Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-02-28


ming about the second Monday in
September, and then twelve in the
winter we could give the pupils much
better advantages for attending, and
still have the major portion of the
school terms when the largest number
of pupils can attend and when the run
ming expenses of the school would be
least because of having to use much
less fuel in spring and fall than in
winter.
While this plan of having eight
months school would cost a little
more in the teachers fund it would
lessen the amount of contingent ex-
penses, and if the average cost of
tuition were taken as the basis for
determining relative cost am quite
sure there would be strong argument
for the encouragement of the school
year as / have suggested. l hope this
question of longer school year, aud
better arrangement of the school term
will receive careful consideration at
the spring meetings. There is much
need for it.
In one school / visited the other day
there were present but seven pupils
though there was an enrolment of
twenty three.
This one case illustrates what I
mean by figuring the cost of the
school ON the average attendance.
1t will be seen that this teacher, who
receives about 1913 a month was re.
ceiving, relatively 500 month, be-
cause the cost of teaching increases
relatively as the attendance de-
creases. Or in other words, where the
average cost would be $1.44 if the full
enrolment of twenty-three attended
regularly 1t is raised to $4.7l when
only seven attend.
These figures, of themselves, pre-
sent a strong plea to parents to see to
it that their children attend regularly.
SELECTING TEACHERS FOR THE
ENTIRE YEAR DESIRABLE.
Among other things that may be
done to promote the welfare of the
schools is the hiring of teachers for
the entire year. No teacher can do
effective work until she is well
acquainted with the pupils, and but
few pupils of the age that most of the
pupils in the country are now get we'll
enough acquainted with teacher in
a shorter time than three or four
weeks, so they will readily respond
to her efforts to lead them in their
work in school. Since this is true,
at the beginning of each term there
is a period of several weeks in which
a new teacher is laboring under
disadvantages because of not knowing
just where pupils can work to the
greatest possible advantage, and too,
pupils are reserved and antagonistic,
because that is natural for them when
coming in contact with strangers. A
teacher who is thoroughly acquainted
with her school can begin to work as
effectively the first day of new
term as new and strange teacher
can after several weeks in the school.
From the foregoing facts it can be
seen that there is much valuable
time lost at the opening Of each term
if new teacher is hired for each
one of three different terms in the
wear.
/ bring out these facts for the pur-
pose of suggesting the idea of hiring
teachers for the year to the voters so
the matter may be discussed at the
meeting next Monday, and for the
purpose of bringing it to the atten-
tion of directors who must hire their
teachers very soon for the spring
terms.
/ would not urge these matters so
strongly If did not feel that the boys
and girls who are now the pupils in
school Tor who should be in school)
will be called upon to meet very
different conditions in their careers
than the pioneers were required to
meet. The same qualities that made
the pioneer successful in his labors
and in enduring his privations must
he developed. but the exercise of those
qualities must take the direction of
meeting competition in business and
professional life. or in working out
civic and moral reforms in addition
to gaining the necessaries OF life.
New occasions bring new duties"
and present indications are that the
purse strings and reins of the govern
ment are to be restored to the people
to greater extent than in many
decades. II this be true the school
boys of today must, in the lapse of a
few tomorrows, assume the respon-
sibility of rightly guiding and guard
ing these restored rights or of in
gloriously surrendering them to the
class that has and will again make
of them.
am sure YOU and / want our child