The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-03-26
Term of Seven Months Came
To a Close Today and Ap-.
propriate Exercises Were
Observed.
COMMENCEMENT PLANS
ARE NOW BEING MADE
There Are Eighty-five Town.
ship Schools in County, En-
pIoying a Hundred and
Thirty Teachers.

Seven full months of sessions Of the
public schools of the county, exclusive
of Incorporated towns, closed today.
At several of the schools appropriate
exercises were held, because of the
occasion. Surprise dinners for the
teachers were among the features
| planned. The school wear has been
remarkably prosperous in all details.
| There are about eighty-live town
| ship schools in Wayne county and
| about 1870 teachers are employed in
! the instruction of the children. This
| includes the township high schools.
| At some of the buildings, the SER
vices of only one teacher are required
but at another there are six and an
! other five.
Securing Speakers.
| Arrangements now are being made
for the commencement exercises at
all schools. Speakers are being secur-
| ed. The dates for these affairs have
been announced. The only school to
have its commencement today is that
of Perry township at Economy. This
| is one of the largest schools of the
| county. 1t, also, is one of the best,
having been built only about two
| years.
Fewer Interruptions have married
this years school work than during
any year of the last six There has
| been no serious illness of any kind
that has appeared in the form of an
| epidemic The attendance has been
good and the average has shown an
increase. 1t is not always an easy
matter to keep the attendance of the
rural schools up to the standard and
a great deal Of credit is reflected up
on the teachers by the success of the
| Wayne county schools in this respect.
May Abandon Schools.
! 1t may be that there will be one or
two schools abandoned before the OPP
ening of the next year The last leg
islature changed the stipulations as to
| abandoning a school and no action
will De taken by Supt. Jordan until
| copies of the laws are issued and legal
opinions are obtained. T\e superin-
/ tendent does not believe it advisable
10 abandon schools, that may have to
| be reopened. Abingdon, Center and
Dalton townships each have one
school that has very small atten-
| dance and does not meet with the re-
quirements of the old law -
Many Women Teachers.
About five women are employed to
| every man as teachers in the schools
OF Wayne county. Compared to the
/ teachers of the city schools, those in
], the rural districts are younger in
years. They have to meet conditions
| such as are not experienced by those
/ teachers, who lave but a single grade
to conduct. Miss Ivy Chamness holds
the distinction of being the only wom-
an principal in the county. She is at
j the head of the Jacksonburg school.
All other principals in the township
schools are men, but i'll Richmond
nearly all the building principals are
! women.
The year has been one of co-onera-
ton between the teachers and pup;ls
/ in the district schools. There have
heen only isolated cases of insubor-
dination requiring strict measures.
Supt. Jordan rejoices at the good feel
Ing that has prevailed In selecting
his teachers, he inquiries not only into
/ their standing as students. but ascer-
tains their other chara cteristics. He
! believes in order to be a successful
/ teacher, every woman who engages in
1 the work must like children. He saws
If woman is not in sympathy with
ehlldren, she has no business as a
teacher. He said today teachers must
remember schools exist not for the
! teachers, but for the children and
without children there would be Meth
er schools nor teachers. He asserted
/ teachers must understand schools are
rot built to provide jobs for the teach
ers but to provide educations for the
children. knowledge of this fact
/ tends to avoid friction and create the
! spirit of good wiz which he believes
is absolutely essential to successful
/ cooperation of teacher and punil