The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-11-23
RURAL SUPERVISOR
WRITES OF SCHOOLS
LEWIS SUMMARIZING CONDITIONS IN COUNTY SAYS MANY
BUILDINGS ARE NOT MODERN IN ARCHITECTURAL DE-
siGN-Too MANY TEACHER SCHOOLS
..> AND TOO sHo TERMS


Lewis, rural school supervisor, to J.
E. Swearingen, state superintendent
of education, in regard to the school
conditions in Abbeville County. Mr..
Lewis visited the schools last week:
In company with the County
Superintendent P. H. Mann, I visit
ed on Tuesday, November Is, San
tue, one-teacher school; Parks
Creek a one-teacher school; Donalds,
a fve-teacher school; and Winona, a
school of two teachers.
On Wednesday we visited Pros
perity, school with one teacher. On
account of rain, we were unable to
travel further. \ q.
On Thursday, as it was still rain
ing, I visited the Abbeville High
School. In the afternoon, we visited
Central, a one-teaeher school.
On Friday we visited Lebanon, a
one-teacher school,; Sharon, with two
teachers, and Warrenton, with two.
The first thing that impressed me
was, the number Of school-houses
that had been constructed without
regard to lighting, ventilation, and
other features characteristics of
modern scool architecture. Most Of
the one-teacher sehool-houses are Of
the box-car type, lighted On two or
thre sides, which is very hard on the
eyes of pupils. Many of the buildings
are old and unpainted. In the two
teacher buildings We found some Of
the houses better, but in several in
stances additions had been made to
one-tea cher houses so as to convert
them iato two-teacher houses, in
which additions the same errors, in
lighting were observed. The Warren
ton building was constructed accord
ing to Clemson plans, and is well
built, lut the rooms were very much
reduced in size.
AbbeY:lle County needs, first, to
reduce to a marked degree, the num-
lber of one-teacher schools in the
county. Twenty-nine of the forty
seven white schools are of the one
teacher type. She will never educate
her children in schools of this type.
Only in very sparsely settled COM
munities, or in places where physical
conditions necessitate it, is there any
excuse for the one-teacher school. In
nine cases out of ten, the one-teach-
er school is only monument to the
prejudice of a community-preju-
dice in favor of ones own communi-
ty, and against a nearby community.
For the sake of their prejudices
people are sometimes willing to sac
rifce the education of their children.
Country people everywhere need to
lay aside community prejudice, set
their community stakes further out
and take in. neighboring communi-
ties and establish with their neigh
bors schools Of three or more teach
ers. A one-teaeher school can teach
SUCCESSFULLY only seven grades. When
such a school attempts more, some
grade or grades, usually the lower
must be neglected. A one-teacher
school was observed tying to carry
ten grades. 1t would have been bet
ter for the pupils in the high school
grades to attend the Abbeville High
School, and thus give the teacher
time to put all her work on the first
seven grades.sA two-teacher school
can successfully teach only eight
grades; a three-teaher school can
carry nine grades, with some tenth
grade subjects. The ideal toward
which every country community
should aim is, school of four teach
ers. Such school can do the finest
kind Of work, and anything less than
this is not going to give our country
children the chance for an education
that they deserve.
In the second place, the country
schools need to have longer yearly
session. At present the yearly ses-
sions average less than six months.
It is difficult for the children in
town and city schools with their