Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-07-17
BY REX HAIGHT

One must traveI through SaSebruSh
plains. benchland country, rolling
foothills, timber and mountainous
areas, and mining sections to under
stand fully the wide scope of oper-
alton of the Montana State Cores
pondcnce school. To comprehend the
nature of the work, isolated rural
homes. rural schools. hospitals, small
community high schools, and urban
centers must be visited. as well as in
situations such as the State sanitarium
and the State Industrial school
So, we will take an imaginary trip
through the state and obtain an air.
plane view Of an educational program
designed TO equalize educational OPP
portunity in a state of vast distances
and sparse population. The starting
point will be Helena, situated in the
remains of @ prehistoric lake bed at
the foot of the eastern slope of the
Rocky mountain continental divide
Here we interview Miss Elizabeth
Ireland. state superintendent of pub
lie instruction Ghe State Correspond
ence school is a subdivision of this
Department. and attend a meeting of
the state board of education, which
has jurisdiction over the laws govern
ing the general policies of the school,
We learn about the great distances,
the problems of finance. and above
all, the determination of the people to
give the youth of the state adequate
educational advantages. With this pre-
view of the educational program, we
are conditioned for our journey.
Westward to Missoula
From Helena We go over the con-
tinental divide, IL miles distant, and
travel 100 miles westward to Missoula,
home Of the Montana State university.
The State Correspondence school is
located on the campus of this insti-
tuition. The physical equipment of the
school is housed in suite of office
rooms supplied with the standard Of
flee equipment and necessary instruc-
tional materials. In addition, the
school maintains a circulating library
which serves the needs and reading
interests of its enrollees.
The staff of instructors Is composed
Of specialists in their fields, aware of
the need of all-around development
for their students. AS rule, the
teachers have not personally seen the
500 students, most of whom live in
remote areas of the state. However,
one thing will doubtless impress the
visitor: namely, the intimate student
teacher relationship. 1t is student
tutor relationship, rather than a
teacher-class relationship. The con-
tinuouS stream of correspondence
passing through the school from stu
dent to teacher, from teacher to STU
dent, indicates that many of the Or
binary barriers to be found between
the two do not exist.
We hasten on to see the school FROM
tiers-the places where students are
to be found in action.
At Bonner, 10 miles east Of Missoula,
is one of the large lumber and logging
areas of the state. Following an in
fantile paralysis epidemic in 1910,
Mrs. Welty called on Mr.. Ketcham,
principal of the Missoula County high
school. to find out just what might
be done for her son, Lawrence, who
was just recovering from an attack.
Lawrence was bedridden, restless and
ambitious. Mr. Ketcham advised that
he enroll in the State Correspondence
school and designated Mr.. Akin, the
grade school principal at Bonner. as
local supervisor. Lawrence has made
splendid progress. During the II
months of his study, he has recovered
sufficiently so that he hopes to be
able to attend regular high school
soon.
The recovery of Peggy McCaw, a
patient at the Galen sanitarium, To-
Gated on the Missoula- Anaconda road,
was slow and filled with uncertainty.
However, her letters showed unlim-
tied courage and fortitude. The stu
dent-teacher relationship is wildly
portrayed in the following note at
tached to one of Peggy's lessons:
April %, 1s41.
Dear Miss Crowley: INSTRUCTOR
have appreciated the encour-
aging notes you have been sending
me. I think I am going to like
English very much. haven't got
ten my history or other books yet,
so I just study English.
You asked me how long have
been a patient at Galen. Three
years ago I came here with one
lung infected, and the doctors
collapsed it with pneumothorax. I
got along just fine. In 20 months
I was released and went home. I
was home just two months when
my other lung broke down and
nv spine. had an accident about
five years ago roller skating. A
man about 200 pounds fell on top
of me and injured my back and
lungs. They couldn't find anything
wrong with my spine until nine