Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-01-03
State Superintendent Riggs Says
Iowa is Afflicted With Too
Many Poor Teachers
PROBLEM A DIFFICULT ONE
Suggests Fewer Rural Schools and
Better Methods Of instruction in
High Schools as Partial Remedy for
Conditions That It Viii Take Long
to Overcome.
specia, to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Jan. 3.-Probably the
most important address, delivered be-
fore the Iowa State Teachers Assoc
citation was that of John +. Riggs, SUI
I-perintendent of public instruction, to-
day. Mr.. Riggs spoke on the subject
IrOur Teacher Problem,' topic that
has been widely discussed Of late but
one that still is far from satisfactory
| solution.
+ MIR. Riggs made the startling state
1nent that there are today 5000 or
more incompetent teachers engaged IN
the rural schools of Iowa, condition
| to be deplored but which only time and
careful thought can overcome. The del
egates to the meeting We're greatly mn
pressed with the facts revealed by Mr.
ERiggs and are giving thought to his
suggested remedies. Mr.. Riggs said
|. The teacher problem will be fully
solved only when as, many scholarly
and professionally trained men and
women desire to teach school as there
! are school situations to fill, and when
/ the licensing authority rejects all APP
| plieants of inferior preparation ano
training.
! Theoretically, the state board of ed
/ vocational examiners may grant licenses
| to teach only to those applicants VINO
show themselves to be thoroughly pre-
| pared for the teachers office; put'
practically, licenses may not at the
| present time be so restricted. we
! have at this hour not less than hVe
| thousand teachers in the schoolrooms
of Iowa who are amazingly deficient In
/, scholarship and in professional train
| ing. They ought to be in the second :
airy schools and colleges as students,
| instead of occupying the important Of
| flee of teacher But we cannot sud
! denly close five thousand schoolrooms.
leaving many children entirely without
schooling while teachers are being
trained We must for the present and,
perhaps, for considerable time to come
accept many immature and poorly pre-
pared teachers in order that most OF
| the schools may be kept open.
! Whether it be a greater evil to IL
cense teachers of inferior scholarship
or, for an indefinite time, deprive the
children of schooling altogether, 1t Is
/ idle to discuss: for public sentiment
must be reckoned with. Teachers are
demanded. and in some way they must
/ be, provided in sufficient numbers to
at least fill most of the schools. I.
i It is. however, possible to both grad
/ ,lally reduce the number of inefficient
teachers and to increase the number
| of efficient ones. The school boards OF
the state have full power to readjust
/ district boundaries at any time In such
a way as to eliminate many country
schools, and by reducing the number
! of schoolroomS. of course reduce the
number OF teachers needed at any one
time.
| We could easily accommodate all the
children enrolled in our rural schools
in less than one-half the number of
schoolhouses now provided for their
use, and not have an average Of more
than thirty pupils to the school.
Not every child, to be sure, would
be within easy walking dis
| tance of a school, but most Of them
would be favorably situated, and trans
portation for the others would be en-
| tirely feasible. am aware that the
popular prejudice against any form
of country school consolidation is SO
| great that progress in this direction
is exceedingly slow. There is pro-
| gress, however a few consolidated dis
trcts being formed each year. Then,
some of our more skillful county sup
erintendents have been able to per-
suade directors to temporarily unite
two adjacent schools under one teach
er. This may be done in hundreds of
| cases to the financial advantage of the
| districts in interest and to the great
benefit of the children. But While
these temporary arrangements are to
| be encouraged, there is pressing need
| of a permanent readjustment of dis
trict boundaries whereby many small
| districts shall be eliminated and, as
already stated, this relief only awaits
the action Of school boards.
Whatever may be said or thought
Of consolidating all the schools of a
township and transporting the child
rem to a central school, no one who
has given the question any study
4
that the areas comprising rural school
districts are usually much too small,
| and that rational readjustment Of
district boundaries could easily elm
| mate a considerable number Of schools
| in every county and still leave all the
! children within reasonable access to q
| school, The amazing waste Of our
| present system, and the feasibility Of
readjustments to meet present and
| future needs, should be continually
| preached to the people. There is no
possible excuse for maintaining year
after year from three thousand to six
| thousand more rural schools than are
now needed, or are likely ever to be
needed. 1t will be better for the teach
ers, better for the children, and bet
| ter for the tax payers to maintain
eight thousand rural schools with an
! average Of twenty-five pupils to the
| school. rather than continue the pres
] ent colossal folly Of maintaining over
| twelve thousand rural schools, with an
| the school. When it is remembered
| that thirty-f1ve hundred Iowa teachers
| at this moment hold third grade GER
| tificates and three thousand more hold
| provisional certificates. the majority Of
| which represent scholarship even low
er than that required for q third grade
| certificate the Imperative need OF
eliminating schools where possible to
do so will be readily recognized