Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-02-11
BETTER SCHOOLS AND
BETTER TEACHERS URGED
interesting Points Brought Out by
Speakers at Annual Meeting
for Iron County.


better teachers in farming com
munities was made by Dist. Atty.
Warren B. Foster in his opening
address at the convention of Iron
county teachers and school boards
held at the court house Monday.
While admitting that conditions
of today were considerably in ad-
vance of by gone days, he urged
even better things for the farmer
lad. There is no reason why the
boyraiSed on a far nshould not have
equal educational opportunities
with the boy raised in more settled
communities, was his contention.
As means for giving him access
To higher education, Mr.. Foster
suggested that the county build
dormitories for boys and for girls in
the larger towns, where they might
come in from the farms for nine
months out of the year, attend high
school. and be under the super
vision of a teacher who might be
placed in charge Of such dorm.
tories.
The address of state inspector
A. A. Thomson at the morning
session was on the Essentials of
a First Class Rural School. Mr..
Thomson named as the four points
necessary for a first class rural
school, the possession of which
would entitle the school TO the
bonus of $50 from the state depart
ment; Ist, a nine months school
term; and. a good school build
ing, sd. good equipment; 4th,
good teacher.
Mr.. thomson dwelt at length on
the building. A model building
should have an attractive entrance,
and should have a main room whose
dimensions should be approximate
ly 32X22x IL. Arched from this
main room should be a library
with well-flled book shelves and
reading table with magazines. A
domestic science room, private
room for the teacher, and well
lighted cloak rooms should be on
the same floor. The building must
have a basement where the toilets
are located, and hot air furnace,
not a pipeless one, is necessary in
order to get the $50 bonus. As to
equipment, there should be plenty
of blackboards, four feet high and
placed two feet from the floor. He
recommended the new single steel
adjustable seat. Plenty of erasers
and busters as we'll as paper towels
are essentials of a well-equipped
school room. There should be a
sink with an outside drain.
For playground equipment, Mr..
Thomson asked the school boards
to provide giant stride, triple
swing and teeter board, saying
that these could be purchased for
the price of three medium weight
calves. He also suggested, as a
necessary adjunct to the welfare of
the teacher and pupils, a snow
shovel and one for ashes. He told
the school boards to appoint among
themselves a chimney sweep to keep
the flues in shape so that the
teacher might have no difficulty in
starting the fires. His remarks
were in a highly humorous vein
aud brought forth many smiles.
Speaking on Good Attendance"
at the afternoon session, Mr. Thorn
son said that without better means
of transportation, the attendance
would not be materially improved.
While the farmer has an auto to
take himself to town, he usually
lets the children walk to school.
Mr.. Thomson explained in detail
some of the new school legislation,
| principally the new attendance
laws and the teachers retirement
fund.
In her paper on Choosing a
Teacher" read at the morning
session, Mrs. J. P. Rogers com.
z L.