A BACKWARD AND NEGLECTED FIELD
=Rural Schools the Same Everywhere.=--The one-room country school of
to-day is much the same the whole country over. Such schools are no
better in Michigan, Wisconsin, or Minnesota than they are in the
Dakotas, Montana, or Idaho. They are no better in Ohio or New York than
they are in Minnesota or Wisconsin, and no better in the New England
states than in New York and Ohio. There is a wonderful similarity in
these schools in all the states.
Nevertheless, it may be maintained with some plausibility that the rural
schools of the West are superior to those farther east. The East is
conservative and slow to change. The West has fewer traditions to break.
Many strong personalities of initiative and push have come out of the
East and taken up their abode in the West. Young men continue to follow
Horace Greeley's advice. Sometimes these young men file upon lands and
teach the neighboring school; and while this may not be the highest
professional aim and attitude, it remains true nevertheless that such
teachers are often earnest, strong, and educated persons.
Not long ago I had occasion to visit a teacher's institute in a
northwestern state, in which there were enrolled 350 teachers. Some of
these were college graduates and many of them were normal school
graduates from various states. One had only to conduct a round table in
order to experience a very spirited reaction. Colonel Homer B. Sprague,
who was once president of the University of North Dakota, used to say
that it always wrenched him to kick at nothing. There would be no
danger, in such a body of teachers as I have referred to, of wrenching
oneself. I have had occasion many times every year to meet these western
teachers in local associations, in teachers' institutes, and in state
conventions; and from my observations and experience I can truthfully
state that they are fully as responsive and as progressive as the
teachers in other parts of the country.
=Rural Schools no Better than Formerly.=--Notwithstanding all this, it
is probably true that the rural schools of to-day are, on the whole, but
little better than those of twenty years ago. About that time I served
four years as county superintendent of schools in a western state. As I
recall the condition of the schools of that day I feel sure that there
has been but little real progress. Indeed, for reasons which will be
stated later on, it can be safely asserted that in some parts of the
country there has been a deterioration.
About thirty years ago I had the experience of teaching rural schools
for several terms. Being acquainted with my coworkers, I met them
frequently in teachers' gatherings and in conventions of various kinds.
If my memory is to be trusted I can again affirm that the teachers of
those days do not compare unfavorably with the rural school teachers of
the present time. And if the teacher is the measure of the school, the
same may be said of the schools.
Nor is this all. About forty years ago I was attending a rural school
myself. I received all of my elementary education in such schools and I
am convinced that many of my teachers were stronger personalities than
the teachers of to-day.
=Some Improvement.=--It is not intended here to assert or to convey the
impression that there has been no progress in any direction in the rural
schools. It is the personnel of the country school--the strength and
power of initiative in the teachers of that day--that is here referred
to. Although there has been some progress in many lines it has not been
in the direction of stronger teachers. The textbooks in use to-day in
various branches are decidedly superior to those used in former days,
although some of these older books were by no means without their points
of strength and excellence. Indeed, I sometimes think that textbooks are
often rendered less efficient by being refined upon in a variety of ways
to conform to the popular pedagogical ideas of the day.
It is no doubt true also that there has been, in the last thirty or
forty years, much discussion along the lines of psychology and pedagogy
and the methods of teaching the various branches. The professional
spirit has been in the air, and there has been much writing and much
talking on the science and art of teaching. But it must be confessed
that, while this is desirable and in fact indispensable, much of it may
be little more than a mere whitewash; much of it is simply parrot-like
imitation; much of it is only "words, words, words." Far be it from me
to underestimate the value of this professional and pedagogical phase of
the teacher's equipment. Nevertheless, when all is said and duly
considered, it is personality that is the greatest factor in the
teacher. A good, sound knowledge of the subjects to be taught comes
next; and last, though probably not least, should come the professional
preparation and training. Without the first two requisites, however,
this last is worth little. It is a lamentable fact that, in almost every
section of our country, there are persons engaged in teaching rural
schools, who are not only deficient in personal power but whose academic
education is not such as to afford an adequate foundation for
professional training.
=Strong Personalities in the Older Schools.=--As an example of strong
personalities I remember one teacher who in middle life was recognized
as a leader in his community; another one, after serving an
apprenticeship in the country schools, became a prominent and successful
physician; a third became a leading architect; a fourth, a lawyer; a
fifth went west and became county judge in the state of his adoption; a
sixth entered West Point Military Academy and rose rapidly in the United
States army. These instances are given to show that many of the old-time
country teachers were men of force and initiative. They became to their
pupils ideals of manhood worthy to be patterned after. These all taught
in one neighborhood, but similar strong characters were no doubt engaged
in the schools of surrounding neighborhoods. What rural school of to-day
in any state can boast of the uplifting presence of so many men teaching
in one decade?
A. V. Storm, of the Minnesota Agricultural College, says:
"But we lack one thing nowadays that these old schools possessed.
