Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-11-10
TOO MUCH TIME SPENT m FIND.
ING FAULT WITH RURAL
SCHOOL SYSTEM.
ACTION NOW NEEDED,
SAYS PRESIDENT MAhANNAA
Urges Appointment Of Committees to
Build Course of Study for Country
Embellishments on Educational
System Greater Than Ever Before
Efficiency OF Colleges Attacked.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times publican.
Des Moines. Nov. 10-"Too much
time has been spent in merely CRITICS.
ing the rural schools and rural school
teachers, without making any definite
effort TO inaugurate a constructive pol
icy that would eventually bring about
more satisfactory conditions.
Thus declared Fred L. Mahannah.
president of the Iowa state Teachers
Association. in his annual address in
which he discussed the factors in rural
school Improvement. As a constructive
program he made these suggestions:
THAT ) 5000. or whatever amount is
nece ssary. be set aside from the funds
now on hand in the treaSu of the
association to defray the expenses OF
various committees that may he ap-
pointed TO build course of study for
the rural school. the graded school and
the high school. Each subject To he
assigned to a committee at whose head
is an educator who is a recognized eX-
pert in that particular subject, with
him TO be city and county superintend-
ents who are specially Interested III iiie
subject. and by all means q good repre-
sentat;on OF the teachers who are &C
tuaily engaged in teaching the subject
from day TO day in the class room.
The head Of each committee should be
authorized 10 draw a proportioaatc
share of the money appropriated and
use whatever amount is necessary in
outlining course in the subject as
etc hi "a ia
practical and workable
That the appropriation for the high
school normal training course be made
large enough TO enable the department
of public instruction TO establish
course in each and every high school
that is willing and able TO NEE, the
conditions.
That the legislature be asked to es-
tablish such additional normal schools
as may be necessary to provide trained
teachers for al! the schools.
THAT as soon as practicable there
should be a scholastic requirement
equal to at least a high school course
before candidates are allowed 20 write
an examination for certificate to tech.
That the school people of Iowa get
together in a concerted effort TO build
UP a public sentiment that will demand
and support better educational pol
icy.
Demands Never Greater.
President Mahannah devoted himself
entirely to this problem Of the rural
school which he declared to be the
greatest of all 1t is great he said.
mot alone because half the school pop
ulation are enrolled in the rural schools,
nor because IS per cent OF those en-
rolled never attend any other kind OF
school: but II is great because no other
educational problem more vita!ly con-
Germs the American people. Never be
fore were greater demands made upon
our free public school system The
outlook for the future is that this de-
mand will steadily increase, for the
tendency Of the times is TO place great
er responsibilities upon the individual
citizen
Professor Mahannah deprecated the
indiscriminate criticism of the rural
schools and branding rural teach
ers as inefficient. There is no
teaching position that calls for more
patience, originality and self-depend-
ence than the position of teacher in a
rural school, he said. when we con-
| slider the bad sanitary conditions, the
unattractive Surroundings. the lack OF
| equipment. the irregular attendance,
and the all too frequent interference
| on the part of we'll meaning but mis-
guided parents. the wonder is that the
rural school teacher succeeds half so
we'll as she does. All honor TO the self
sacrificing. conscientious and poorly
paid rural teacher"
| Each community has as good a
school as It's people want, tho the
| schools they want are not just the
schools they ought to have. But if We
as school people. wish to bring about a
better state of affairs. we must recog-
| nize the futility of attempting to force
upon a rural community our notion OF
| an ideal school without first consulting
| their wishes The attempts along this
! line in the past have resulted largely
in arousing prejudice. and in creating a