The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1917-12-27
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.
A Modern Type Of Practical Training
for The Boys and Girls Of
Fulton County.
by PRoF. FRED LODGE

Inc mOSC practlcal ana elllcl-
ent type of educational training
for rural communities in the
United States to-day, is being
done by Rural Community Voca-
tional Schools.
Pennsylvania is the leading
state in this new system Of edu-
cation. The first Vocational
School in the State was organized
only five years ago; now there
are more than forty well equip
ped Vocational Schools, and re-
quests for the establishment of
many times that number; but
owing to the limited funds the.
state is unable to grant them.
Vocational Education originat-
ed in Germany. and much of her
efficiency to-day, is due to her
Vocational Schools. The old clas-
sical High School was well and
good, so far as it went; but it
did not go far enough. Its day
has passed. We are living in a
world of progress. The boys and
girls need a practical training in
something they will use in every
day life, and not to be laid upon
the shelf when they receive their
diplomas.
The aim of Vocational Schools
is to give the boys and girls a
training for life's work. The
boys take a course in agriculture
while the girls take a course in
Home making. However, half
of the time is devoted to academ-
ic work thus preparing the boys
and girls for entering higher in
stitutions, or teaching school.
HOW VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS ARE
MAINTAINED.
Each local district is aided
very literally by the State in
maintaining a Vocational School.
Two. thirds of the salaries of the
teachers is paid by the State.
This makes the cost to the local
district maintaining a Vocational
School much lower than does a
regular academic high school.
The course in agriculture CIV
en- for the boys consists of a
study of soils, General Science,
Poultry, Vegetable Gardening,
Fruit Raising, Dairying, Farm
Crops, Animal Husbandry, For
estry, Ornamental Gardening,
Mechanical Drawing, Shop Work,
Farm Blacksmithing, Farm Book
keeping, Fertilizers, Farm Man.
agement, Rural Law and Project
Work.
The Homemaking course is
for the purpose Of acquainting
the girls with every day prob
lens of home life and of making
them efficient in the care and
management of the home. In
order to bring this about in the
best possible manner, science
and theory go hand in hand with
practice.
This course consists of the fol-
lowing work: Personal Hy-
giene, Laundering, Handwork,
Hand Sewing, Machine Sewing,
House Sanitation, House Con-
struction, Cookery, Food Chem
istry, Ser ing, Textiles, Dress
making, Basketry, Millinery,
First aid and House Nursing. 1t
is a four-year course.
In the academic department
English is required during each
of the four years. The pupils
may take, in addition. at least
one other academic subject each
year; the second and third sub
iects being optional.
Three years of mathematics,
three years of a foreign Ian
guage, two years of science, and
one year of civics is included in
the course.
The students may at the end of
the second year drop the voca-
tional work and take all academic
subjects during the last two
years.
The boys and girls of Fulton
County ought to be afforded the