The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-11-13
TEACHERS IN RECORD
from Page one. !

Il0Q WIFI the convention.
"Of course there were some COM
plants but the whole 1 believe
every teacher had a good time, re-
ceived many valuable ideas, and went
away happy" he said.
The sessions of the administrative
round tables closed the convention
this morning. Many of the teachers
did not wait for these meetings but
took trains for their homes or for
Lawrence where the annual Kansas
ball game will be played this after
noon.
Meet to Talk Shop.
The city superintendent, county
superintendent, high school princi-
pals ard ward principals all gathered
this morning to talk shop and to dis
cuss the advanced ideas in school
administration.
Every high school in the state
should have definite and permanent
progI am said c. C. Brown of Topeka,
state inspector of high schools, to a
meeting of high school principals to-
day. THE main trouble with the
schools in the state now is that the
teachers are not hired to fit the COM
munity or the course of study. Rather
they get their position on the recon-
mendation of some friend of the school
board, and a few days before school
begins, get together and decide what
they are going to teach. If some of
the courses which have ordinarily
DG0n OII0T0Q ana LOT winch there is q
call, are not along their lines, they dis
card them from the program and sub
stttute some other which they can
teach.
1T is my idea that each class should
have a certain number of subjects
which are taught in that class only and
which are not open to members of an
other class. 1 would not, however, like
to see certain subjects prescribed with
no optionals."
Mr.. Brown said that the high
schools are in much better shape than
ever before and that school boards
are taking the responsibility placed on
them with more seriousness than ever
before. He mentioned the fact that |
more care is taken in the construction |
of buildings SO that the students may |
have good air and protection from dis |
ease. He said that the courses in do |
mestic science and manual training |
seem to meet with the approval of the |
inhabitants of the community, tend |
ing to bring them in closer touch with |
the educational influences in the COM |
munity and making them more will |
ing to vote bonds for more and bet |
ter facilities.
County Unit System.
The question which was debated a |
little at the last meeting of the state |
legislature and which has been con-
fronting educators in Kansas for the |
sion of school districts for the pur-
pose of taxation and administration
was the principal topic of discussion at
the boards of education conference
which met Friday afternoon and this |
morning. The chief speaker on the
subject was DR.. A. c. Monahan of the
United States bureau of education.
The evils existing under the district
system, where one district which is
happily located has more money than
1t can properly use, wastes lavishly
while the next door neighbor hardly
has enough to pay scant salary to an
inefficient teacher for seven months
term in an old broken-down school
house, were discussed at length by DIR.
Monahan.
Two essentials of rural school ad-
are "a unit of organiza-
ton sufficiently large for business eff
and an absolute separation of
school affairs from all other affairs,
usually known as politics. DR.. Mon
ahan said. He asserted that rural
schools must meet changing economic
conditions just as rity schools did ear
lier in their history. City schools
the lefty unit system, he
said, land by seventy-five years of ex-
perience are pointing out the way for
rural school betterment."
Each state must decide for itself
the amount of authority in the man
agement of school affairs that should
be given to the state and the amount
that should be left to local control,
but it must decide first which shall
be the local unit" he said. THE
school system must meet the educa-
tional needs of the state in a way
which will return the most for the
money expended.
THE single school district former
ly the local unit in almost every state
does not meet the needs, and states
nave adopted. and are adopting,
county systems and township systems,
largely as compromise between the
purely local and the highly central
lzed. 1t is found that both the town
snip and the county systems result In
better schools at less expense and in |
4 more equitable distribution Of the
burden of support over the area re-
oetv1ng the benefit of better schools.
the township or county sys- :
tenn should be adopted depends very !
ment and the unit of taxation in civil :
affairs other than education"
Children Sing for Teachers.
Before one of the largest audiences i
hat has been packed into the city
auditorium in years, 1000 Topeka (
school children sang for the visiting j
eachers Friday night. Miss Tillie I
Aoenan, contralto, of Chicago, sang 1
With the children and the music was a 7
are combination and particularly /
pleasing to the visitors.
The wonderful work that can be /
lone with a chorus of children was J
shown by the volume ana harmony I
which Miss Mildred Hazelrigg, head |
II the music department of the Topeka +
public schools, was able to get from
he 1000 Threats. Dean Horace White ,
house of Washburn college, accom- !
panied the singing on the pipe organ ;
Ind the combination made music that =
8 seldom heard.
Miss Koenan pleased her large audi
,nce with the songs she chose. She :
ang her numbers in three groups. the |
irst being the lighter, the second in y
:luded the Largo by Handel, "Agnus l
DER by Luzzi, and LIE Printemps'' by | |
Ireig. Miss Koenan sang German
longs in the third group.
The Friday night program was ar {
anged by the Commercial club as a '