The Mena weekly star., 1922-01-05
Scuool.Norr
By w. H. MoRDEN, ntv Cftnarfntandauf Gf

The schools at Rocky, Shady Grove, Old Potter, Gam and Potter are plan. ming to have a joint program on Lee day, January 19, at Potter. It will be an all day affair to which the pub lie is invited.
 Flats have been mailed to ali school boards with the request that they help get the boundary lines of the districts recorded. This has not been kept up with for several years and has resulted in taxes being paid into the. wrong districts in many cases. The records in many cases are so old and indefinite that they are of little value now on account of the many changes that have been made. We are unable to find definite bound ary lines in great many instances. With the help of the boards we will re-establish such as we are unable to find, and get a system of keeping them up to date for all time to come. :: :: ::
 We have had a number of spelling tests in various schools. The best spoilers we have found are the eighth grade at Board Camp. This grade averaged 97 per cent on the list of words where it is expected that the grade average around 88 per cent. ;: :: ::
 A good number of teachers have expressed their intentions of going to normal school this spring We had 45 in attendance at Magnolia and Conway last year. We hope to have much larger number this year. The term at Magnolia will begin May 8, and that at Conway March 16. The summer term at Conway will begin June 12. It is only a matter of time till all teachers will be required by law to have a certain amount of nor nal training, and those teachers who look forward and get this training early will have decided advantage.
 The real purpose of normal train ing IS, of course, to get better teach CTS but the teacher who makes the decision to get the training will con- slider the personal advantages to her. We are giving some figures here on the financial side with the hopes that 1t might help some in making this de- cislon. The average salary of the untrained teacher in Polk county last year was about $400. The average for the normal graduates for the same year was $1100. This is almost $3 to one but to be sure we do not ex- aggerate in the least We will make the figures $500 a year for the untrained, and 5000 year for the trained. The cost of going to school may be safely counted at $200 year more than the teacher would have to spend if she were teaching. That means a loss of $700 a year to the teasher while going to school If she goes four years the total loss would be $2800. That means that after completing the school course she would be $2S00 be- hind what she would have been had she not gone to school. That would require six years work to be even again, and she would have the nor nal training and better salary for the
 rest of her life. If she teaches 15 more years at the same difference in salary the gain would be $7500 for
 her life's work.
 School boards and patrons ought to
 demand that the teachers go to
 school. One of the best teachers in
 the county said recently, "I am plan ming to go to Conway this spring
 one cannot keep up and do the best of
 teaching without going to school oc.
 easionally." This teacher is above | 45 years of age.