Field Notes

The Rural School Messenger

March-April, 1917

Miss Rosamond Root recently gave a talk before the literary society of the Walker school in Macon County on " Social Factors in Rural Life. " Here Mr. Jesse France is the teacher. The building is a new one and thru its modern equipment of furnace, ventilating system, drinking fountain, etc. reflects the enterprising community in which it is placed. They still lack modern seats and a good library, but no doubt this will be the next thing to which they will give their attention.

Two or three schools in Adair Country are showing the influence of the new spirit in education. In the Sloan school Miss Ethel Mitzimberg has been the teacher for four years. The new modern building contains a library of about 100 volumes. The school is very proud of their Victrola and -records and are trying to do something to cultivate appreciation in good music. They recently celebrated Adair County's birthday and raised $34.28 more for their library. Another district that has a new building is the Elm Grove school. The equipment is modern in every respect including indoor toilets with sewage system and adjustable, movable chairs. Some of the best work we have seen in art is being done in this school under the enthusiastic lead of the teacher, Miss Bertha Roseberry.

A good example of what consolidation will do is shown in the centralized school at Lebanon, Ohio. Here the district has bought seventeen acres for a magnificent school plant which with a new high school building will cost $200,000. In Ohio centralized schools may be formed in towns of considerable size. In this, case Lebanon is a town of 4000. Are there not many places in Missouri where county seat towns might embody the centralized ambition of the county for several miles around? Our present consolidation law in Missouri contemplates placing high schools in the open country and giving every country boy and girl the chance of a high school education. One limitation upon towns that desire to be in consolidated districts is that the school enumeration be less than 200. Now that consolidation is well under way and proved a success, why could not each county seat town become a centralized system taking in the territory for several miles around?

Among some of the visits that the writer has lately made is one to the consolidated school in the open country in Jimtown in Schuyler County where be gave an illustrated address at the community. club meeting. This club if quite a factor in the social and intellectual life of the neighborhood. The Dramatic Club of this school recently gave the last rural life play, "A Vision of the Homeland" to an appreciative audience. Mr. E. T. Whitaker is the Principal.

Formation of community clubs, farmer's clubs and other organizations that mom a wider use of the school plant is going on at an encouraging rate. The writer recently visited two communities in Calloway County where Misses Mary and Reba Sturgeon are the teachers. At both places committees were formed to get under way a Grange, or a farmers' club. The most enterprising county so far as we have heard in the movement is Audrain near Centralia where sixteen such clubs are in operation.

Mr. E. A. Wright recently spoke before the Farm Club in the Highland school in Macon County where Mr. Paul Wilgus is the teacher. This club seems to be in a growing condition as fourteen new members were taken in at that meeting. The women of this community have had a club in operation for the past two years.

A good example of what can be done by county farm agents is exemplified in the Delaware County Farm Bureau in Indiana. Mr. J. F. Treasure, a former graduate of this school, is in charge. In that county a large share of the work of the farm bureau is done thru the public schools, especially in the teaching of Agriculture and Domestic Science. Courses of study in these two subjects are prepared by Mr. Treasure and used in the schools. Once a month the teachers come together for reading circle work and for an hour with representatives of the farm bureau. Suggestions and discussions are made as for carrying on the work of the following month. Various forms of club work are encouraged and Delaware county has more than its share of prize winners. Last year his country clubs took first, second, third and seventh prizes in the corn clubs of the state of Indiana. The Municipal Carden Association was established in the largest town with a membership of 360. 320 boys and girls in the county were in dairying clubs. In addition to all this work, at the farm bureau office there were 1975 callers for suggestions and help and 324 meetings were held with a total attendance of 37,000. - It will be a great day in Missouri when every county has a farm adviser who will work hand in hand with the county superintendents and teachers in vitalizing -the work of the country schools.

Andrain County has been doing a good many things. There are 33 ap&approved schools in the county, 48 districts have modern heating plants, ten have drinking fountains, all have libraries, many have organs and play ground equipment. 50 of the teachers hold first grade certificates or better, 23 second grades, and only ten are teaching on a third grade certificate. The new consolidated school at Farber in its first year is giving a three year high school course. County Superintendent W. Clyde Johnson is leaving no stone unturned to improve the rural schools.

In Clark County Miss Helen F. McKee, the County Superintendent, is greatly interested in the organization of boys' and girls' clubs and community clubs. Flourishing organizations are found at Alexandria, Medill, Luray and other places. At the State Fair this county took first prize for the best exhibit in rural schools and at the Tri-State contest at Keokuk, Iowa, last fall, they took second places Here is an account of a visitor at a meeting in Medill. "When we entered the building, the seven girls were ranged in a semi-circle in the hall wearing their white caps and aprons and on a table near them, was a display of the fruit they bad canned in the club. Later when the program of the afternoon had begun, we found that one number on that program was a canning demonstration by the girls. They had their little stove, and full equipment, and canned apples there before the whole crowded room. It was indeed a pleasing sight to see the girls do the work, each explaining as she worked the why, and how, of what she did. After this demonstration, came the little talks by the girls of what club work had meant to them in their school, and an explanation of the work they had done in the Sewing club. After the splendid talk by Mr. Reavis and the formal meeting was over, Mr. Reavis was surrounded by the boys and girls and men and women who wanted to ask questions and join the work.

