River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-01-28


progress during the last twenty
years 1t has kept pace with the
growth of the city and with the IN
du~trial changes But with {
country school it is far d It rent
The country school ofrtOdaY Is nGi
far IN advance Of what it was wentN
years ago. Having visited aoou'
fifty Of these during the last three
years, find them not much NOR
a vaDced in the grade Of work
the thoroughuess of preparation o.
he teaching force than twenty year,
ago They nave not made progtes>
comparable 70 the progress Of eitne
the city schools or the industries II
the communities where they are 10.
Gated.
Fifty seven per cent Of the popu
lation of the state Of Wisconsin
lives in the rural districts. YET j.
costs $l8 So per capita to educatt
the city BOY or girl and but S14 Il
per bapita to educate rbe country
boy or girl. Why this 81 q per
capita in favor of the city boy or
girls education? Why this ext a
expense in favor of the few agains
the many?
There are approximately sixty-si1
rural schools of Wisconsin In OF
de to prepare these teachers The
state has establis he'd twenty eighi
County Training Schools, Teachers
Framing Courses in twenty sever
nigh schools, and Rural Depart
ments in six normal schools.
The Rural Department at River
Falls was established in 1910, ano
while it met with fair success, yet il
was not emphasized until last Feb
ruary when the board of regents for
the normal schools planned the
present system of special depart
ments. Here we are but beginning
the work of training teachers 70,
the rural schools in this institution
Last year we had graduating elias
Of thirty-six and this year the class
will probably reach fifty.
With the establishment of this
department, which brings the rural
problem home to those trying tt
administer the course, comes tht
question, What can we do to raise
he standard Of the rural school? l.
the present law requiring two year.
above the eighth grade sufficient
for the preparation of the rural
teacher? Should we require tbs
academic training equivalent to 2
nigh school education and one year
of professional training? While the
present requirements are hardly
adequate, can we require the equi
valent of one year above high school
course, when We realize that one
third of the rural teachers leave tb,
profession each year? Which means
about twenty-five hundred teacher;
yearly. In 1911 IL the Count.
Training Schools graduated fl We
hundred twenty-five. To which,
considered as about the average
output Of these schools a year, ado
the one hundred eighteen graduates
from the Rural Departments of the
five normal schools in 1914 and we
have six hundred forty teachers
Then granting that the eight
high schools Of the state offering
Teachers Training Courses add an
other three hundred, we are still!
short of the twenty-five hundred
teachers.
While it does not seem feasible
to demand as high a standard as
the one mentioned. is it not feasibl.
to demand three years course in
stead of tie present two wears
course? Admit TO this course the
graduate of the eighth grade of rur.
al or city school on diploma or ex-
animation. Admit him directly from
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these schools to the rural depart
ment. This plan is better than hav-
ing MIN take one or even two years
of the course in the high school be
tore entering the normal school be-
cause:
l. The work in the high school is
not directed toward the one obi Ct
lve-the rural .hool
Z. The subject matter many times
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