Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1914-02-07

IouI Oh the nVe CnlrQ grade c0rt1a-
cate teachers in the county-teaching
their first year worte for second
grade certificates at the teachers ex-
animation last Friday and Saturday
This shows the right spirit There
IS plenty of room at the top-always.
Twenty reviews of Everyday Prob
lens in Teaching and fifteen reports
of completed readings of ssThe Coun-
try Life and The Country School, is
not bad showing for this years
work in professional reading by the
teachers. In fact it is far ahead of
all previous records and it is safe to
predict that the number will be more
than doubled before the close of the
school year.
One of our most intelligent citizens
"a college graduate-expresse his
astonishment in the superintendent
office last Saturday when he accident
ly discovered that country school
teachers were required to pass exam.
inations in such subjects as Botany,
Ancient History, Modern History,
Physical Geography, Bookkeeping,
Physics, Algebra, etc., etc. No, not
anybody can teach country school
The truth of the matter is that it
takes the very best of material
to make a country school teacher.
Not everybody has the ability to
teach and govern nine grades in one
room, often too small for half of the
attendance and nine times out of ten,
entirely devoid of all necessary equip
ment. Pephaps it would surprise
this gentleman still more if he knew
that only ten schools in our country
have clock.- The pupils must guess
at tie length of period to be devoted
to each subject and the teacher looses
valuable time taking out her watch
every five or six minutes to see if she
IS getting all her recitations through
in time. OF course the majority of
the pupils stop in their work to
watch the teacher, guessing by the
expression on her face If ''time is
up.''
District %, the Spena school, is one
of the fifteen schools that soon will
have a good, eight-day clock added to
the school-room furnishings. This
school is doing excellent work. Miss
Rosie Zeman, the teacher has sue
ceeded in getting the pupils well grad
ed and each class is progressing rapidly.
According to the records in the sup
erintendent's Office. for the first time
since the organization of the district
the school wilt have class of gradu-
ates.
school, was called home January 18th
on account of the serious illness of
her mother. Mrs. Elmer Harvey, a
former Trego county teacher Miss
Rose Redmond) has been temporarily
engaged to fill the place. The Ban
ner school has but small fraction of
its usual enrolment in school this
year. The large school room wears a
lonesome look without that throng of
happy youngsters that greeted every
school-day the writer of these lines
ten years ago. Mrs. Harvey was then
one of the Sth grade pupils. Times
DO change.
Miss Clara Fear, in Dist. 40, has a
large school and little bare school
room in West 40. This is a large
district and the school board is COM
PEELED to go to the expense of main
tanning two school buildings and hold
ing school half term in each one,
and even then some of the pupils are
over four miles distant from the
nearer building. Miss Fears attend
ance is good this year but the register
shows that during cold winters the
majority of the pupils were absent
the greater part of the time. Under
these conditions, many pupils neces-
sariiy are not as advanced in their
studies as their age would merit
However they fully appreciate school
when they are able to be present and
work with a vim that is good TO see.
A little inspiration from the teacher
sometimes goes a long way and helps
to overcome many an obstacle that
pupils find in their path to learning.
Dist. Al, the Trego- Ellis joint, has
an enrolment of only nine pupils
but the school fully makes up in ex-
- for h. rlrc nj