The Mena weekly star., 1909-10-21
Treating of Obstacles to be
 Overcome.

condition Of the ungraded school, bat, on the other hand. to deal directly with their present. en- virouments. with a view to offer ing some plan for their improve meut. With this intention, the writer wishes to notice the actual aud present condition of our country schools as whole and in some cases to give special facts as applied 10 individual schools in order to have fair understanding of the obstacles in the way of thcir immediate improvement.
 When we reflect that the rural schools of our country provide elementary instruction for more than one half of our school popu- lation aud that large majority of this number never enter a course for higher instruction, fl would not seem reasonable that these schools, isolated as they are, sh )uld not have some ot the a1- yantages found in city school system. In making this state ment. we do not desire to say that  there has been no improvement, for progress, to limited degree, has been shown ever since the in auguration of the freo school sys- tenn, from tho rude, log school house, which contains the chil- dren of the rugged cleariugs among the broken hills and noun tains of western and central Ar kansas, to the handsome, frame or brick building of the fertile. level lands of the south east and southern part of the state. That there has been prog ress. cannot be disputed-thanks to the progressive spirit of tue school boards and wide awake teachers--b but that 1t has kept pace with the present age IS mose difficult to prove.
 What, then, is the actual con- dition of the average rural scnooll
 Accepting the general conces- sion of prominent educators, that all the surroundings of the school should be as pleasant as possible. the writer begs DO apology for considering the obstacles to be overcome in the inauguration Of anything like thorough system of sch pol work; if by carefully considering the obstacles we may devise any plans for overcoming them, then we may have success fully met them, and are able to substantiate something better in their stead. The obstacles and hindrances, as observed at the present time, are about as follow B:
 l. A school of both sexes, and of all grades from the primer 10 the sciences and the higher mathematics.
 2. The entire absence of any record of the progress of the pupil, of the classification of the school, aud in some cases not even a daily register of attendance in presentable form.
 ,. The irregular attendance of the pupils brought about by the peculiar surroundings of farm life. the distance from school, in- clement weather. poor teachers, indifference of parents, absence of attractive school rooms, aud. above all, an entire absence of anything like systematic incen- tives to school work or 10 progress.
 r. The frequent aud constant changes of teachers. caused by the want of professional skill, by the constant incentive held up 10 him to do something of profes- sioual aud permanent character, and thus causing him 10 make teaching stepping stone to that profession.
 5. The low salaries paid in many districts fail to call out the taleut of the county and places the mediocre at tue head of the school.
 Q. The lack of professional training for the duties of the school room on the rart of tue teacher is encouraged by school boards ID the common saying, 4zs 4.