Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1904-01-22
Consolidation Of District Schools.

meeting of the South Central District
Association held at school No. 16,
on Friday evening. Jan. Is, 1904.
Man is constantly striving to i'm
prove his condition in life; as he owes
his superiority to his reasoning facul
ties and education, it is but natural
that in his searches for improvement,
that the schools should receive some
of his attention.
Nothing is complete, nothing SO
perfect that improvement is inpos-,
sible, and it is our purpose this even
ing to bring before our minds, the
subject of School Consolidation as
possible improvement over our pres
ent system.
That something is wrong in the
present system of district schools is
readily conceded by any individual
who has given the subject any atten-
ton whatever.
No matter how perfect the frame
, work of building may be if the
foundation is faulty, the whole struct-
ure will be faulty.
Let us then examine the flaws of
our district schools and see if we can
find any place which change might
improve.
Our rural schools have an average
term of six months school, During
| this term some of the scholars come
every day, others from the second till
the fifth month, and still others come
SO irregular as to hardly form an ac
quaintance with either the teacher or
fellow-scholars. Under this plan of
schools, one teacher has eight grades
to teach, each of which must recite
at least once in each quarter of a day,
making at the least calculation, thirty
two classes per day with an. average
of little more than ten minutes
each.
Let us now visit the city schools.
Here they have nine months term;
the pupils attend promptly and
regularly, which fact alone tells US
that their interest is in the school.
Enough attend school that each teach
er, has only one or two grades to
teach. The same general plan of
teaching is followed from year to
year and certain amount of work
must be done in each room before a
pupil IS promoted to the next. Lon
ger and more thorough Rotations in
cite in him a greater interest, and
competition stimulates him to do
hard earnest work.
At the age of from twelve to fifteen
he has completed the eighth grade
work and begins high school, and by
the time he is eighteen or twenty
years old he has completed that. and
is prepared for a classical education.
Let us turn back and see how his
cousin in the country has Jared all
| the while.
Just as competant, just as in
telligent, but without equal chances,
we find him in the fifth grade at from
twelve to fifteen years of age and in
the cornfeld at sixteen.
Of all our children in the rural
schools only one out of twenty-five
ever pass the eighth grade and of
this number only one in ten attend
college enough to finish their educa-
ton equally with their city cousin.
Now what causes this vast differ
ence between the city schools and
the schools in the country?
Simply lack of proper interest on
the part of the parent in the country.
Yes, you say you want your boy or
girl to go to school and receive an ed
ucation. Very good. But have you
an interest strong enough that you
will permit him to go to school every
day unless prevented by something
absolutely unavoidable? Not only to
permit them to go but to see to it
that they do go?
If this is your desire you also want
them to be equal in every respect to
their city cousin. Then why not
have a graded school in the country
to which the pupils of three or four
distrie IS or even perhaps the town
ship attend.
The distance is easily overcome by
| transportation and the cost of trans
portation is easily saved by the differ
ence in the expense OF maintaining
the two systems of schools.
The idea is not new one. 1t is
quite common in the eastern states
and it is only question of time un-
til it will be here. Only thirty-fve
miles from here, at Lorraine, in Els
worth county, is one which was or
ganized in the year 1897. Four
district schools were consolidated in
to one. They had an average attend
anee at the district schools of seventy