The Mena weekly star., 1909-10-21
our number of ambitious and pro gressive teachers.

or Ieacnefs, m tue snhpc Ol ROCu journals devoted to methods and devices for elementary instruc- tion, and books upon the different phases of school work. Cit should be stated that this is occasioned in part by the absence of anything like teachers library at the county seat, and by the non-at- tendance of teachers upon the an- nual or special institutel.
 10. The indifference of school officers to the needs of the school room. Their conspicuous ab- sence from the school during the whole year, tending to make both teacher aud pupils careless in the execution of many important de- tails.
 Il. The indifference of parents to the prosperity of the school in general; If is not uncommon for parents to fail to visit the school for years in succession; indeed, mauy of them must admit that they shave never been inside the school-house since during its erection"
 l2. The frequent changes of text books is detriment where a course of study is not closely fol- lowed, and that by the topical method of studying, and teach ing.
 B. The constant removal of tenants from district to district tends to mix the texts more and more, and to keep their children from the schools great portioi, of the time; in many cases where these poor people are required to purchase new books in order to enter the school, they fail to fur nish their children with proper texts and are thus practically de- barred from school privileges.
 IA. The varying length of terms of schools is serious draw back; the school of Arkansas provides for minimum number of months taught in the rural schools; the time taught in a given district is thus left to the whim of the board of directors and ranges all the way from the minimum required to ten months each year. Hence schools are opening at different periods from Fourth of July to Juue Is. Pu- pills attending these schools must make different degrees of prog ress. There can be but little uniformity of work where this state of affairs exists.
 15. The notion prevails among certain class of teachers, the pupils, and the patrons, that there must be uniformity in texts or else the child cannot enter his classes with any degree of success. Thiscauses all enormous outlay of private funds annually for extra books.
 l6. Teachers coming direct ed from the rural districts have few ideals other than those acquired from their teachers, and are unable to organize or classify their schools with anything like well-balauced course of instruc- tiou; they are unable to use ap- paratus that may be on hand, and suffer 1t to be destroyed by ruth less hands that know little of it's value.
 
 r. The unbalanced educa- tion of the pupils is serious him. drauce to anything like uniform ity in the present school work. Many farmers have the notion that the three R's are all that their sons and daughters need in their education. and that if they can spell well and figger in the head, il is really all they need.
 This notion being imparted to their children, leaves the selec- tion of other studies to their own notion, or peculiar fancy. and as a result, mauy of our bright boys and girls do not even pursue the stuly of some of the important branches; it is fact worthy of note that the boys will usually omit grammar and the girls op- pose the study of United States