The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1908-02-14
The Way to Get Good Schools is to
Make Them Good. How
To Do 1t.
ADVICE FOR
SCHOOL OFFICERS.
When Educators Advise, School Of
ficers Should Heed. Select
ing Teachers.
(By Walter r. Siders. }

(By waiter II. SlderS.)
The average community which Il
hoping for better schools and bet
ter school conditions, and whose peo
pie are regretting that they have no
better educational facilities for theil
young people are probably waiting
for some miraculous Intervention ol
Providence, or for some widespread
educational reform to strike the
school district and improve theil
local conditions.
The patrons of the average rural
school fail to appreciate the fact that
the improvement of conditions lies
entirely within their own hands, and
that they can have good schools If
they will merely carry their desires
to their logical conclusion, that is to
say, If, instead of merely wishing for
better conditions; they will exert
themselves to bring about the things
that they want.
There seem to many of the rural
schools absolutely dependent for
their finances upon the state and
county money alone. The people of
the district think that 1t Is not in
cumbent upon them to levy any
special tax for the support of the
schools. Good schools-like every
thing else-are largely regulated by
the amount of money available to
produce good material surroundings,
and to employ competent persons to
use these material surroundings to
their best advantage, and so 1t Is en-
tirely useless for any school district
to complain about school conditions
and to regret the incompentency of
teachers, and to wish that their
children had the school advantages
which other school districts afford, SO
long as they are unwilling to pay
such taxes as will make possible a
good school house we'll equipped,
well furnished, and to pay a teacher
for teaching a nine-months term of
school. Even II there should not be
a general sentiment among the
school patrons for nine months
term of school, taught by a compe-
tent teacher, there will be, perhaps,
few persons In the community who
could make 1t their special interest
to attend the annual school meeting,
and persuade the people at that time
to levy sufficient tax to make these
things possible.
The school patrons should see to
1t that they select for their school
trustees the most competent perl
sons in the district, the ones who are
freest from prejudice and mental
bias, the ones who have had the
best opportunities to know what
good school Is, and having created
such a school board, by virtue of
their ballots, they should support
and sustain the acts of the school
board, SO that those things which
hey attempt to do may be fully car
RED out. IL 1t be granted, then, that
he people have provided the neces-
'ary funds for the maintainance of
The school, and have selected the
best qualified persons they have for
he scnool trustees, and are willing
20 lend loyal support to the acts of
his board of trustees, what further
remains to be done for the improve
nent OF school conditions?
The problem Is now In the hands
If the school trustees, and perhaps
he first problem Is to provide the
'ery best school house and out-build-
ngs, whach the money at their COM
nand will permit. This school build
ng should be built from the plans of
iome architect who understands
Irch.- ..e and school problems,
md should not be building Planned
~ some one who does not UNDER
tand the special requirements of a
cno~- ~lilding. There are many
publications extant In these days
which give elevations, poor plans,
md complete descriptions of model
chool buildings. Many states have
'ut out publications upon model
chool buildings for the benefit of
he school people OF the state.
lmong these publications, the