El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-07-26

lines shows what may be done. The
shell of tradition in the south is pipped.
The impossible has been done and the
heavens have not fallen. A standard
has been raised and the event is in the
hands Of the future.
The activities of such a school as
that at Rock Hill requires so much Of
a teachers time in working with the
younger children that it is quite impOs-
sible for her to deal with the needs Of
older and more advanced pupils. For
1unately for this experiment, although
unfortunately for the country, the
school districts of the south, where the
population is made up of tenant farm
ers, rarely have any advanced pupils.
The ordinary school year is so short
the method Of instruction so ineffi-
Gent, and the age of leaving school
TO go to work so young, that advanced
pupils are all too rare. But t already
has been demonstrated that the pupils
will stay in the school if the school is
made attractive-that much has been
shown at Rock Hill.
Rational Instruction Methods.
The plan is TO use more rational
methods Of instruction to bring the
children up to the point where they
viii demand more, and then to furnish
that additional instruction in school
centers advantaGeously placed in the
county. This viii tend to fan in with
the plans for consolidating school dis
tricts so that eventually the one-rOOm,
one-teacher school will be all but
eliminated, or will survive only as
neighborhOOd center for the training
Of the younger children.
Take one county in Kentucky, for
instance, where a school center is be-
ing worked out. Here at hand was
Ihree-teacher country school working
better school than the one-room school,
but its excellencies were all those copied
from a city school and it was making
little or no attempt to make itself
a live and vital factor in the COM
munity by relating its activities to the
activities Of the people-farming and
stock raising.
The Plan Of Reform
Here is the plan of reform: The
principal Of the school is a teacher
Of agriculture, for agriculture is the
main thing Now as the ordinary
teacher doesn't know much about that
science it is necessary, first, to teach
the teacher. So the demonstration
farm agent IS called into willing CO.
operation, and the state school Of agri-
culture helps. Each boy in school goes
into corn club, and each has his club
acre at home and his plot in the school
demonstration farm. Each girl joins
the canning club or the chicken club.
and in this way home life and school
life are Intimately related and 1T is
demonstrated daily that an education
has as much to do with growing corn
or selling eggs as 1t has to do with
grammas or the Rule Of Three. And
at the same time this principal takes
charge Of the more booEish studies of
the advanced pupils.
The second teacher, a woman. has
charge Of the canning clubs and the
poultry clubs, Of the instruction in do
nestle science. and together with the
principal, teaches her charges not only
them not only how to grow chickens,
but how to market eggs
The other teacher, also q woman, has
charge Of the younger children and
gTrHmnT 2 r gz he 70
give her little ones the introduction to
a true education that comes from re-
lating activities to the business of
learning-her feet being guided by the
lamp lighted at Rock Hill
Eventually this school would grow
until II would become a county center
The principal Of this school would su-
perVlse the tWo-rOOm and One-room
schools throughout the county and
would unity the spirit and, therefore.
oppose the diffusion Of effort that has
brought the present system of rural
schools to grief.
Bringing Them to Higher Efficiency.
This viii lead, it is the lively hope of
those who are determined to bring the
rural schools in their field up to the
highest possible efficiency, to the es-
Enlistment in every county Of an edu-
catiOnal center, a county school which
would itself train the older pupils from
III sections Of the country and at the
same time supervise and direct all the
minor schools
It may seem a long way off but
plans are already made for such A
school 1t VIII have, according to the
present outline, no less than eight
teachers, and would demand an eoufp-
ment OF no less than eight buildings
The principal would be a teacher Of
pant llfe-Ior agriculture is the basis
OF ali rural life Farming, forestry.
fruit culture and gardening would be
IN his province. One associate would
teach animal Ife-livestock, dairying.
pUtlt-y, insects, pee culture, etc An
other would teach human nfe-physi-
oIogy, hygiene, sanitation, nutrition
ana food values, and psychology.
Another would teach human Industry.
beginning with drawing and hand
work in the carpenter shop and work
ing up through the metals to farm
manufactures, thence naturally to in
dustrial and social history of the world |
IN general and Of Europe and America |
In particular.
One associate would devote her ener-
gles TO instruction in the household !
arts, drawing, sewing, weaving, bas-
kerry and music The teacher of chem |
lstry would give instruction in mathe- /
matlcs, in physics and in cooking The /
teacher OF language would teach the
use Of speech and letters in such a 4
way as to make every pupil a book I
lover. And, Of course, there would be |
tne chlldren's teacher, who would give i
the little ones a natural and normal in /
PRODUCTION to this practical system of I
onstrated at Rock Hill. that the whole !
superstructure is reared.
Buildtng Would BE "HOmeo
me cnlef building would be the !
nome, the children's house, and it would /
De q model home, its rooms devoted to I
Such uses as were those at Rock Hill
another building would be the farm
mouse with a laboratory each for the
class IN plant life and animal life for
the class IN chemistry and for the plant !
Dreealng equipment. A workshop
would be necessary for the Industrial |
classes A book house-how much bet /
Ter lhese two words than library
would serve also for the auditorium !
ana Lor, the social life of the school A I
poultry house and barn would be neces-
SaIy- OF course, and then there would (
De Two boarding houses, one for boys
and one for girls
To place such a school in every coun-
" OF the rural districts would be to
upli1t the social and economic life of
me country TO plane now not to be
imagined but only to be fOndlv
OF And Vet s11oh |