The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1922-03-08
superintendent Of Education Points
Out Three Weak Points In Present
Day School System and Offers So.
IutiOnS

(By r. II. Wilson, Co. Supt. of Educa-
tion)
The proper financing of the public
schools Of our state and county is q
matter Of vital consideration. Trus-
tees, teachers and the public in gen
eral may we'll study the finances Of
the school district. Money alone, how
ever, does not guarantee successful
school. Yet, with the necessary funds
any s, ool has foundation upon
education.
Continued and enlarged financial
support Of Our public schools is de-
pendent upon results received from
the cost. This is true of any business
or institution and APPLIES strongly to
the schools.
Results from cur ,xonderful sys-
ten of education have been discour-
aging to many. Recently Dr.. Eaton, a
recognized leader in education, and
DR.. KlaXton, former commissioner OF
education, have charged that the
schools have not performed their mis-
sion. These educators are djscour-
aged with the results. Others, with
not so. close a study of possibilities,
charge that in comparison our system
is not so successful as the one teach
er school Of several decades ago.
What then are the charges against
our public schools? Briefly, these
charges are that our boys and girls
have much information and little edu-
cation; that the head is store-house
OF knowledge with little power to
think. 1t is further charged that pu-
pills do not come from our public
schools with an ambition and with a
proper conception Of manhood and
womanhood
Therefore, at the present time, we
ought to consider these charges: if
false, refute them; if true, plan for a
remedy.
Recetnly we have passed through a
period Of school progressiveness. The
next few years may bring a desire for
re-trenchment Of financial support. In
evitably such desire will be fastened
unless results are satisfactory.
Accepting the above charges as true,
we offer three possible remedies:
In the first place, a school must have
necessary material euipment df it's
pupils are to be taught to think for
themselves in the highest degree. This
equipment consists Of blackboards,
maps, dictionaries, reference books,
and comfortable surroundings. With
out this equipment many pupils must
rely upon memory, sentences some
times being read that have difficult
words and names Of individuals up
known to pupils. without a dction-
ary and reference library the SEN
tence must be memorized and no con-
crete, defiite meaning is left in the
mind of the pupil. And then many
schools have excellent buildings and
outwardly results are satisfactory, but
q closeup study finds pupils with
memory and information, but with lit
tie power to reason Of think. AS an
illustration, might cite that of boy
given an excellent horse and plow
stock. With these he can do little,
but with the plow he wDturns the
ground and gets reuslts. In the same
way school district may have an ex-
cellent building and an excellent staff
Of teachers, but the thing that counts
Is the incentive created I'm the pupil
to explore nc'Y ground for himself and
to cause him to think. Better equip
ment will aid in tho realization OF
this aim.
In the next place the school needs a
teacher that can arouse the ambition
of It's pupils. This teacher must have
a personality and quality Of leader
ship. The one-teacher school that
gives an ambition to it's pupils and
inspires them with self-confldence is
performing it's duty in part. This, we
believe, Is one reason for the success
of the Old-field school. Teachers
themselves were SO imbued with inter-
est that the story OF Daniel Boone or
OF Columbus would fire the boys and
GIRLS under them to an ambitious life.
Under our complex civilization we
need teachers who teach honesty, JUS
Il ~