The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-12-27

the school should 90 at three chCeacn
him edscpne teach him to think and strengthen his rea
ton the social and industrial interests Of his community
not too much say that not alone in Vermont but
throughout states in the countryside schools the children
put through the grades under regime which gives them
little sedsciplne dus their minds with artificial repetons
and routine and far it educaes them at ALL ed-
them away from the life in which they have grown
Any form Of school that weakens the chds interest in the
life of his community is deficient in the elemental requisite of
the school agency of civilization Something is radically
wrong with school in agricultural community that deve
ops moormen senographers and typewrers and fails to
develop farmers darymen and gardeners of study
prepared with the of correcting this condition is the first
step in reform.
Secondly there should be provided for the school system
of Vermont educational administration that shall supervise
the schools whole and that shall bring to high school
and to every elementary school genuine sympathetic educa
tona advice 1t has been pathetic the eageess with
which the rural school teacher reaches out for educational
help Ones respect for womannd the typical rural teacher
is young Of twenty-five or twenty three and ones
respect for the rural school deepens when the evo
ton the energy and otenmes the great natural teaching
ability that is offered by rural elementary school teacher
Any system of educational administration that is to be
cessfu provide the by which these isolated teach
may be visited by experts who sympathecay intel
genty and skfuy help them to correct mistakes and to
strengthen their good qualities This adequate adj
mnistratve organization at the top
In the third place. and equally necessary is the condition
the educational administration whatever may be- which
is scrunze assist and to inspire shall be free from
political ENHANCEMENT In Vermont in all other states,
education is to-day mingled with local politics. The unique
political organization of the state under which each town has
equal representation in the House of Representatives lends
itself such confusion is part of human nature that
under such circumstances the local representative will inter-
ere either for his interest for the supposed interest
of the schools in his region form of administration must
be devised under which the inspection and scrutiny and deve
opment of the schools shall be independent of politics. and this
less in the interest of those who hold office than the
of the schools and of the scholars In many instances
perhaps in most nstancethe intentions of the political repre-
sentative who ntereres good The difficulty that what
his intentions he almost to interfere from the
local and personal point of vew and the of the admin
straon depends upon delivering the school system from local
and personal interference Freedom from political pressure
must be had before the school do its work with eye
single to the good of all the people of its region
Finally agencies must be provided by which the requisite
number of trained teachers be obtained for the elementary
schooteachers who shall have had training not only
in arithmetic and in geography and in English but shall have
had training also in the social point Of view from which they
must approach their work The future of Vermont lies in the
hands of these teachers and single act that the state
ment perform is important than that which seeks
provide the for training the right way adequate
supply teachers for the elementary rural schools AS
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