The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-09-30
vol. 4s
We Stand
Corrected

A.
Editor Pennington Times, Farming
ton, Mo.
Dear Mr.. Bradshaw:
In the September 23rd issue of the
Pennington Times, in an article head
ed "Face to Face with Big job, you
discussed very entcrtainingly trip
you made to Douglass School. the col
ored school of the Pennington dis
trict. Your eornmendation of Miss
Dayse Baker, the teacher, was entire
ly fitting and timely. She is most
excellent teacher and is untiring in
her efforts for the children under her
care.
Some of your statements regarding
the "Herculean task" she has as
sumed are not justified by the facts.
II take it that both you and the read
ing public desire the facts. The en-
rollment in Douglass School is not
"About fifty-five pupils" as stated by
you. According to the weekly reports
submitted to this office by Miss Bak-
er, her enrolment is exactly forty
four pupils. Your figure of fifty-fve
is a twenty-five per cent increase ov-
er the actual enrolment.
You are in error when you say that
Miss Baker has seven grades TO teach
The fact is that she has the First
Second, Third, Fifth and Seventh. In
other words she has two classes less
than your article indicated. Her for.
ty-four pupils being distributed among
five grades should make nc class larg-
er than eight or ten pupils. While
she has a larger number of classes
than most teachers, her classes are in
variably smaller. Her work is out
lined by the State Course of Study
prepared under the supervision of the
State Superintendent and is in almost
universal use in rural and one-room
schools throughout the state. Til.
work is classified on the plan of al
formation by which the first. second
and third grades are taught every
year, but the fifth and seventh grades
alternate with the fourth, sixth and
eighth in most subjects. This plan
has the endorsement of the State Su.
perintendent, and is endorsed and re.
quired in one-room schools by ths
County Superintendent, Mr.. j. Clyde
Akers.
At this time the cost, per pupil, pei
year, for teachers wages in the Doug
lass School is $16:36. The cost pei
pupil, per year, for teachers wages ir
the grades of the white schools is $12.
II. Should an extra teacher be as.
signed to the Douglass School: at the
modest salary of $50 per month, the
cost per pupil per year, for teachers
wages would mount to $26.59, consid
erably more than twice as much as il
now expended for grade teaching il
the white schools. In addition, if th'
forty-four pupils now attending th'
Douglass School were divided equal!
, between two teachers they woult
have only twenty-five pupils each. A
matter of fact that would be by fa
a smaller number than is assigned t.
any white teacher in the Farmingtol
Public Schools. The fact is that sew
en- white teachers have fifty or NOR
pupils each.
To say that the colored children o
Pennington have not the opportunit
for an education that is promiset
them, is to make similar charg
against rural and one-room school
throughout the State, or to infer ths
Miss Baker is limited in her ability a
teacher, and the latter is certainl
not the case. The work done in Doug
lass School under Miss Bakers diret
ton will compare most favorably wit
that done in any colored school in tn
State whether in large city or sma
town.
Now, Mr.. Bradshaw, have no de
sire to enter into newspaper col
troversy, and do not request that tn
letter be given publicity. Believin
that you will appreciate the facts
the case, have endeavored to CIV
them to you briefly. l feel that
careful consideration of the facts hel
presented will convince you that IL
Board of Education did not err whit
they reduced the teaching force
Douglass School from two teachers
one. Sincerely yours,
w. L. JOHNS.