Western Kansas world., 1913-10-11
Teachers Column

1t has been customary for a mum ber
of years to grant to pupils certificates
of perfect attendance when neither
absent nor tardy during school
month. Six of such certificates, even
if not obtained the same year, con-
stituted perfect year OF attendance
and entitled the pupil to a ''Certiti-
cate of Award" or as the children
styled it, the ''Middle Size Certifi-
cate" and finally three of these GER
tifcates of award procured the "Di-
ploma of Honor. An attempt is be-
ing made by many county superin-
tendents of our state now to grant
these certificates of Award and Di-
plomas of Honor to those only who
are worthy of receiving them. Any
child, by the old way, could in time
get Diploma of Honor no matter
how irregular and unsatisfactory his
yearly attendance. For if he receiv-
ed but one or two perfectly monthly
certificates in one year, he could save
them until the next year and so on
until the desired six were obtained.
At present the opinion seems to be
that such attendance merits the at
tention of the truant officer and not
the award of a diploma for perfect
years attendance. Hence the follow
ing plan has been adopted: Schools
having seven month term will re-
quire six perfect monthly certificates
obtained in one school year to entitle
pupil to credit of perfect years at
tendance of the Certificate of Award:
and two of these or twelve months of
perfect attendance for Diploma of
Honor. The same rule is applied to
the eight and the nine month schools,
seven months of perfect attendance
being required of the one, and eight
of the other, for years credit of
perfect attendance.
The teachers of our county should
remember that they are bound by
their contract to follow the course of
in all seriousness and not treat it as
a joke in single instance. We still
have several conscientious teachers
who are attempting to hear from fif-
ty to sixty recitations in one school
day. Follow the course of study. We
have the best course of study that we
ever had. The leading educators of
our state have put years of thought
and experience into the work and it
should be considered privilege and
not hardship TO have the benefit OF
this excellent aid for your work. "He
who runs may read
Several good specimens of language
work were received from the first six
grades of our common schools. They
viii be printed in the order received
The best work on hand so far comes
from the Wa-Keeney schools anG
from School District No. So. The two
pupils having special credit are Eva
Walker, Wa-Keeney. and Carrie Eli
oft, District 55.
The United States Department o.
Agriculture offers gold and silve1
medals for best essays on "Repair.
and Keeping Up of Earth Roads
The children must be between tn,
ages of ten and fifteen years, livin,
in the county and attending school
The essay is to be completed b,
March ,, 1914. There is no reason
why Trego county could not win on
of these medals. At'any rate mucl
is to be learned, both in languag
work and observation, by trying. l
interested write for further informa
tion to office of county superintend
ent.
The last examination for education
al positions in the Philippine Island
will be held December 30-31 in tn
various cities throughout the Unite
States. From the eligible list thu
secured appointments viii be mad
for service for 1914
The service requires: Womel
home economics: men. agricultur,
manual training. high school scienc,
mathematics, English history and 81
pervisors of school districts. For fu
particulars concerning service an
examination, address. Bureau of IL
sular Affairs, Washington, d. c.
EVA WALKER
This story is taken from the boo
called Les -Miserables.' 1t W;
written by the great French autho