The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-04-03
BY HENRY 3. DEWEY,
State Superintendent of Public
Schools in Washington.

The rural school is unQuestiona-
bly, seriously handicapped. as COM
pared with the city school, in some
particulars. On the other hand, it
has some distinct advantages?
Among the undesirable conditions
common to the typical rural school
are lack of carefully trained and eX-
perienced teachers, short terms of
school. poorly constructed school
houses, insufficient equipment, an
nual or semi-annual change of
teachers. enrolment too small for
best results, many grades and small
classes, limited social opportunities
for teachers, inconvenient boarding
places. teachers rot in touch with
life of community and community
not vitally interested in the schools.
The advantages of the rural
school are in the main those Incl
dent to country life, such as good
health of the pupils, democratic
spirit, manual training at home,
free access to nature. self-reliance
of pupils, school and community
morals, fewer distractions. higher
standard of morality and saner hab-
its of life.
BETTER SCHOOLS WILL At
TRACT PEOPLE TO COUNTRY.
1t seems to me that the disad-
antages of the rural school are
largely accidental and in many
communities have been overcome.
Thei advantages are largely those
incident to country life. The rural
school problem may be summarized
as follows: How can the rural
school be made good enough not
only to stop further movement to
the city by those parents that de
sire: the best educational adVan-
taaes for their children, but also to
attract parents from the city that
desire the environment of country
life. for themselves and their chill
dren?
Eirst-The teacher must be spe-
cialIy trained for her work. This
training must be different from the
training of teachers for city schools.
She must Delieve in country boys
and girls, must love nature, must
be in sympathy with rural life and
understand the problems of her
community. II would be desirable
if she had been reared in the coun-
try. has received her education in
pant in the rural schools, and if
she were teaching in the country
from choice-the rural teacher
should not be one whom the cities
do not want, but one whom the
cities cannot get. The longer
Study school problems, whether
city or country, the more firmly |
am convinced that the real problem
is the teacher. Ii has long seemed
to me that the normal schools
should do more TO prepare teachers
fot9rural schools and should encour
aga them to undertake this work
rather than TO flock into the cities
COUNTRY ENTITLED TO AS
Il GOOD AS CITY.
Second-The course of study
should be modified to meet the
needs of rural communities; pro
vision should be made for the intro
duction of elementary agriculture,
manual training, elements of do
mestic science, rural sanitation.
etc, There should be more atten
tion given to a study of natural
phenomena, to original investiea-
ton, and less to a study Of books
altne
Third-School houses should be
So constructed or reconstructed
thai the Arrangements for lighting.
heating and ventilating the build
ing are as nearly perfect as posi-
BILE. The school room should be as
clean, as sanitary, and as attrac-
tiYe as the best home. There
should be in every school a we'll
selected library Of wholesome, read
able and inspiring books. Copies
of Some of the masterpieces of art,
both painting and sculpture, should
ad6rn the school room. The
grounds should be amply sufficient
pS5imentation. Whether large OF
slnll, the grounds should be made
sol attractive that they are the
pffde of the pupils and parents
alike.
sFourth-There is no substitute
for intelligent supervision. No
other factor has contributed so
mich to the improvement of our
schools as the work done by super
ir1tendents and their assistants. The
acknowledged superiority of city
schools is due, in large measure,
I'd the better organization, better
methods of instruction and disci-
pine that result from close super
Vision. Unity, harmony and pro-
gat ssiveness characterize the city
system. Why not also the rural