Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-09-21
SCHOOL BOARDS HELD
SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS
Attendance From Over County
Larger Than Ever.
Interesting Speeches by Judge jerks,
School Inspector Hunt, and
Several Others.

To an outsider the keynote of the
school board convention held here
Monday and Tuesday seemed to be:
To improve our rural schools as they
should be we must be willing to pay
the price.
This point was especially en-
phasized by Graded School Inspec-
tor w. H. Hunt; Rural School In
spectOr Larson President Suther-
land, of the Platteville Normal and
Judge AldrO jerks, of Dodgeville.
All were agreed that the country
schools have not kept pace with
modern progress simply because
the rural districts will not tax them
selves one cent more than is abso-
lutely necessary for their mainten-
ance.
The convention was unusually
well attended Besides the school
board members present there was a
gOodly sprinkling of visitors all of
whom displayed keen interest in
the program.
w. E. Larson was the first speak
er. He laid particular stress on the
improved methods of teaching the
simpler branches. In reading he
demonstrated the modern departure
from the old method of first drilling
the meaningless IA. B. C's" into
child's understanding. He said
that reading was the getting of
thought and that pupils should first
be taught to grasp the idea back of
printed word or sentence rather
than to pronounce each word i'll a
mechanically correct manner. In
closing Mr.. Larson advised the
school board members to hang onto
a good teacher even at an advance
of salary and to provide each teach
er with all that she requires in her
work. He said that invariably a
good teacher in the country is driven
out by poor one because of the
difference in the salary demanded
Supt. Brockert endorsed the ideas
advanced by MIR. Larson and said
that he was pleased to say that only
two Grant County teachers follow
ed the antiquate7 A. B. G. system
last year.
The teaching of reading was then
exemplified by class of fifth grad
ers from the Platteville Normal
faculty. Prof. Gentle, also of the
Normal teaching force, opened this
portion of the program by saying
that the eight children had not been
prepared especially for the occasion
but that the lesson was part of
their regular work The assign
merit was in expressive reading and
the instructor soon had the children
interested and striving to excel
each other. This demonstration
was instructive as we'll as being in
teresting.
Inspector w. H Hunts address
followed. His topic was The
School and Home" He pleaded for
the harmonizing of home-life and
schOOl-life. He said that all chill
dren need certain amount of care
full home training. They should be
trained in habits of industry and
obedience and shorld be asked to
assume certain responsibilities early
in life Opportunities for proper
home training are best on the farm
but the educational facilities in the
country should and can be improv-
ed. There is no reason why the
rural schools can not be raised to
the level of the city graded school.
Parents should realize that the ear
ly training Of their children aids
their teachers wonderfully Many
parents have a difficult time manag-
ing one or two children and at
same time criticize a teacher who
has thirty or forty pupils of differ
ent dispositions and who have
been reared in widely varying en-
vironments. The parents should
never criticize a teacher before
child or never accept as final the
ch1ld's story of school occurrence.
The teacher needs the backing of
the school board. The members
should visit her occasionally and
ask if she needs anything in the
way of equipment or working tools.
Many schools have been improved
through the law providing state
aid after certains conditions had
been complied with After the last
money of this aid has been paid to
the district, that have fulfilled the
requirements, the school board
members should keep up the good
work. The cities are draining the
country schools of their best teach
ers when at the same time, the
rural districts are able to retain
their best instructors and not feel
the extra tax imposed. The country
schools need better teachers and
must pay them more. Mr.. Hunts
address received generous applause.
Postmaster Webb then spoke on
the Postal Laws. A recent order
from the department required that
school children must be instructed