The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1909-03-03
PLAN ADR
BETTER SCHOOLS
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT HOFFMAN SPEAKS
ON lew SCHOOL LAWS.
A CHANGE IS INDEED NEEDED.
He Sees Dark lays Ahead if the Rural Schools
are pt Improved at Once.

NAS ~ AluHlVvVU a. VuNVs
The Educational Commission to re-
wise and rec,dify Iowa's school laws
are receivin, very remarkable mix
ture of praie and censure from the
people of IPa. No doubt when they
add this t. the $4,000 received by
them for al expenses they will feel
amply paid though Illinois did
spend SIC, O'0 for similar commits
sion last yer The whole bill as re-
ported by the commission is perhaps
too ideal in some particulars for pres
ent conditions in Iowa. However. it
has many most excellent features
which would if put into law greatly
improve tie status of education in
Iowa. Among all other things, the
rural schools condition and future is
one of the most vital things to be
considered The great majority of
boys and girls in Iowa get no other
education than what the rural school
can give them. If we are going to
keep the boys on the farm and away
from the city, we must better both
school and social conditions there.
This the proposed new law would in
time do. Let US note how:
LIST. The Commission Board after
due investigation and suitable ar
rangement for ali pupils, would close
the very small. sleepy. uninteresting
rural schools. By making school
townships much smaller than they
now are, no doubt in short time the
people of many communities would
vote for a centralized school. Both
OF these steps enlarge the social CEN
tiers and would in a short time great
ly improve the social advantages of
country life. Better home and church
accommodations. with added social
conditions. would attract better and
brighter material as teachers to these
rural districts.
2 nd. Larger schools, better or
ganized than now would add greatly
to the efficiency of our schools. We
should then have the inspiration OF
numbers, tie emulation OF rivalry
and the annual promotions from grade
to grade. to help add interest to the
work. Without all these, the teacher
and pupils Of the, one to six pupil
school, must often pinch themselves
to see if they are awake.
3rd. With fewer schools and with
better and more economical admins
tration of their affairs-better and
more suitable equipment can be sup
pied each school. Now. if one school
of township gets globe or chart
all others must be similarity supplied
whether they need the apparatus or
not. l have seen, for example, one
school supplied with two good globes,
an old and new. just because the
other schools were getting globes,
when the work to be done did not
warrant the purchase of any such APP
paratus. H. another instance a Sl4
globe was purchased for primary
room doing less than 4th grade work.
9TH. By means of paid and COM
pulsory attendance at Country School
Officers conventions-these officers
can be reached. and be instructed in,
and inspired to do, their full duties to
the schools.
5th. The County Board placing
the teachers in the schools on the
nomination of the County Superin-
tendent, who should know both teach
er and school. ought to come as near
to getting the right teacher in the
right school as is possible. Now. too
often the director must take the first
applicant, who is quite often not just
the right person for the place. Some
schools are hard to discipline, some
require very tactful teacher to keep
all going smoothly among pupils and
parents. some find less fault il the
teacher be Catholic, or Protestant.
We have teachers poor in discipline
yet excellent teachers in every other
way. We have teachers whose bump
of tact is yet in embryo. Much more
depends upon getting the right teach
er in the right school than the uninit-
lated would ever dream.
9Th. Last, but all important, we
shall have in the main, better teach
ers for the rural schools. Not re-
quiring so many teachers we shall
be able to dispense with the low grade
certificates. Last year we had in
Iowa, 4.s6O third grade and $4,000
provisional grade teachers. Most of
these taught in our rural schools.
Better salaries with more congenial
social conditions will attract and
hold bright Industrious young people
in the wor.-. 1t will require consid-
cradle coaxing to get a teacher to
change her occupation. With alert,
organized authority backing her in