The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-09-04
Pupils and Teachers Back From Two
Months Vacation, Prepare to
Take up New
Duties.
SUPERINTENDENT TALKS
Head Of the City Schools Talks to the
Teachers Yesterday and Gives
Them Message OF New
Work to Do.

keOkuk PUBIC SCnOOlS DeSdi 'beii
1917-191S year this morning. Pupils
flccked to the school buildings af:'sr &
vacation of two and one half months,
and teachers and supervisors put
thoughts Of vacations behind them ana
began their ten months task. Enroll
ment figures tor the first day will not
| be available until tomorrow, so there
] is nothing definite to base an estimate
on for the first day, outside of the high
school, A glance into the assembly
room showed it overcrowdel even
more so than last year. 1t is expected
that enrolment figures for this build
| ing will far srrpass those Of last year.
u banner year for K. H. s.
Superintendent Aldrich met ito
teachers and principals yesterday at
ternoon in the annual session held pre-
lIminary &c the opening of schools. me
need of new ideas in teaching, as IN
every other walk OF life was emphaslz-
| e! by the superintendent in his tax
to the teachers of :he Keokuk schools.
THE message OF tho hour. is If PCS
sible, more strenuous that at any time
| in the past generation" he said. Our
country is just waking up to the ser
iousness of the demands upon us. We
had no notion when we opened school
a yea, ago that the tren.te Of Europe
had any call for us, Dbl. we are al
sobered by the sense OF seriousness or
the task before us. We had like pur-
pose in '9S but far from like task.
We are waking to new tasks and new
conditions. We are needing men and
women trained to new responsible
J ties"
j New Tasks Before All.
Superintendent Aldrich spoke Of the
| fact that the future men and women OF
the nation would be called on to face
new responsibilities and tasks and he
asked the question as to whether or
not they would be ready. 1t is in the
school rooms Of today that we are to
begin to answer such question, lie said.
Il have faith enough in the American
public schools, and to bring 1t closer
home, l have faith enough in the Keo-
kuk public schools to believe that you
are going to assume the responsibility
of carrying the work through success
fully"
The superintendent urged on the
teachers the idea Of discipline in pri-
vate, getting at the pupils side Of the
question and he gave a number Of
stories to illustrate his point He has
spoken many times of the under aver
age pupil, and he suggested that the
brighter pupil, the over average boy
and girl is going to need attention, be-
cause in this day and those to come.
he may be a real asset to the COM
munity. Some criticism Of the stand
ardization methods Of today were &C.
cepted by the speaker, but he defended
many Of the methods, and particularly
the Courts tests which have been OF
considerable importance and benefit in
the schools here.
w. E. Turner, the new director Of
physical education made talk to the
teachers following the superintend-
ent's. He spoke of the program he
had outlined and what he expected to
do and how his work would be done.
MIR. Turner began his actual school
work this morning, although he has
been in playground work for two
weeks Miss Edith B. Troutner and
Miss Louisa handy are two other new
teachers on the staff, taking their
places in the high school faculty.