Twenty or thirty years ago the country schools were taught for the
most part by men. Such men as Shaw and Dolliver, and a great many
other leading men of to-day, were at one time country school
teachers. They exercised a great influence upon the pupils. They
were the angels who put the coals of fire upon the lips of the
young men, giving them the ambition that made for future greatness.
The country schools now are not so good as they were twenty years
ago. The chief reason is that their teachers are not so capable."
=More Men Needed.=--To secure the best results, there should be fully as
many men as women teaching in the rural schools. One hundred years ago
both city and country schools were taught by men alone. Now the rural
schools and most of the city schools are taught by women alone. There is
probably as much reason against all teachers being women as there is
against all teachers being men.
=Low Standard Now.=--Thirty or forty years ago about half of the
teachers were men and half women, both sexes representing the strong and
the weak. Very many of the schools of to-day are under the charge of
young girls from eighteen to twenty years of age who have had little
more than a common elementary education. Some have just finished the
eighth grade and have had a smattering of pedagogy or what is sometimes
called "the theory and practice of teaching." This they could have
secured in a six weeks' summer school, while reviewing the so-called
"common branches." These teachers are holders merely of a second grade
elementary, or county, certificate, which requires very little
education. Almost any person who has taken the required course in
reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, grammar, geography, history, and
hygiene of the elementary school can pass the usual examination and
obtain a certificate to teach. In some states the matter is made still
easier by the issuing of third grade county certificates, and even, in
some cases, by the giving of special permits. Indeed, the standards are
usually so low that the supply of teachers is far beyond the demand.
=The Survival of the Unfittest.=--Such is the standard which prevails
extensively throughout the country in respect to the qualifications of
rural school teachers. As inferior goods sometimes drive out the better
in the markets, so poor teachers holding the lowest grade of certificate
will sometimes drive out the better, for they are ready to teach for
"less than anybody else." The men and women of strength and initiative
are constantly tempted to go out of the calling into other lines of work
where progress is more pronounced and where salaries or wages are
higher; and so the doors of the teachers' calling swing outward. The
good teachers will desert us, or refuse to come, and the rural schools
will be left with what might be called the survival of the unfittest.
=Short Terms.=--Add to the foregoing considerations the short terms of
service which prevail in rural schools and we have indeed a pitiable
condition. The average yearly duration of such schools in most states is
about seven months--sometimes less. This leaves about five months of
vacation, or of time between terms, when much that has been learned is
forgotten. Under such conditions how is it possible to give the children
of these communities an education which is at all comparable to that
afforded by the city?
=Poor Supervision.=--Then, again, there is often little supervision of
country schools. When a county superintendent has under his inspection
from fifty to two hundred schools, it is utterly impossible for him to
give to each the desired number of visits or to supervise and
superintend the work of those schools in a manner that can be called
adequate in any true sense. Sometimes he can visit each school only once
a year, or twice at most, and, even then, there may be two different
teachers in the same school during the year; so that he sees each of his
teachers at work probably only once. What can a supervising officer do
for a school or for a teacher under such circumstances? Practically
nothing. The county superintendent is usually elected to office by the
people and frequently on a partisan ticket. This method of choosing
naturally tends to make him give more attention to politics than he
otherwise would think of giving. So the supervision or superintendency
of country schools is too often slighted or neglected--and who is to
blame? Of course there are many exceptional cases, but the exceptions
only prove the rule.
=No Decided Movement.=--The whole movement of the rural school, whether
it has been backward or forward, has been too frequently without
definite or pronounced direction. It has moved along the line of least
resistance, sometimes this way, sometimes that, in some places forward,
in other places backward. Time, circumstances, and chance determine the
work. School problems have been settled by convenience and
circumstances. The whole situation has been one of _laissez faire_. It
is only within the past few years that people have become awakened to
the situation. They are beginning to be impressed with the progress that
is being made in all other lines, not only outside of the schools but
also in the fields of higher and secondary education. The rural school
interests have at last begun to ask, "Where do we come in?"
=Elementary Teaching Not a Profession.=--There has been as yet no real
profession of teaching in the rural or elementary field. In about one
third of the schools there is a new teacher every year; so that every
three years the teaching force in any given county is practically
renewed. A _profession_ cannot be acquired in a day, or even in twelve
months. The work to be done is regarded as an important public work, and
the public is concerned in its own protection. Hence in every true
profession there is a somewhat lengthy period of preparation and a
standard of acquirements which must be attained. In other words, a true
profession is a closed calling which it is impossible for everyone to
join, and which only those can enter who have passed through a severe
preparation and have successfully met the required standard. School
teaching in the country is too frequently not a profession. It can be
entered too easily; the required period of preparation is so short and
the standard is placed so low that young and poorly prepared persons
enter too easily.
