The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1904-04-16
Public School Notes.

A great tide of educational en-
thusiasm has swept over Missis-
sippi and light in the very van
of the advancing column, Lincoln
county, led by corps of scholar
-ly teachers, has taken rank with
the first. For two years we have
sent to the State Teachers Associ-
alton a greater number of teachers
than any other county. Last sum-
mer the average attendance at our
county institute was greater than
the total number of teachers en-
ployed in the county. Think of
this. We also had more than
twenty teachers taking special
work at the State University.
Among these was the county SUI
perintendent seeking to perfect
himself to render more efficient
supervision. Several of our best
teachers were employed in teach
ers, training schools and acquitted
themselves with distinction.
All of this was very fine and we
are proud of the record made. But
all of these things were but as
signal guns before the battle.
Now we are in the midst of the
real effort. Now is the most crit
ical time in the educational his
tory of the county. The money
has been appropriated, the con-
tracts have been issued, the teach
ers have gone to their schools and
the term is rapidly drawing to a
close. Now for the home stretch,
for results.
Teachers of Lincoln County,
stop and think. Are you doing
your very best? Are you keeping
up an interest in your schools?
are you giving them your time,
che benefit of your experience and
training? If not, you ale failing
in your duty. Your school will
be what you make it. Trustees,
are you selecting teachers because
of their scholarship, their profess
sional training, their known abil-
ity to manage school, or are
you selecting them because of
their relationship to some one in
the community! 1t is certainly
sad to see the prospects of fine
school ruined because of family
favoritism. What is the use of a
county superintendent putting
forth every effort to train and
equip corps of competent teache
ers if trustees and. patrons ignore
this fact and put incompetent rel
atiyes in the most responsible
places. 1t is your duty to select
the best.
In visiting schools the law re-
quires the county superintendent
to correct the classification of
pupils and the following general
criticism is offered:
In reading the pupils are being
hurried from one book to another
without any sort of idea of the
work to be done in a term or with
out any idea of the advancement
made in other branches. In several
schools children as far advanced
as the third reader had been so
neglected in other branches that
they had not finished the work re-
quired to be done in the first
grade. Study correlation of sub
jects.
Supervisor Bryant and the other
patrons of Clear Branch are justly
proud of their little school. The
old carved and batteed desks had
all departed except one that was
used for horse trough. In their
places were the best patent desks.
The house had been receiled and
double foored. Tastefully ar
ranged pictures adorned the walls,
and maps and charts and many
evidences of the work of busy
hands and heads, all occupied their
proper places.
What a change! What an inn
provementl And still there are
others like it. May their numbers