The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1913-04-10
Waste In One-Teacher School.
Prof. w. II. Hand
State High School Inspector.

1t is easier to point out evils and
shortcomings than it is to remedy
them or even prescribe remedies.
Paradoxical as it may seem, it is more
difficult to correct generally admit
ted evil than one not so generally
realized or admitted. When an evil
becomes so common as to be almost
universal it attracts little attention,
and people are not much concerned
about either the evil or a remedy.
An illustration lies close at hand.
So common 1t Is for one teacher to
undertake to teach a school of 25 or
80 pupils ranging in gradation from
beginners to algebra, geometry, and
Latin that most people seem abso-
lutely unconcerned about the situa-
ton or remedy.
In the better organized class 1t has
been demonstrated that one teacher
can handle with reasonable success
from 25 to 80 pupils. The inevitable
conclusion followed that any teacher
ought to handle 30 pupils, regardless
of their classification. Perhaps four
out Of five one-teacher schools in this
State have as many as nine so-called
grades. Not a few claim ten grades
and occasionally the eighth wonder
of the world is found in the shane
of school Of eleven grades taught
by one teacher. Let us see how one
teacher is going to handle 80 pupils
in nine grades. AT the outset it is
admitted that the grading is irregu-
lar and that one or two grades may be
entirely missing, leaving about seven
distinct grades. We begin with the
daily schedule, and we do just what
the average teacher does hrst-take
care of the four or five pupils above
the seventh grade. Each of these two
higher grades will have daily recita
tions, or total OF ten recitations
These recitations will be about as
follows: two in English, two in
arithmetic, one in algebra, one in
geometry at least one in Latin, two
in history, one in physical geogra-
ply. To these ten recitations we
shall allot ridiculously short periods
-15 minutes each, total OF $50 min
utes, or two and one-half hours.
Suppose the school day is six hours,
exclusive of all recesses-a longer
day than is usually found At most
210 minutes (three and one-half
hours) remain for teaching the re-
naming five grades This is an aver
age Of AZ minutes for each grade, al
| lowing nothing for loss OF time in
changing classes, giving directions,
and other necessary delays. Now,
the pupils in these lower grades will
have an average of five subjects or OF
five daily rccitations, If they got what
| they need. Such subjects as English,
geography, physiology, arithmetic,
history, spelling and writing must be
| looked after. On an honest division
| of time each of these subjects will
get just a fraction over eight minutes
| for daily recitation A few combi-
nations can be made bringing up these
recitations to an average OF ten min
utes.
What can such a school hope to
/ accomplish? The children are in
school, they are there long enough,
but they are not being taught. No
body is being taught properly. The
pupils in the higher grades are back
ward, because they were neglected
when in the lower grades. The pu-
pills now in the lower grades are be-
ing neglected and will be backward
The teaching is the thing that counts.
Are the trustees and the patrons and
the taxpayers satisfied with the stu-
alton? Are they going to remain
satisfied?
The remedy is take out the little
handful of pupils above the 7th or
the Sth grade in thees schools, and
give their time to these younger pu-
pills before they are forced into idle
habits of study Not a pupil above
the Sth grade should be allowed in
one-teacher school. If such were
| followed, within five years the 9th
grade pupils in the one-teacher schools
would be in advance OF the present
| So-called 10th grade pupils taught