The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-05-16
COUNTY SCHOOL NOTES

Inc following Is q list OF the pupils
of the Doe Run schools recently re-
ceiving attendance certificates from
this office:
Ruby Banister, Lucy Banister, Earl
Roy Burch, Chester Holly, Russell
Baugh, Donald Hammers, Leon Beck,
James caves, Doris Parks, Ernest
Kassabaum, Lester Chapman, Ross
Christopher, Helen Wood, Beaufort
Sheets, Ruth Banister, Raymond An
tome, Lecman Gruner, Allen Parks,
Bessie Zimmerman, Nellie caves, Ar
lene Sheets, Olga Hammers, George
Self, Edgar O'Sullivan, Russell Parks,
Thcoclia Reed, Lois Wood, lila Beck,
Loretta Osborne, Viola Beck, Bessie
Cleveland, Oneida Boswell, Lee 0'Sul-
Ivan, Earl Kassabaum, Paul Gruner,
Additional deductions from the ru-
raj school survey follow:
Little progress has been made in
the rural schools. 1t has been said
that should Rip Van Wrinkle wake up
in a modern barn he would realize
that he had slept $50 years; but
should his waking take place in the
average Missouri rural school he
would turn over to finish his nap.
ITO bring about improvement il
Missouri's rural schools, there must
be agitation, education and dctermin.
alton. The people must be stimulated
to went better rural schools and to be
willing to pay for them. No one viii
doubt that the rural schools of Mis-.
souri, have made advancement, but the
progress on the whole has been sc
slow that when compared with Other
things about US they appear to have
gone backward. There are few
wonderful and inspiring illustrations
of what rural schools have done, un,
der good leadership, to reorganizt
and vitalize the life of a whole com
munity. But these are mere instanc
es. The facts are that the rura
school situation in Missouri, as wei
as in every other State, is far from
what it ought to be.
Certainly we ere all agreed tina
the country school house, out build
ings, surroundings, the school equip
ment, decoration, light, water, heat
ing, and sanitation are not only ia
from perfect. but, on the whole, ar
wretchedly bad.
"The teacher ought to be a part o
the life of the community; but she i
not. Often she is city raised and cit,
taught, with little or no interest il
the affairs of he community. In for
ty-three per cent of the cases sh
goes out to her school Monday morn
ings and back to town on Frida,
nights or out each morning and bacl
at night.
"The children should be taught il
terms of home problems and home
making. At present the rural schoo
exerts little influence on the social O
business life Of the community
schools being regarded as something
apart from real life.
eve all know how eagerly the chile
starts to school, how anxious he is t,
learn, and we all know that some
where between the first and sixth
grades, sometimes as early as in tn
fourth grade, he loses this enthusiasm
what is the reason? Why doe
all the enthusiasm, the desire, the in
terest dwindle until it requires coax
ing, bribing, scolding, and even tn
threatening of compulsory education
laws to keep the pupil in school unit
he reaches his fourteenth year?
"Why? Because he sees no connec
ton between what we are teaching
him at school and the life around him
"Life is made up Of problems. Tn
boy wants to begin to work out SOM
of the problems which come up in hi
everyday life. He wants to ge
started on his life's work. He want
to get busy.
"Give the boy real things to dc
Let him begin to solve real problems
let him learn how to manage, how t.
rotate crops to produce enough to pa,
the rent or the interest on his invest
ment. Let the girl learn how to kee
house, cook, manage the affairs of tn
home.
"If the school work is of the RICH
character, and the school under tn
guidance of a capable teacher, Their
will be real interest taken in tn
school work.
eve don't need to have poor schools
The rural school can be the real lif
of the community, and will be som
day. But that "somc day" will de
pend upon you-not someone else
but you"
]. CLYDE AKERS,
| C.I 4