Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1906-09-13
OUR EXTRA SCHOOLS
School Board and Principal Say That
the Greatest Evil to Combat is
lrregularitY in Attendance.

AN OPEN LETTER TO PARENTS
Why are your children not in
school nine months of the year.
This is the most important ques
tion for parents to think over for
the welfare of our schools today
For the maintenance of the Extra
public schools you expend annu.
ally in round numbers $5OO0.OO,
You have equipped your schools
with the beet furniture, fixtures
and books that any institution OF
it's rank could possibly need. You
have placed teachers of your own
choice in charge. All well and
good, but that is not school yet.
That is the preparation for school
only. You have performed a great
duty, but more important duty
must follow. And it is to the sec
ond phase of the education of your
child, that the attention Of the par
ents is most earnestly directed.
Nowit is obviously the duty of
the parents to send their children
to school, and the duty of the
teachers to care for those that are
sent. Not for sixteen weeks as re.
CURED by law,--not for seven or
eight months, or now and then as
suits the child's whim--but for
nine months regularly.
Why do you provide for a nine
months schoolf So that a few
girls and occasionally a boy can
complete the preparatory course
tor college or for ife's work, and
let the majority filter along for
few months each year and drop out
of school before they have com
pleted even the Grammar Grades?
Parents, our schools should
reach more boys and girls. Some
children in Extra are growing into
manhood and womanhood, to be
handicapped all their lives by 1g.
norance, while the opportunity for
an education without cost to them
lies at their door. Certainly this ia
not true of Extra alone but of
other towns as well.
Ii you allow your boys and girls
you might as well close up your
schools, invest your money in
something else,--better, if idleness
and street running are the habits
allowed to develop during the time
the child ought to be in school.
There is just one way to get value
Tor value out of our public schools
and that is to have your children
IN attendance regularly for nine
months, and teachers and parents
cooperating for results. If any
other course is followed the child
ls wronged, he is cheated out of
his just Inheritance either at his
own dictation and short-sighted
choice, or that of the parent.
Our school is part of a great uni
ned system. The outlined work is
prepared in accordance with the
best and latest ideas of the best ed
ucators. 1t requires nine months
OF honest faithful work to complete
grade. That does not mean that
your child can come and go when
he pleases, stay out entirely the
last two months and then ask to
be promoted the following fall; it
means that he must be IN school
nine consecutive months every
day possible,-make school his
business during that time, place
the Importance of school first and
all else secondary.
What can be more nonsensical,
under present conditions, than for
a boy to leave school to work at
odd jobs and loaf between times,
before he is able to work an exam
pie in common fractions, compose
a business letter in fair English,
and unable to read newspaper in.
telligently or to see and appreciate
the most common things about
himr And yet each year sees
goodly number of youths thus ex-
perimenting with ignorance, and
trying their fortunes, unequipped.
We believe children should be
in school even if compulsion is
necessary. ."To obey" is the fret
aud greatest lesson of a child's
life. If that lesson has never been
learned, then sad condition pre-.
sents itself for the child and for
the parents. Compulsion and
obedience should in many in.
stances supplant the present day
coddling and coaxing. In too true
a sense, sometimes, is the "boy
father of the man."
Our present law for Compulsory
Education is good as far as it goes
but it does not go far enough,
either in point of age or weeks OF
attendance. If the school is estab-
lished for nine months why not
use it's privileges for nine months?
Is it of more importance for your
neighbours children than for yoursl
Do you believe that your child will
ever need the educatiopf Ia he
preparing himself in the best way
possible and making use of the op-
portunities for his improvement
and welfare? Can he spend his
time more profitably? Shall you
leave the matter entirely with him?
Vital questions for you to ponder,
fond parent.
Here is the history every year of
far too many boys and girls in our
own excellent little city of Extra:
Parents send their children during
the sixteen weeks of compulsory
attendance quite regularly and
then they begin to drop out, stay
at home or elsewhere every few
days on any slig ht pretext; interest
dwindles and is finally lost alto
gether,-they come if it pleases
them to do 80; and by Spring it is
else but school. The
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