The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-02-19
Our To-day's Rural School.

Our rural school to-day is the proc
lem of to-day. What is puzzing the
minds of the greatest men to-day?
Rural schools! When will it be solved?
When all will deem it their duty to help
in the great work. Until then will our
schools be what we would have them
to be.
No one but country school teacher
knows truly the greatest problems of
the country school. What is the great
est barrier to its success is known only
by those who, day after day, week after
week, month after month, must spend
weary, tolsome hours in the little
schooIhouse surrounded by the dear
little band Of children, and with this
strong little band the teacher is daily
solving the problems one by one.
Having taught school nine long years,
l find each new year brings out new
things to learn, and each year we must
meet with a new epoch of school life.
We must deal daily with small things
that the city school has no thought Of.
Somehow it seems that some rural pa
rents don't realize what they might do
for their little school," Whether
large or small, your aid is an advantage
to district school, Some have not yet
even realized that what they do for their
school is as valuable to the school as the
support of a patron of a city school.
Take, for instance, the keeping of your
children in school daily. The greatest
help you can give to the school is keep
ing your boy and girl in school. But
to-day you find great number of pa
rents who have not yet realized this.
Why? Because they just haven't taken
time to think.
In some rural schools Il have known
fora facO a parent on rainy day will
say: Well, children, the weather seems
so bad, l don't believe | would 60 to
school to-day" The greatest error of
parents life is committed here. Would
the patron OF city school make such
an assertion? No, indeed. And that is
why such grand work is done in the
city schools. The material is always
there to work on. We in the country
are just as we'll prepared to teach your
child on a rainy, or wlntry day, as on
he serenest day of the year. Most t
farmers are at leisure that day. Why {
not bring the children to school or pre-
pare a way for them to go. A teacher,
f the right kind of teacher, appreci-
ties a parent who sees that sickness
llone prevents his or her child or chill {
lren from attendance at school, and 1
who at all times helps the teacher by
leeping the boys and girls in school
very day. Even the offer of kinlly
or cheerful word is of I'M
old help to the teacher. Visits are
4lso appreciated.
And so, parents, it is up to you to
make your school complete success or
ct it fail. Which shall it be? A child
Don catches the idea that a dismal day
) holiday. This is encouraging a lack
f interest and depriving the child of {
be largest advantages of the school. /,
he very best pupil of any school is :
ne that has been taught that every day s
} an important school day-rain or
hine. When you find pupil that has Y
he real school spirit in him or her and :
ongs to make every day count, you will :
nd one that is making his way in life,
ach year nearer the goal. Some day a
lis pupil will be one worth while. A P
,hool of this kind is what we hope to 4