The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-01-06
CONDITIONS OF
COUNTY SCHOOLS
County supt. z. N. oiry Tells Of the
Conditions Existing in Schools
As He Finds Them.
sIsITs EACH SCHOOL ANNUALLY

sIsl1s EACH SCHOOL ANNUALLY
Eipht.one Graduated From the Rural
Schools Last Year-chiIdren In
terested in School Work.
School Patrons of Crawford County:
This is my fourth year as county
superintendent Of the schools of this
county SO would like to sum up fol
you some of the things | have done in
this time.
Very few people have much to dc
with the office except through the
schools of the county so many do not
realize how much work it takes to
look after ITO country schools and to
visit the town schools and to keep all
Of the records we are required to keep,
Four years ago asked the people
for the office and promised to use my
time and ability to make the schools
better (if possible) than they have
ever been before. am willing to
leave my case with your represent
atives to decide.
Then the teachers We're following
the Hand Book for Iowa Schools. It
made no provisions for the books we
were using SO in many cases was not
used and the schools were not we'll
graded. Some children were taking
studies in all grades. suggested to
the teachers that we follow definite
plan of grading the schools and they
were willing to help, so we made out
q course OF study outline to fit the
books in use and have been trying to
grade the schools according to this
outline. This means that our children
are taking the studies for each grade
and are passing from one grade to an
other each year just as they are doing
in graded schools. This means that
fifth grade pupils all over the county
are doing the same work. The teach
ers report to us each month the work
done in each grade SO we know what
is being done in every country school.
Teachers who come to us from 9TH
er counties like our system and say
that it seems good to work in county
where the schools are looked after in
this way. Our teachers who, 20 to
other counties like to come back for
the same reason Our teachers use
any method they like, but have been
free 10 ask questions and have willing
~ followed suggestions for the better
ment of the schools.
found many of the buildings in
poor condition. The directors and Of
ficers, with the teachers and patrons,
have worked together to make the
schools of the county better and to-
day the schools are in much better
than ever before. Instead
OF being the poorest kept buildings in
the districts they are among the best
Eight new buildings have been built
and all but one are modern school
buildings. They represent the best
for the money in school architecture.
Every country school had a stove.
Now fOrty-One buildings are equipped
with the new heating and ventilating
furnaces. These systems heat and
the rooms and furnish an
even heat in every part of the room.
They are many times better than the
stoves. The children have warm, pure
air to breathe; this keeps them free
from disease and they can do much
more work.
Nearly every school had an open
drinking pail and common drinking
cup. Now we have the stone water
coolers and many individual cups. AZ
ter the eleventh year of age the first
cause OF death among school children
is tuberculosis. One thousand people
die daily from diseases which science
has shown how to prevent. The Jars
and individual cups are worth many
times the cost.
A few of our text books have been
changed for the up to date books, and
teachers and pupils are pleased with
The new books. The books deal with
today and not as they were
fifteen years ago. The children are
much more interested in the new les.
sons and the teachers get much bet
ter work. We spend thirty dollars to
run our schools while we spent one
dollar for text books. In order to get
the best results we must furnish the
teachers and pupils good books to
work with. 1t costs less than ten dol
lars per pupil for the books needed to
DO the work required for the eight
years of school.
The corn club work and the work
for the girls are another important
part of the school work. Through get
ting the boys and girls interested in
better corn and other work we have
been able to interest them more in
school work. and to keep them in
school longer. At least 5000 bushels
Of good corn has been raised from
The good seed corn we furnished the
boys and girls. and $4,000 worth of
good seed corn has been saved this
year.
Letter Writing. We get hundreds
Of letters each month from the boys
and girls in the country schools and
these tell us of the many interesting
things they are doing. In this way
We know more of the children and
they are getting some of their best
lessons in English.
The home work credits which the
pupils are getting at school for the
work done at home are connecting
the interests of the home and school
in a way that pleases US. Pupils and
parents and teachers are interested.
The pupils In the country were in
school 10000 days more last year than
The year before and we had fifty-six
less children Of school age. We be.