Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-11-16
AIM To HAVE
BETTER SCHOOLS
PUBLICITY DRIVE is ON
THROUGHOUT STATE
THIS WEEK

| 4NOf- 1tIu, DG IGSdIuSU DIS OUOu
School Week" Both Supt. S. B. To-
bey, of Wausau public schools, and
Supt. J. E. Giessel of the county
schools, are furthering the movement.
Mr.. Tobey has requested the Pilot to
request mothers and fathers, and in
terested citizens, to visit the local
schools and to familiarize and interest
themselves in the work that is being
done and in the progress the schools
are making.
TO Visit Schools
During the week Supt Giessel ex-
poets to visit large share Of rural
schools in the county and he will be
accompanied by T. w. Gosling of Ma
olson, of the state department OF pub
lie instruction. They will speak in
different communities and are re-
spending to as many requests as they
can handle. The following letter has
| been mailed to the teachers OF the
county by Mr.. Giessel:
"YOu are no doubt aware of the
fact that the week beginning Novem-
ber 14th has been set aside by the
state department Of public instruction
as Good School Week" It is the
purpose of the department to focus
public attention on education and de-
Velope public sentiment in favor of
better public schools. 1t is quite
generally recognized that the general
public is not as thoroughly informed
with reference to the needs of the
schools as is desirable.
Advises Program
81 feel that the most feasible way
to get the attention of the people in
the respective communities Will be by
means of school program l sug-
gest that you prepare such a program
to be given either Thursday or Fri
day evening Of next week. 1t need
not be very extensive program.
School children always know songs
and recitations and in addition to
these some of the stroger pupils of
the schools might read papers on such
topics as improvements Needed on
Our School Grounds, Why We Would
Like Play Ground Apparatus, Why
Every Pupil Likes a New Textbook,
Why We Should Have Good Drink
ing Fountain, Why Every Pupil
Should Attend School Regularly and
Why We Should Have Equipment for
Serving a Warm Noon Lunch.
|
of the school will carry more weight
with the patrons from whom the tax
es for equipment have to come than
lecture on the same subjects by a glib
orator brought to the district from the
city.
Eight Aims
| EITHER a teacher or a member of
the board may we'll supplement such
a program by a brief talk to the pa
! irons. The state department has set
forth the following eight specific aims
for Good School Week." which will
serve as suggestion for a talk by the
teacher or a board member. To secure
regular school attendance, to insure
| satisfactory health conditions in
schools to provide adequately trained
teachers to make possible high school
education for every child, to convince
the public of the worth of education,
to interest all electors in school needs,
to obtain adequate financial support
for schools, to make all school in
struction contribute to good citizen
ship and personal efficiency.
"Of course if the teacher wishes to
arrange for an outside speaker, that
is her privilege. But if such a speak
er is secured he should not be per-
mitted to crowd the board members
off the pogrram. lie me urge upon
you to arrange for this program"
Supt. Cary's Letter
| The letter made public by State
Supt Cary is of interest to mothers
and fathers whose children are in
school and to others who wish to see
! Wisconsins educational system be-
come better Part of it follows:
"It has been forced upon the atten-
ton of thoughtful people that there
are scores and even hundreds of par
ents in the state who do not sufficient
ly value the opportunities offered for
the education of the young. The
great majority of children drop out
of school when they graduate from
the eighth grade, or even before. In
many cases children could continue
their schooling if they and their par
ents were sufficiently impressed with
the worth of education. The state
Iment is often made, and sometimes
ltruthfully made, that the school does
not make a sufficiently strong appeal
to the rank and file of children to
make them desire to remain in school.
They find the school with it's duties
and responsibilities irksome. In such
cases they say that teachers are un-
sympathetic, or that they are in some
respects incompetent or not Suffi-
ciently interested in their work 1t
is the belief OF many who have wath-
ched the situation carefully, that there
has been a growing tendency on the
part of teachers to quit the work of
teaching, or TO regard, while prepar-
ing for the life work. the teaching
business as unsatisfactory, and there
fore not to be considered.
Next Year
'It is to be hoped that some time
next year we may have another Good
. School Week" even more effective
than this first one can be. We shall
depend largely upon local organiza-
tions for accomplishing the results.
When this is done it becomes a COM
paratively simple matter to set in mo-
. tion the machinery of such plans. To
accomplish much by any other pro-
cess would involve large outlays OF
: money which are not available and
are not likely to be available. The
department of public instruction
: hopes that every conceivable form OF
organization will lend its aid. Clubs
societies of all sorts, and industrial
organizations are urged to cooperate
and to devote one meeting to a dis
cussion of such topics as have been
entioned above and such other topics
. as may especially interest the com
munity.
Every friend of education in the