The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1915-08-18
orr RURAL SCHOOLS.


opSerNaht person that our DreSput
system OF school work. especial., our
rural school system. is not producing
anything like the good results that
should be obtained In on, rural
schools are some OF the brightest
healthiest children in the staie of
fexas--they are eager TO learn. will
ling TO study and have the ability
to accomplish much in the e,iuca-
tional world II our school system
were efficient and the children given
q chance TO study and advance in n
systematic manner. In any problem
that one undertakes, In am work
that a person starts out TO accom-
plish 1t Is always best to study the
conditions, find out where the sys-
tenn is at fault and where tho con-
ditions can be improved, also recog-
nize the good points and where posi-
bic improve on the good qualities of
the system.
w VIII iHst tdhe Np our gOou
points. We have a great deal of
money that is being expended on our
rural schools. We have no, suffi-
cient funds 10 make the school term
as long as we desire, but the prob
lem with us at present is to spend
the money We have in a manner to
do the most good to the greatest
! number of children-to make our
schools as efficient as possible Under
our present conditions. We are eager
and anxious and enthusiastic to
learn. Many of our greatest men
in the state and in the nation have
been born and reared in country
districts.
Now what are our difficulties and
how can the conditions be bcltcred?
First, our school buildings have aot
been designed properly in all in
stances. The heating is bad, the
light is poorly adapted for studying.
must need case, comfort and good
light TO do efficient studyiag. 1t
takes very little more money 20 ar
range a building comfortable than it
takes to throw the material together
in haphaZard manner and have a
Geld building to keep the child
shiyering, to have the seats uncom-
Portable and badly arranged and
keep the little tots wiggling about.
to have the light glaring and keep
the child twisting. These things
are easily remedied and it is impor-
tant that they should be remedied.
Our rural schools are TOO
crowded and the teachers given too
muth work in different grades to
make our system what it should be.
This is also a problem of easy solu-
tion-more room and more teachers.
Second, our rural schools have no
uniform system of studies. Each
school is law unto itself. a child
in one school doing 9th grade work
If put in a nearby school would
have to go in the 9Th grade or may
be the 4th grade to do good work.
A child is promoted to please the
parents and to boost the work of the
teacher when it really ought to be
kno Il j. pr1
can do intelligent work. No child
should be given work in an advanced
grade until ii has mastered the sub
jects in the grade lower. Why do
SO few OF our children get as far As
the Sth grade in our rural schools?
One reason is that they are given
work in higher grades than they are
able to do and they soon lose
interest, become disguised and drop
out and no begging and no amount
of pleading will induce the child 10
return to school This evil should
be recognized and corrected. Let
us introduce in our rural schools
throughout the state a uniform sys
tenn such as now obtains in our best
city schools A child in the eighth
grade in the Waxahachie school
should be able to take and do the
work in the eighth grade in Fort
Worth or Dallas--iust so with our
rural schools a child in anv grade
should be able to enter the same
grade in any other school in the
state How is this to be accomplish
ed? Why not have n school board
of competent teachers in Ellis coun-
ty and let them prepare questions
covering the different grades. send
these questions TO each rural school