The Hartford republican., 1920-06-25
UNION OF SCHOOLS
Some Observations and Reasons For
Their Consolidation

The one-room school house has
been a recognized failure, for a long
while, and there are reasons for It,.
It is impossible for one teacher to
teach all the grades that are taught
in our common schools, within six
hours a day, and give any time worth
while to any one grade, and even if
they had the time, no teacher can
teach all the grades to the best ad-
vantage.
Some teachers are splendid with
the little fellows, but can not manage
the older scholars. and vice versa,
some take interest in the older ones
and neglect the little ones. Educa-
tors recognized this fact years ago.
In the larger towns and cities, the
problem was easily solved. there were
pupils enough to justify hiring a
teacher for each grade. So there, we
find teachers teaching beginners only,
or primaries, or the advanced grades
only, these teachers become experts in
their line.
But iu rural communities, in one
room school house, with from thirty
to seventy five pupils, you can not
afford to employ a dozen teachers or
even four, because it would be too ex-
pensive.
After years of experience had prov
ed the one room school dismal fail
ure. some one conceived the idea Of
consolidating two or more of these
schools, and today in every state in
I the Union, Consolidated Schools are
proving a success, giving the boys and
girls in rural communities, school
equal to. if not superior to many
found in our larger towns and cities.
where amusements and the tempta-
tions of vice have brought down many
splendid young man and lovely
woman to degration and ruin.
Let us educate our boys and girls
at home, where we can have super
vision over them.
The County Board of Education has
planned to give us a High School.
then there will be no necessity OF our
being put to the expense Of sending
our boys and girls to Baver Dam.
Hartford, or som other place, in or
der to advance beyond the common
school grades.
The County Board of Education
will build and equip for us four
room building, and furnish the tea
chers, the only thing they ask us to-
do is to furnish transportation for the
pupils.
A better educational proposition
was never put before any community.
If we had the same teachers. they
could do better teaching because their
wor kwould be divided and each one
would have special grades to teach.
With these schools consolidated.
we will have about one hundred and
fifty pupils. but no one except tea
cher can fully appreciate the advan-
tage of large attendance, in creating
and maintaining interest and enthu-
siasm in school work. They know
how dull and careless every one gets
to be when there are only five or ten
pupils present. In fact the majority
of schools as we have them in our ru-
raj communities to-day, are mere
shams, and our boys and girls who
do succeed, do so, not because of the
schools, but in spite of them. With
transportation provided attendance
has always been better, 1t can be ar
ranged so that a wagon will pass by
the door of almost all the homes in
Oak Grove and Graham, so there will
be no excuse for the children fail
ing to go to school rain or shine.
We can not understand how any
imam or woman, after giving this prop
osition due consideration, can fail to
vote for 1t.
No man can afford to live for him
self, II you have no children your
neighbor has, and every one should
be ready to support any movement
that will benefit his community.
Most of us are people with only
moderate means. we can not hope to
leave cur children large estates, but
let 1t be said OF us, we did strive to
give them the benefit of good school
and instill in their minds desire
for knowledge, a greater legacy than
silver and gold and within the pow
er of all of us to give.
OSCAR ALLEN, MD,
Cromwell, Ky.