The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1915-09-21
Will Take Course
in Chicago

Miss Grace Shepherd, former
state superintendent of public in
slruction, will take an advanced
course in study at the University
OF Chicago this year and will leave
for that city after a short visit
with friends i'm Boise. She has
been visiting her brother, Fred N.
Shepherd, at Lewiston.
Since her retirement from the
state superintndency Miss Shep-
herd has spent most of the time
in attendance on her mother
whose condition has been and still
is serious. During the past
month she has been visiting the
San Francisco exposition and at
tending the sessions of the Ma
tional Educational association in
Oakland. The association honor
cd Miss Shepherd by rc-electing
her treasurer.
In an interview given out at
Lewiston Miss Shepherd said:
81 am hoping to fit myself to
carry on the work as an individ-
ual instructor, that l endeavored
to direct and develop during my
stay in the superintendent Of
flee. l feel that it is particular
ly true that one of the greatest
needs Of the rural districts is the
development of a community in
terest and of the opportunity for
the creation where does not now
exist. l think that in the coun-
try this can best be brought about
through the schools. The cOun-
try schools should be made COM
munily centers. exactly as i'm the
best city schools in the. United
States, the schools are recently
developing into community cen
ters. 1t seems to me that schools
should be fitted to their enviorn-
ment, and that the child should be
taught something more than how
TO read and write. Some of the
knowledge impaired should he of
a character that will aid him in
the necessity of making a living,
which the present system does
imperfectly, when at all.
81 am hoping to lt myself for
the work of what might be called
rural school supervision. In a
sense this is one of the profcs-
sions of the future, having to do
in its truest sense with sociology
and economies. My idea is that
persons properly fitted for the
work should be employed by coun-
ties to develop the community
center idea in rural districts, at
the same time, when necessary,
assisting the supervision to a
better knowledge of the work he
OF she is undertaking.
1t is undoubted that many of
the teachers, who have desired TO
serve, and the primary equipment,
for a time, make partial failures
at least because they have not
been given opportunity to learn by
experience. To these people a
properly trained supervisor would
be a great benefit, and would do
the beneficial work of years of eX
Fermentation within a very short
time. Our teachers come from
the cities and go into the coun-
try districts without ability to
teach how the country life can be
made more attractive by the
changing of conditions. Their
teaching is productive of a desire
to escape the old country life con-
ditions, and in place of a move
ment back to the soil and the
simpler and happier lfe, the work
of the schools drives the children
from the country and into the
crowded city conditions. l be-
lieve this is the great work of the
future-to teach the older men,
bers of the family through the
youth the way in which the worlC
may be bettered."