The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-26
STEARNS BILL
FOR RURAL SCHOOLS
Former Resident of Windham County
and Graduate of University Of YER
mont Gives His Opinion.

/ Editor of Reformer
Love TOR the state in which | was born
and IN which | have spent half OF my
years impeis me to write YOU an open
/ letter concerning the normal school con-
tfoYerSF now on in the legislature NY
qualifications for speaking are: | have
no axe TO grind, no selfish interest to
advance: | am loyal aiumnus of the
! University of Vermont and appreciate
/ tut wei ITS service to the people of Yer
mont.
have had thirty years experience
Ia Tie school room; one year in the
small rural schools OF Vermont and two
and one-hah years in the Johnson nor
ma school under a principal who did
more to make me an efficient teacher
than two years at the best teachers col
/ lege IN the East. (Teachers college, Co.
/ lumbia University This same man was
forced out OF his position by the man
who has since been the most active OPP
ponent OF the. normal schools. What his
real ann and anlmuS are / have never
I been able to fathom
For - years | have been teaching in
| the high schools OF New York city for
ten years in one of the largest and best.
/ realize that conditions have changed
in the more than twenty-five years since
| left Vermont schools. but | spend two
months each year in Windham county
! with my family and relatives. Last
June l visited the normal school at
Johnson, and, with due respect to DIR.
Hlllcgas, that school looked to me like
the result of Il midsummer nights
dream or a deliberate attempt to wreck
/ e school
| am positive that no teacher training
class in a high school or academy, with
training teachers paid as they are now,
can mt teachers Tor work IN The Lit
tie Red or White schoolhouses' as we'll
as 4. I'll. Campbell and his corps of
teachers did.
state teachers college at Burlington
would be fine thing for its graduates.
| BHt they would not stay in Vermont ::
ether states would pay them better.
can certainly appreciate that But how
are the great mass of the people to baB-|
esit-the promising, eager youth of the
sHarSely populated rural districts.
! I know Niudham county Ike a book.
| ! lave seen farm after farm with good
>oil and comfortable buildings aban-|
| d0ned TO the porcupme and the wood
| chuck. chiefly because there were no &C
ressible schools. There Is Il limit to the
| distance young children can be trans
sorted To and from school daily Ii ru-
ral Vermont Is TO be saved from the vii
| deTnCss there must be good roads and
-nod schools. Many of these must be
snail schools with very moderate sal
l&r.cS.
It Johnson under Campbell many OF
! aur best pupil, came from the back
towns where there was then practically
| TO opportunity for a high school edUca
! ton. They came to Us with an almost
pathetic desire TO learn. Some boarded
themselves. often bringing supplies from
the home farm. Their expenses were Al
| most Uubelievablv small. but more would
! have been pTohibtive They We're often
exceedingly crude. but i'm two years we
| trained them so that they We're able and
school, with which they were familiar
and rot only do good work but dis
fiuctly raise the level of the schools
! in which they taught They We're not
the equal Of the graduates of the higher
.radr Massachusetts, normal schools,
hsFt They stayed on ;he job and did eff
rient service at SALARY that the bet
trr trai:5pd teacher would have refused
! Il mav have been that the salary was
less thar the community should have
raised. hut in many cases salary large
enough To command the better trained
teacher would have been impossible.
! If the normal schools are Tc-esJab-
| ljehcd a. the StearnS bill plans, stand
ovds would necessarily be HIGHER now
than then, but 50 also are the salaries
| Pcrhans teachers college at Turling-
/ ton under the capable and public spIr
/ ted management Of the University OF
Vermont would he a good thing for the
state, but half the money, needed to
make il at all worthwhile VIII do
twice a. much for education in Vermont
| If -uant ~ Mr. Stearu~ has planned.
| Nothing that has come up i'm wears Is
more vital to the welfare of The state
than the proper settlement of this oues-
ton. If the present legislature uIaus
Tor Capitalization Of the population
in the towns and cities with the rest
Of the state wilderness, follow the
plans of Stone and Hiilega-. If not let
them follow wiser councils.
\. !. CIRCUIT. PHI. d.
Now BRIGHTON \ Y Fol- u