The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1915-05-26
MAY ADD ANOTHER
YEARS WORK
School Trustees Considering the Adj.
visibility OF Giving Four Years oi
High School Work,

under consideration the advisability
of adding another years work TO the
hlgh school course, making four years
work instead Of three. This Is being
considered largely to place the Lau-
rens schools on parity with the other
schools in the state whose diplomas
are accepted as qualification for en-
trance into the colleges of highest
standard. or course, also, the inten-
tion is to provide for Laurens children
not able to attend colleges the same
advantages provided for school chill
dren OF other cities. In view of this
contemplated movement on the part
or the trustees, the following letter
from High School inspector w. II.
Hand is opportune:
Columbia, May 5, 1915.
10 the Patrons of the High Schools:
Il feel an intense interest in every
high school in the State. l am anxious
to see them grow in attendance and in
efficiency. Hence, l am asking a mo-
ment of your time to discuss your own
school,
How are YOU pleased with your
high school? Is it we'll attended reg
ularly attended, and doing good work :?
If SO, does it not pay? Is it not a
good public investment?
is your high school failing to do
what 1T ought to do for your commun-
ity? If so, what is the trouble Are
your people standing shoulder to
shoulder trying to make the school
better? Are you keeping your own
children In 1t until they complete the
course, or are you and others sending
your children away from home before
they get through your home school?
Suppose all your neighbors were to do
this, what would become of your
school? Where is the economy in talk
ing your child out Of your home school
and sending him off to school at q
minimum cost of $3.50 a year? Where
is the wisdom in sending him away at
a greatly advanced cost to do the same
work, possibly under different name? :?
How many years have you in your
high school? If you have but three
are you satisfied? DO you believe three
years in the high school enough to
give adequate preparation to enter a
standard college without conditions?
More than so per cent of our high
school pupils never see a college. Do
you believe that only three years
should BE offered to this army of
young people who do not go to col
lege? Do you not believe that the State
is the loser when so few pupils have
even chance to go four years to the
high school? How many pupils have
You In your third-year G0th grade)
high school class? Have you not
enough to justify your adding the
fourth year? Would not any com
munity be justified in establishing
fourth-year class with eight pupils for
beginning?
HAS your high school a single
course of study or more? If but one,
do You believe all the pupils are get
ting a square deal? Does any right
thinking man today believe that any
single high school course of study is
equally we'll adapted to any group of
fifty pupils? Does your boy or girl
need precisely the same course of
study every other pupil in your school
needs? Has God made them all alike?
"The colleges of this State are real
ly desirous Of getting better prepared
students and of doing a higher grade
of work themselves. TO act singly was
difcnt and not until very recently
have they begun to act unitedly. An
epoch making step was taken in this
matter by the colleges less than a
month ago. Should not you and your
neiehbors come to fhe aid OF the COL
leges as we'll as the high schools by
making the high schools better and
Keeping your children there until they
complete the work? The colleges are
yours, the high schools are yours, and
the children are yours,
HAS your high school enough teach
ers to do the work properly? Are the
classes too large to do effective work,
or are the recitations too numerous or
too short to do good work? Are the
teachers competent to do the work
well? Are you paying enough to get
competent teachers and to hold them,
or are you experimenting every year?
Are Y0nr nnnnln giving thnir teachers