has been rapid and
the resources of the people have been
taxed greatly to enable each child to
have at least q common school educa-
ton.
All these conditions have had
tendency to attract the country child
and the inclination would be natur-
ally to educate him away from the
farm. A moments reflection is suffi.
cient to see that the town and city
schools are suited to the conditions in
which their children live, and are not
such as will tend to inspire the child
to obtain knowledge of those things
so needful to his success in the agrl-
cultural callings. But the country
boy who expects to remain on the farm
should know about these things if he
expects to be numbered among the
prosperous farmers of this day. He
must have school facilities in keeping
with the advancements of the age.
By the last census a large increase
IN population has been shown in the
cities and towns, while in many rural
sections there has been decrease. IF
the instruction and training in the dis
trlct school are all that can be desired.
why are so many moving to these
centres of population? There are men
In the cities to-day who should have
remained on the farm, and would have
done so if the proper educational on.
portunities had been supplied them.
The small, isolated, ungraded country
schools are weak, there being little to
attract the pupil or to inspire to en-
thuslasm. There is nothing to make
the teacher happy or commended, and
s=--s-Sus5-sSAsGa<4t~-s opportunity to seek
place in the town schools, even at a
lower salary. Many of the schools are
poorly attended. In district school
of ten pupils, or even fewer, of ages
from six to sixteen years, with chill
dren of all degrees of advancement. il
is impossible to have strong vigor-
GUS school. The classes consist of
one, or two, or possibly three pupils
each, and the number of recitations
vary from twenty to thirty. Irregular
attendance on the part of the pupils
increases the difficulty to maintain
the grades or decrease the number of
Rotations. The average time of reel.
tations is ten minutes, which is en-
tirely inadequate to see what the |
pupils have mastered or to assist the |
pupils to form correct habits of study.
1t will hardly be expected that such
schools will take the lead in things re-
lating to the new agriculture. [ be. |
lleVe that In many sections of our state |
rural graded schools may be estab-
lIshed which will correct many of the |
evils of the present out-of-date sys-
tenn. Before entering into a discus
sion OF the methods of formation and |
control of these schools, the advan-
tages can be briefly stated as follows:
An inspiration that always comes
from numbers. The pupil will have |
someone with whom to compare him
self.
The classes will be larger and the
recitation period will be increased.
The teacher will have better oppor-
tunity to show her efficiency.
1t will be economy in the matter of
maintaining school buildings. 1t will
cost less to keep a central four-room
building than many scattered ones.
The school children will have the
educational influences of a modern,
well-heated, well-ventilsted and we'll
surrounded building, instead of the
barren, lonely, unadorned building of
the present.
The graded school will have ample
grounds and departments presided
over by teachers specially trained for
the work of the grades. A teacher in
elementary agriculture will be there to
give instruction in that science with
the assistance of the college throughout
the grades. There can be taught |.
something about feeding stock, rota-
ton of crops and the care and COM
of the soil