Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-11-27

townships, and Adelphta, district No.
9. in Coe township.
The state superintendent, in award
ing these diplomas, considers seat
ing, heating and ventilation, library.
sanitation, and efficiency Of teacher.
No school is accepted as standard I'M
less the teachers salary is at least
1850 per year. Proper seating calls
for desks graded to fit the pupils from
the smallest to the largest, each grade
set in a separate row. The pupil
must be able to touch the floor >ith
his feet while seated.
Adequate heating does not necessar-
lily mean that there must be a base
ment with furnace, bu. it does mean
that the heating pant must be ade-
quate and so placed as to give an even
temperature. A free circulation of air,
with provision for the introduction
of fresh air and the expulsion of that
which is foul. is required. Probably
more progress is being made just now
in heating and ventilating than in any
other direction. BY means of pipes T.
opening close to the floor the cold. /
foul air there is drawn off through /
the chimney, while fresh air is intro |
duced through other pipes which turn |
upward, thus DETECTING the cold air |
toward the ceiling and insuring a mix |
ing of cold and warm currents so that |
/ the temperature is kept even. Such |
( improvements are simple and compar- !
atively inexpensive. Undoubtedly, |
D 4, 10, ~ b.
through poorly heated and ventilated |
sci. ools and the foundation laid for
many of the ills of later life. The
trouble has been that the average
school director, and in fact, the ordi-
nary dealer In heating apparatus,
has not realized that the provisions
used in the ordinary dwelling will not
suffice in schools, where there are SO
many more pairs of lungs to use up
oxygen, necessitating a much more
rapid changing of the air in the room.
Libraries that viii be used, are re-
uuired of the standard school, together
with some decoration, including ac
ceptable pictures for the walls. Too
often it has happened that country
school Libraries have been started
wrong, the funds being invested i'll
books that nobody is interested in
A good school library will do more TO
draw together the people of the dis
trict than might De supposed.
LONGER SERVICE URGED.
When a teacher is doing effective
work she should be retained by the
b district as long as possible. Too orten
the teacher is discharged because she
= has displeased some individual, or be
cause of some fault that is of minor
: position to overlook the things that
: count in the making of a good teach
er and so often an efficient instructor
t is allowed to go when it would have
: been a great deal better if she had
been retained. new teacher in
school labors under many handicaps.
: II takes time to become acquainted
? and TO learn how to get the best work
= out of the individual pupils. These
) things the directors should bear in
! mind when hiring teachers.
r Efforts of the county superintendent
, of schools are largely directed toward
the standardizing and systematizing
4 of the work of teachers. This is q
A formidable task, in view of the large
= numbers who are constantly entering
I and leaving the profession. Despite
! this handicap, | think it safe to say
[ that teaching standards are a great
, deal higher now than they were a
. few wears ago. The annual county in
. inn rilr m oil
f in the preparation for annual examin-
= atICns of teachers. Now, ability to
Q meet the tests is taken as a matter of
o course, and the institute is devoted to
4 inspiring better work. District meet
: ings are also of consequence in bet
+ tering the work of teachers. They had
@ their inception when c. B. Marshall
: was superintendent, a series of meet
r ings being held at that time. Later
f the county was divided into four dis
{ triots, the teachers of which meet
? three times annually and discuss their
work, the weaker and less expert
enced having the advantage Of advice
$ from the older and more competent
/ ones.
r. AID VOCATIONAL TRAINING.
Vocational training, while now not
: exactly within the province of the or
O binary country school, is likely to be-
. come so in the future, and even now II
n is the duty Of the school authorities
4 to aid in this direction as they see
g opportunity. They can take an i'm
portant part in the promotion of farm
, institutes, particularly in the contests
=, that have Of late years done so much
. 10 interest the young in farm work
; and in raising the standard of crops
. and live stock. I believe the short
- course at the state agricultural school
: can be made TO benefit a great many
more than it does now and the school
= is the proper agency through which
TO work TO arouse interest in it, Man.
- ual training could be introduced in
country schools with benefit and is
- already being taken up in a small