The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-19

ooSh ~ ~ 1oiNtIl4cL liidl uIT- |
ing these ten years the department
has pressed with considerable vigor
the policy Of consolidation. In 1907
% there were So white schools and
50 colored. OF these there were ONLY
. white schools that had more tan
one teacher, only ten cOlored. Since
that time, there has been. eliminated
by consolidation % White schools dis
tricts and / colored. In Other schools
the attendance has so increased that
additional teachers have beer en-
ployed, and today there are only q
one-teacher white schools II the coun-
ty. so schools have two teachers. 10
nave three teachers, and S range from
four to twelve. Two districts have
branch schools for the primary grades
giving IS white schools in 76 dis
trictS.
Elementary Schools Standardized.
one and t~Wo-teacher schools are
limited in their scope of work to
seven grades. This limit has been
placed to make the work of the
elementary grades more efficient.
Realizing that more than fifty per
cent of all the public schoo pupils in
Wake were in the first three grades,
1t seemed necessary to pat greater
emphasis on the teaching in these
grades. SO the name of tie teacher
of the beginners was changed from
"a TX Nd1iiCI HI
the work in t~Wo-teacher schools linn
tied to the first three grades. Spe-
clal Inducements iii increase of salary
have been offered to teachers to ent /
this particular field.
County High and Earm-L.fc Schools
One Of the most needed develop.
ments in rural education is the coun-
ty high school. In Wake county.
there is four. The aggregate property
OF these four schools amounts. in
round mDer to $4,000. 90. The
people Of the several communities in
which they are located have provided
more than four-fifths Of the entire
cost Of the plants. All of them are
paying special taxes for h support
Of these schools. In all of them. chill
dren from all the elementary schools
in the county are admitted without
charge for tuition. At two of them
Farm-Life departments are provided
with instruction in agriculture an(
! domestic economy. In addition t
| these four schools, there are twenty
l three other schools with three OF
more teachers in which some higl
school instruction is offered.
T Improved Teaching Force.
!. In 19o4-'o5 there were 10 Whit
{ teachers ana II colored. Today, 19
white and SO negro teachers woul
{ be required to man the schools. L
two districts. however, new building
are under construction II fOur 0
: the above 100 white teachers Will nc
be engaged for this session.. Severa
cOlOred schools have been. suspende
for building, and a few of the 9
negro teachers will not / employe
0 this year. At the former period, Onl
is white teachers held college diplC
IS mas. In 1914-'15, there are ~ whit
q teachers who are college graduates.
l. But there has been an even create
improvement among the teacher
q than would be indicated by these fs
n ures. Formerly, the teacher, as
J. rule, was a poorly prepared, isolate
II worker, sustaining no definite rela
II tlOnShlp to the county superlnten
S. dent or to the other teachers in hi
county. There was little to stimula'
her in her work or to encourage h
> to self-improvement. Last year, tt
average attendance upon the seve
n monthly white teachers meetings w;
y. 1856. Many of these teachers, il
4 stead of attending the two weeks il
g. stitute required by law, attended Il
summer session Of the University az
State Normal Schools.
or Probably the greatest single fact,
in the Improvement of the teachi1
ut force has been the method of selec
i ing the teachers. Formerly, the cor
r mitteemen were left unaided in tt
er election of teachers. Now, the cou
en- ty superintendent has each applica
file with him an application, givil
OF information concerning shOlarshi
professional training, and experient
II. He then meets with the committe
Of men by townships and advises wi
ly them in the selection Of their teac
e ers. In this way, the unfit are elm
Or mated and the best teacher that 0
resources will command are secur
Dis for this county
n, Increased Salaries and Lenrthene
it's Terms.
However fine the spirit of the teac
ing profession may be, school il
prOvement rests at bottom on &C
h auate financing. 1t is from a recog1
of ton of this fact that the people
ool Wake county have so cheerfully 6
ms cepted additional urden OF taxatit