Rural Schools Bound To Advance

RURAL SCHOOLS BOUND TO ADVANCE

"A Parent" of Dexter has a long communication in the Times taking Superintendent of Public Instruction Delos Fall to task for some of his statements before the state teachers' association as to the relative cost of rural as compared with village and city schools, and his suggestions for the betterment of the rural schools. Of course Supt. Fall like practically all educators believes concentration and consolidation is the only salvation of the rural schools. But "A Parent" rises up to condemn the project on the ground chiefly that little children will have to trudge several miles in all sorts of weather, should the superintendent's plan be adopted. Evidently the parent author of the communication is not on to all of the consolidation scheme involves. It includes provision for getting the children to school and back again out any long walks or exposure to inclement weather. In fact it contemplates collecting the children and conveying them to school and back by teams and under cover when the weather is bad. Another advantage of Superintendent Fall's plan would be better educational advantages for the children of the rural district. The courses of study would be enriched and extended and the schools would be taught by better teachers.  This would be a great gain.  As it is today more progressive farmers, those who know that village and city children have school advantages denied to the children of the rural schools, send their children to town to school, and pay the tuition, thus acknowledging that there are better advantages in town than in the country schools. The town schools are better for the reason that they have better teachers and are better equipped in books, including libraries, and apparatus. Teachers' wages are always an important factor in the matter of professional ability. A cheap teacher is pretty apt to be dear at any price. Teachers' wages in the country schools are generally very low and this inevitably lowers the standard of work done in these schools. The plan of consolidating the rural schools would lead to the payment of better wages. The possibility under the consolidation plan of grouping or grading the pupils better might prevent the total of teachers' wages mounting higher than it present, but the individual teacher would unquestionably be paid more wages. This would have to be so, if better results are to be obtained. Better wages must be paid, if the best ability is to be obtained, in country schools as well as elsewhere. But there are savings in other directions under the consolidation plan which largely offset this increase. But for better results the farmers ought to be willing to pay more money. Attendance in the rural schools has fallen off largely for the reason that the children of many farmers are sent to town to school because the district schools are not the best. Practically all male teachers have teen driven out of the district schools because the wages are so low that they cannot afford to teach. Men can do in other callings. The teaching force is, therefore, almost entirely women and this is not as it should be. The ideal arrangement for the education of children would be to have them instructed as much by men as by women, but this is impossible with present wages. Nevertheless, in spite of strong opposition of a large part of the rural population, the project of consolidating the rural schools is steadily, if slowly, marching on. Michigan now has a law permitting the formation of township schools and there are townships in southern Michigan which are moving for their establishment. They are sure to come. They will yet be forced on the rural communities by public sentiment. The isolated district school is doomed just as certainly as the old rate bill method of paying teachers was doomed years ago. The rural schools must and will advance in spite of all opposition, and the way they seem destined to advance is along the line of the concentration and consolidation of their forces. The plan has been tried and not found wanting.