Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-05-15
The New Kind OF Country School.


peared in the SENTINEL last week. concern
ing rural schools:
Now, think that is one of the mos
Illuminating things of which have evel
heard. | can easily believe. that what
ever may have been the expense to the
farmers of carrying on the schools Of
Wright county, it could not have been
an expense which they would have been
willing to save and lose that change in
the opinions and aspirations of their chill
dren. A spiritual change like this is more
important than any book-learning.
Over in Page county, Iowa, six or eight
years ago, very wonderful young woman,
Jessie Field by name, began working with
the country schools. She was elected Coun-
ty Superintendent She had been farm
girl. She had taught in the country
schools, and was elected County Super
intendent of the schools. although she did
not know what her politics was. being a
woman, and not living in Kansas. and she
was out of the county when elected.
She had this wonderful idea of merging
the life of the neighborhood with the life
of the school,
She began teaching everything as far as
she could. with the farm as background.
She began inducing teachers and pupils to
bring in Babcock testers, and test milk.
They tested seeds. They organized corn
clubs, and domestic science clubs. The
county simply buzzed.
When | visited that community she was
at the head Of the Farmers Institute of
the county. Fifteen hundred people came
in to listen to me speak at Farmers In
stitute. The County Superintendent pre-
sided. There was quarter of an acre of
exhibits of corn and vegetables, grains,
manual training work. domestic economy
products and the like. and all that from
the country schools. visited many schools
and found that all the pupils. big and little,
had sent something to the show. Finally,
found one school wherein all but one girl
had brought an exhibit, and she explained
that she lust began school yesterday" |
asked one little girl what she brought.
and she said "half-a-dozen button holes. E"
Everybody did something. 1t was the most
wonderful spirit have ever seen in COM
munity. Those pupils looked with disdain
upon the children that had to 90 to
the city schools. They didn't believe it
was any fun to 90 to the city schools.
They were as cockey and scornful of
the city children as anything you could
imagine. and actually. think the chill
dren in the city schools rather felt that
they were of an inferior class, and the
teachers of Page county were actually re-
fusing positions in the city schools at
higher salaries, because they loved the
work in the country schools.
These are two instances out of many
which might cite in the United States,
indicating that the new kind of rural school
is coming. and coming fast. that the schools
here and there, are really becoming rural,
that instead Of being poor copies Of bad
city schools. as the most Of them now are.
they are coming to be real rural schools.
with parents interested in the school be-
cause the children are drafting them in
| want to give you another instance
which illustrates what mean. about max
ing the life of the community mix with
the life of the school.
Eight years ago, the city of Cincinnati
in its City University. had a very good en-
cheering department but the Dean of the
department, reaching out after something
better. in fear and trembling and wonder
ing how it would come out. organized what
he called the Cooperative Class in Me-
chanical Engineering. That is. the Dean
arranged with certain manufacturers who
had machine shops. to so cooperate with
the class that they might work at the
things they were studying
These boys in the class were divided
into two shifts. so that when half of them
were in the class room for two weeks. the
other half were in the machine shops
working and getting wages for it. At the
end of two weeks. the boys who had been
in the shops went into the class rooms, and
the boys who had been in the class rooms,
went into the shops. They did the things
in the machine shops which they were
studying in the class rooms.
The manufacturers were astounded at
the result. These boys from the University
caused the resignation of two or three fore
men in these big machine shops. The
boys asked questions OF the foremen which
showed the incapacity Of the fOremen to
answer.
Now. this sort of education was quite the
improper thing" at that time. The boys
who did not work. and whose hands were
white. sort of looked down on those who
worked half the time. But gradually a
change took place and today. the boys
who work in the class room all the time.
are not found in the University of Cincin-
natl. in the Engineering Department. The
cooperative movement has absolutely
overwhelmed the old arrangement, and
there is no such thing as an engineering
student in the University of Cincinnati.
who doesn't work half the time at the
thing he is studying.
This system isn't confined any longer to
the mere matter of mechanical engineer
ing. but has extended to the chemistry
courses. courses in hydraulics. and civil
engineering
The work is all done on half time.-for
two weeks, during which the boys listen to
lectures and make notes. and two weeks
devoted to practicine what has been learned.
A student helps build building, or runs
level. or operates lathe. carrying out in
actual productive labor the things he has
learned. The thing has resulted in prac-
teal. useful. economically profitable sys-
TEN Of education. which has simply revo
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