Charlevoix county herald., 1920-12-17
Rural Schools
Are Busy
COm'r Stewart Outlines Work
Being Accomplished.
Dear CO-workers:

Lear SO-WoihCio.
City superintendents meet frequently
with the school boards with whom they
are working to talk over the work they
are doing. This mutual understanding
of the problems which they are facing
does much to solve these problems and
contributes to the success of the school
system.
Since we have, as yet, no county
board of education with whom we may
personally confer, may | take a few
moments of your time in submitting to
you a summary of the work which the
rural schools are endeavering to accom-
plish before June 1921?
= /. First the teachers met in three
groups to 60 over the years. work plan.
2. The teachers have revised the
1920 premium list for school work to be
exhibited on township days 1921, and
1921 County Fair. Schools will be pre-
pairing these exhibits thruout the
school year.
3. Group intelligence tests have been
given all the children, in order that the
teacher may analyse each child's diff
culties to determine more nearly whe-
ther his memory, his imagination, or
perception may cause his failures or
successes.
4. The Haggerty Standard Reading
Test will be given twice during the
year-on given dates throughout the
county. This is an accurate measure Of
the amount that the child really under
stands of what he is reading. The Sec
ond tests measure the childs actual
progress in his work since the previous
test.
5. Mid-year examinations on the
Course of Study will be given in all
grades in January, and promotion tests
for the first seven grades the last day
OF school in each district.
6. Teachers will organize by town.
ship groups to arrange for Township
SchoN Day. 1921 Township Days will
consist of commencement exercises,
exhibits, and outdoor contests, games,
or races-picnic or potluck dinners.
The usual county booklet will outline
the features that are uniform for the
county.
Z. Material for Columbus Day, Fire
Prevention Day, and Better Speech
Week has already been sent TO every
teacher. In accordance with instruct
ions from the Department all days set
aside by law or proclamation will be
duly observed.
s. The schools have now been visit
ed once over. The commissioner plans
this year on making a winter visit and
a spring visit to each school. In the
fall visit, she checks the equipment OF
the building, and assists the teacher in
her work. The winter visit should
help to accomplish what the fall visit
has found necessary. The spring visit
is personal supervision of the details
OF preparing for township school day.
9. The winter visit is new this year.
With the cooperation OF the teachers,
it will be made Patrons Day with ev-
cry interested parent present for dis
trict rally to visit together, eat togeth-
er, and study together the needs of the
school.
10. A part of the years work is get
ting ready for the County Fair-to
bring into contact the work OF children,
and the parents-In this, our county is
second to none, and we want to keep il
so.
IL. We always have good Institute.
II is great deal of work to prepare a
good Institute, but the teachers all
work together, and our visiting lectur-
eres, mention repeatedly the splendid
spirit" manifest in the county. This
spirit can make Charlevoix county, in
everything second to none.
IL. No small part of the years work
is the Directory. II must contain legal
data for the state department and
township clerks. 1t mnst contain &C.
curate lists of names and addresses for
local and legal use. 1t must contain
also information which teachers and Of.
will wish to know, but would other.
wise have to write for, and for this
reason-it must be made a book the
teachers and officers will wish to keep.
This years Directories will soon be
ready for distribution.
13. There are. reports-yes-both to
be received and sent out. There are
letters, yes, and phone calls, personal
interviews-There is red tape and there
is the school law, compulsory attend
ance, and compulsory non-attendance)
but these are merely incidental to the
machinery Of our school system, which
we know is getting hetter atd which