Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-02-01
A Farmers View of Some School
Matters,

Matters.
1t appears to me that one o. on
greatest needs is class of teachers win
eau make us farmers dissatisfied wit
poor teaching If the children like tb
| teacher pretty well. and we think the
are getting along about as we'll as 9th
er peoples children. most of use ar
satisfied 1t does not take the averag
teacher long to discover the situation
aud the temptation with many arises
and some yield to it. to adjust them
selves to the situation. In fact tn
teacher who understakes to elevat
the ed u ca rOUai standard of his com
muDi5y is treading on dangerou
ground unless be Is possessed of lndi
v!duallty, strong will power, courage
truthfulness, resourcefulness and de
finlte high ideals. and is not afraid o
earning more than bis meager salary
And that word salary reminds me tha
one of the greatest features of th,
country teachers work today is tt
make US farmers willing to pay NOR,
money for good work.
How are you to do it, you ask Oh
that is a test of your resOur cefulness
But may be Can give you few hints
Last winter was present at farm
ers institute where a farmer girl prob.
ably fifteen or sixteen years old rose
in the most calm, modest and self. con-
trolled manner, read paper Of
considerable length in which she de-
tailed the management of her hundred
Brown Leghorn hens, giving also some
thing of the financial side of the mat
ter. The girl was an entire stranger
to me and | knew nothing then, mol
do yet. of her school training except
what could judge from what / sa v
and heard. suppose l was particu-
/ larly impressed by the occurrence be-
c use | have q daughter apparently but
little younger than the girl am speak
ing of. First. thought hew gratified
| should be if at this girls age my
daugt ter should be able to accomplish
a similar work. Then l fell to think
ing what would be necessary in her
training to fit her for such an accom-.
piisbment For one thing she would
need practice in original composition
which she was not getting to any CON
siderable extent-was too busy study
ing grammar. She would need prac-
tice il reading aloud before a crowd.
[ don't suppose she bad ever stood uI
facing the school and read a piece in
Der life. She would need a teacher in
sympathy with farm life and alive to
it's possibilities in furnishing suitable
subjects for composition. don t think
we have had many teachers in our dis
trlct who were specially euamored of
farm life; and as to its posi- biitles of
furnishing subjects for composition or
other school work they seem mostly to
have been stone Blind she would need
d teacher, who, not ignoring the use
fulness of books would not regard them
as the principal thing in school work
but alas her scnool life has been,
books, books, books Sue would need
q faoohor uhn nroforc tho Gin, y,lo "a <h q
strenuous life, who is content with the
PLAIN, rather than ambitious for the
SNOWY. But in these respects hel
teachers have been Very much like the
rest of US. 1t appears to me tnat the
teacher who could do what | have here
mentioned and be what has been i'm
piled would stand a pretty good show
of finding the way to the hearts and
thence possibly to the pockets of the
community.
Our school for the present year il
now in the second week. We have fol
teacher a young man from an adjoin
ing township who had the snap to pull
out and come over to us because oul
township pays better wages than does
his; or, more properly speaking, hi
township pays worse wages than doe
ours. 1t Is hardly proper to us'
''good" OR any of it's notifications il
connection with the teachers wage
of this section. But his coming to th,
less bad financial land than bis nativ
is a good sign. 1t shows his discon
tent with at least one existing peda
gogical condition, and an effort to over
come it, But that is not all l hea
that he has taken position la Gen
eral Grant and that he is going t.
teach the children to read If it take
all winter, and that he has actual
got some OF them to stopping at thei
periods already. Not only that but b
is having them step up On the rostrur
and face the school and read. Aud b
Is taking interest In penmanship and
We parents would only furnish th
materials l have an idea that befor
spring many of the children could rea
not only their own but eaca other
writing. And he is taking up cOmpc
sitlOn-not with q book, but be has ha
| che children writing about the tree
IN the school yard and writing letter
| TO their friends. Tomorrow is til
last day of our County fair and schot
| will be dismissed, aud L understan
| that all the children who attend tt
fair will! be expected to write up II
port Of it. And l have not heard OF
RICK yet. l rather think he has We
the confidence OF the community. An
| certainly hope he may hold it loL
enough to carry out these and lot ,
other common sense ideas of which
think be is possessed
Our farmers Institutes are acc on
IpIishing much good, but nothing lii