Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-03-18

OF
uaon well the people themselves will do well to con-
slider some of the grounds of complaint.
When the town system of schools was adopted as
substitute for the district system and of the little
red schoolhouses which had long been New Englands
boast eliminated it became necessary to devise
to convey children from their homes in former dis
tricts to the central schools established The
ing methods Of transportation adopted have been
of considerable complaint The Of conveyance has
been Objectionable in not few instances Children in other
have not been properly cared for during long trips
especially in winter and illness has resulted There is also
complaint account of lack of chaperonage well
of various other conditions growing out of the removal Of
the schoohouse from the immediate neighborhood of the
home.
In the next the changed supervision of schools
has involved augmented expense all proportion to
the increased benefits derived hererom 1t is urged that
IN many cases the schools have actually down in spite
OF the increased expense of maintaining them.
To what extent these effects have been experienced in
spite of the system of consolidation and supervision in
stead OF result of such changes is in itself question
Possibly the depletion of our population through social and
economic influences operating ali the country and the
trend of population toward cities to be held responsible
for the present conditions in part
Our observation and inquiry have led to conclude that
many of the defects of common schools result from the
age our schools That trouble under the old dis
ct system and the substitution of the town system for
the district system has in increased this
ace especially in towns where politics rule the schools
well everything else.
In hard-headed and cose-fsted business
man put in position of responsibility in connection with
school management simply because of his business ability
expected factory
ostlon He figures that person who hold book
and hear pupil repeat the lines written therein as well as
another and the cheaper he hire that teacher the lower
will be the expense of his school,
Every intelligent man and woman knows that the chief
inspiration of youth often has not from books but
from some grand teacher under whose influence have
studied at some time and who stands out and above all others
in our lives like church spe mid village cots. You
call how teacher cast books aside and showed you how
to anayze sentence the real connection Of each
and parrot-ke repetition of mere rule You under
the influence of teacher who led you for the first time
to appreciate the real meaning and value of education open
ing up to you an entirely new world Some soulful teacher
from an institution of higher learning into your little
tous to get into that larger sphere for yourselves Books
wholly lost to view The personal equation became
the dominating factor in your young lives.
Put into control of your schools fathers and yes moth
who have realized something of all this for themselves
and who know that small sum added to the present
gate spent for teachers bring into service
teacher whose influence will wholly transform the char
o your scnoo ana you Wll 90 more TO overcome the
undertake.
poor school teacher is worst possible investment
you can make The teacher stands next to the parent in
holding the lives of children yet go about
the employment of teacher with less and thought than
they would exercise in hiring common farm hand for they
would want to know not only whether the hired could
and the lambs and and whether he would
paslng effect on the children of the home
AS regards the vocational feature of schools there
many sides to the problem If you want your children to
learn farming in our public schools that be all right
bic region and children to learn quarrying and
granite cutting and be in touch with their communities
Rave you not as mch right to insist vocational
education the other?
Carry the thought little further 1t is well to have
carpenter shop connection with public schools has
been tried in Burlington and elsewhere But boys
to become chaueurs. Your boys ambitious become
painters Your neighoors boys aim to lay brick and
masons and still others want to be blacksmiths.
If we to have carpenter shop conducted at the
expense OF the Taxpayers also have garage
FOR the auto workers. and paint shop smthy the
boys who desire acquire that sort Of vocational education?
What shall do in the schools for the future stone
and the electrical engineers and the boys who
to be PLUMBERS moulders, saters merchants DOCTORS
yer3 ministers, and through the whole category?
The of course that the schools can not
undertake all this technical training
You are brought back to the Fundamental principle that
the schools conducted at the expense of the taxpayers as
whole must deal almost exclusively with those fundamental
studies that lie at the basis of good citizenship and useful
manhood and noble womanhood Domestic science for ex
ample is needed in every household and good housecep
ing is Of the most important factors of the home which
IS recognized the foundation of the State Everybody
should know something about keeping accounts and so on
You not do everything in the public school, but you
make it much than at present boys
and girls who to be the future home makers Vermont
and who in turn to be the fathers and mothers future
generations of Green Mountain boys and girls.
Remember that your schools stand next to your home
and often before it in shaping the lives of your children
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