County Superintendent Sallie Brown of Lincoln County is planning for a rural athletic meet and graduation program some time in June. In her county there are 30 sewing clubs and two poultry clubs, and 25 boys have joined the acre yield corn club. Arrangements are being made for a school fair to be held in connection with the county fair and the second annual round up. The first consolidated district at Silex has been raised from third class to second class. Miss Brown writes: "People are agitating better methods, better organizations and better school houses.

In Linn County, Co. Supt. F. L. Joyce is planning during the summer to start a number of clubs and expects to have a good display of their work at the fall meetings. He is also planning a complete system of community meetings next year. He writes: "I feel that the time is now ripe for us to give much time to community work. Our regular school work is fairly well organized.

From Putnam County Co. Supt. H. U. G. Turnmire writes that they expect to have the best rural track and field meet ever held in northeast Missouri. There will be two divisions; one for the one room schools and the other for the four schools in the county doing high school work. In their coming August meetings the programs will be made as practical as possible. The best example in growing and seed gatherings and hand work will be on exhibit as well as work in Manual Training. More sewing clubs for girls, and farm clubs for boys are organized in Putnam than ever before.

From Shelby County we have received a clipping which shows that County Superintendent Myrtle Threlkeld is working under very encouraging conditions as this extract will show. "In December the Bethel High School was approved, which now completes the list. Of the five high schools in the county all are approved, three being first and two third, the third class schools receiving state aid. We now have 25 approved rural schools, 23 having modern heating and ventilating plants and one a furnace; eleven schools with jacketed stove, which places more than fifty per cent of the rural schools heated with something better than the old time plan. Sixty-three per cent of the schools have broken away from the bad habit of dividing the school term and are giving equal opportunities to all the pupils. The teaching force also shows progress during the past few years. The records show that we have in our schools to-day thirty-six teachers holding life certificates, normal diplomas and university degrees; twenty two holding first grade certificates; thirty-seven with second grade and only nineteen third grade in the county. At the opening of the school year last September there were only six teachers who had had neither experience nor training for the work, less than five per cent without special preparation and these all "made good." Sixteen districts supply free books and are satisfied with the plan. Several of the districts received enough money the first year to supply all the grades with necessary books. It is hoped many more districts will take advantage of this at the April election.

Mrs. Arta B. Williams is another County Superintendent who runs an educational column in the county papers. This is from a March issue: "Many good programs were reported during February. A patriotic program at Hazel Dell Feb. 23; a program of song Feb. 21 at Salem in which Salem, Morning View and Mt. Pleasant schools and a large crowd of patrons joined; a pleasant program and a bounteous dinner at Bourn on closing day. Mr. Warning said that he had not missed such an occasion at Bourn school for seventeen years, and Mrs. Tippett said that she had helped prepare for thirty-two years. Good records these--showing much interest in the children and school affairs. The Parent-Teacher Association of Gorin still grows. When business men will leave their work to participate in an afternoon meeting, one may be assured that interest is at a high mark. Prof. Jamison of the K. S. N. S. addressed an enthusiastic crowd March 2. Three districts of Scotland Co. voted free text books in 1916 and will receive 42c from the state Foreign Insurance money for each child enumerated. In no other way can the district schools get this money save by voting free text books. The vote may be taken at the annual meeting provided that notice is given. The Memphis men have subscribed liberally for the Oct. '17 Round-Up. One farmer has voluntarily offered a full-blooded 0. I. C. pig to be used as a premium. The Committee hopes to get the premium list ready by April 1, so that teachers may help pupils in making plans for the summer. The special aim the Round-Up is to create a greater interest in furthering the work of the schools and of agricultural production in the county. Interest and cooperation are two essentials for success in such an undertaking. May we count on your help? Boost for the Round-Up! Make early and careful plans! The boys who are to receive the free seed corn from the state agricultural college are showing much interest in the acre corn-growing contest. Each boy is to tend one acre of corn, and make business-like reports of his work and reading to the college, all of which will be helpful work for future farmers.

Miss Frankie Connell has reason to take pride in the progress toward better rural schools in Marion County. More than half of the districts have modern heating and ventilation; two districts have Moulthrop movable chairs; nine have primary tables and chairs. There will be more than 150 eighth grade graduates.

The Bureau of Education under the direction of Commissioner P. P. Claxton for the past three years has been waging a nation wide campaign for better rural schools. It was the writer's privilege to be present at the first national conference in this work, which was held in Chicago in 1914. The second was held at Nashville. This year three such conferences have been held. Miss Root appeared on the program at the Lincoln meeting, and Mr. Burrows at the conference in Philadelphia. The third conference was held at Rock Hill, S. C. At each meeting the problems uppermost for that section 4 the United States were given special preference. In all Commissioner Claxton's nine aims were heartily endorsed. They are:

1. An acadernic term of not more than 160 days in every rural school community.

2. A sufficient number of teachers adequately prepared for their work.

3. Consolidation of rural schools where practical.

4. Teachers' home and a demonstration farm of five or more acres as a part of the school property.

5. An all-year school adapted to local conditions.

6.. A county library with branch libraries at the centers of population, the public schools to be used as distributing centers.

7. Community organization with the school as intellectual, industrial, educational and social center.

8. High school education for all country boys and girls without severing home ties in obtaining that education.

9. Such readjustment and reformation of the courses of study in elementary and secondary rural schools as will adapt them to the needs of rural life.