Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-29

school corporation employing but one
teacher, while in corporations where
a graded school is maintained the
number Of persons between the ages
of five and twenty-one years aggre-
each teacher employed in these corpo-
rations.
Comparison With Graded Schools.
But these figures do not tell the
full story Of the inequality, for it must
be remembered that nearly ten thou
sand country boys and girls included
in the country school enumeration are
enrolled in the graded schools as tut
tion pupils, besides many more in the
academies and the preparatory der
partments of colleges It follows,
therefore, that the percentage Of en-
rollment is greater in the graded than
in the ungraded school, and we know
the attendance is much more regular.
We assign to the graded school teach
er on the average very nearly double
the pupils assigned to the teacher in
the country school. The trouble is
further aggravated from the fact that
as rule, the very small school suf-
fers in interest and enthusiasm, and
in consequence the percentage OF at
tendance is abnormally low.
again, the country school suffers
in comparison with the average graded
school in the matter of equipment.
Globe, dictionary, wall maps and a lib
eral supply of supplementary reading
books are seldom missing from the
graded school and seldom found in the
Io 10 cnhnn1 IT.
self is often neglected and the school
room uninviting.
Inexperienced Teachers Hired.
"But the rural school suffers more
from inexperienced and poorly prepar-
ed teachers than from any one cause.
Last year 3,479 certificates were issued
in Iowa to persons who had never
taught Out Of total Of 22,S45 Ger
tif1cates issued by county superintend-
ents, but 1921 were first class certifi-
Gates Now it is the very common
practice with school boards in our
large towns and cities to require as
one of the conditions of election that
the applicant hold first class certifi-
cate and that she show successful ,ex-
perience as teacher.
"Out Of a total of 1914 teachers en-
ployed last year in 1874 towns and cit
les of Iowa, all but 80 were experience
ed teachers. Five hundred and four
were graduates Of some state normal
school, 719 were college or university
graduates, and 2,269 were graduates OF
some academy or private normal school
or of high school maintaining four
years course In addition to these
/ 3x, Ia
! there we're as many more employed IN
| the other graded schools of the STATE.
A snne Her, yet large, per cent OF these
also were no doubt trained and exper-
fenced teachers. Where were the
1884 holders of second grade and
third grade certificates, 3,479 of them
without experience? Most OF them
were employed in the country schools.
| 81 hasten to say that not all teach
ers in country districts are with Mt
tie or no experience and of meagre
education Some of our very best
teachers labor from choice in the
country. And then it often happens
that the young teacher with her first
school in a remote country district
does a work of the very highest merit.
an, persuaded that much OF the
| teaching done in the one room eoun-
try schools will bear favorable COM
parison with the best teaching In our
cities. No teacher who labors In the
& to,1ntry need apologize for that fact;
neither should she feel that the work
given her to do is of any less import
ance than that undertaken in the
more rretentious city position. But
after all this is said the fact remains
that very large per cent OF the coun-
try teachers are without professiona.
training; that some of them. unfortu-
nately, possess very limited scholar
ship, and that many of them are I'M
ma ture and inexperienced"
IContinred ON nth paRe.l