=The Problem Difficult, but Before Us.=--What shall be done? The problem
is before the American people in every state of the Union. The people
themselves have become aroused to the situation, and this itself is
encouraging. Much has been done in some states, but much will be left
undone for the attention of coming generations. The masses of the
people can be aroused only with difficulty. The education of an
individual is a slow process. The education of a family, of a community,
or of a state is slower still. The education of a nation or of a race is
so slow that its progress is difficult of measurement. Indeed, the
movement of the race as a whole is so imperceptible that it leaves room
for debate as to whether humanity is going forward or backward.
=Other Educational Interests Should Help.=--The higher institutions,
including the state universities, the agricultural colleges, the normal
schools, and the high schools, should all join hands in helping to
remedy conditions. Society has already, in large measure, solved the
problems in the higher educational fields; those institutions have been
advanced to such an extent that they have almost realized their ideals.
The rural population has helped them to attain to these high standards.
As one good turn deserves another, rural communities now look to these
interests for aid in the struggle to overcome the difficulties which
confront them.
=Higher Standards Necessary.=--But before the rural schools can ever
hope to make the desired progress, higher standards must be set by
society, and the teachers in those schools must attain to them. The
United States, as a nation, is far behind foreign countries in setting
such a standard. In Denmark and elsewhere a country school teacher must
be a normal school graduate. A few national laws in the way of
standardization both in higher and lower education would produce
excellent results. The old fear of encroachment upon state's rights by
the national government has too long prevented national legislation of a
most beneficial kind in the educational field.
=Courses for Teachers.=--In every normal school in the United States
there should be an elementary course of study extending at least three
years above the eighth grade, and the completion of this course should
be required as a minimum preparation for teaching in any school in the
country. This is certainly not asking too much. Pupils who complete the
eighth grade at fourteen or fifteen years, and then go to a normal
school, would complete this elementary course at the age of seventeen or
eighteen; and no person who has not reached this age should assume the
responsibility for the care and instruction of children in any school.
=The Problem of Compensation.=--Were such a standard adopted as a
minimum, salaries would immediately rise. (We do not often call them
"salaries" but _wages_, and probably with some discrimination.) If it is
said that teachers of such qualifications cannot be secured, the answer
is that in a short time things would so adjust themselves that the
demand would bring the supply. Salaries in the country must be higher
before we can hope to secure any considerable number of teachers as well
equipped and with as strong personalities as those found in the cities.
It may be necessary for us to pay more than is paid in the city; for if
a teacher has two offers at $65 a month, one from a city and one from
the country, she will, without doubt, accept the city offer every time.
True, she will have to pay more for room and board in the city;
nevertheless she will prefer to be where there are the most
opportunities and conveniences, with probably a better prospect for
promotion. And who can blame her? It is probable that, in many
instances, country districts will have to pay five or ten dollars a
month more than the city if they wish to secure equally strong teachers.
A country district can really afford to pay more than the city in order
to get a good, strong teacher; for taxation in the country is usually
lighter than it is in the city. In the city there is taxation for
lighting, for paving, for sidewalks, for police protection, and for
various other conveniences and necessities. The country is free from
most of such levies, and it could, therefore, afford to pay a little
more school tax in order to secure its share of the best teachers.
=Consolidation as a Factor.=--In the solution of the school problem
consolidation will do much. This is being tried in almost every state of
the Union and is working in the direction of progress with great
satisfaction. We shall treat of this more at length in a later chapter.
=Better Supervision Necessary.=--Not only must we have better teachers
in the country, but we must have more and better supervision. There is
no valid reason why country superintendents should be elected on a
political platform. It is the custom everywhere to choose city
superintendents from among the best men or women anywhere in the field,
inside or outside of the state. Such should also be the practice in
choosing county superintendents. Then, too, a county should be divided
into districts and more assistance given the county superintendent in
the supervision of schools. In other words, supervision should be
persistent, consistent, and systematic; visits should be more frequent.
In the city a superintendent or principal has all his schools and
teachers either in one building or in several buildings at no great
distance apart. In the latter case he can go from one to another in a
few minutes, staying at each as long as he thinks necessary. Little time
is lost in travel. The opposite condition is one of the difficulties of
rural supervision, and it must be overcome in some satisfactory way.
=A Model Rural School.=--It would be a good plan for the state to
establish in each county one model rural school. Such schools might be
maintained wholly or in part by the state, and they would become models
for all the neighboring districts. Children are always imitative, and
people are only children of a larger growth. Most people learn to do
things better by imitation; and so these model state schools would serve
as patterns to be studied and copied by others.
=The Teacher Should Lead.=--The school should be the mainspring of
educational and social life in the community; hence, only such teachers
should be employed as are real originators of activity in rural schools
and in rural life. The teacher should be a "live wire" and should be
"doing things" all the time. He should be the leader of his community
and his people.
=A Good Boarding Place.=--A serious difficulty connected with teaching
in the country is that of securing a good boarding place and temporary
home. This may not be a troublesome problem in the older and
well-established communities, but in the newer states and sparsely
settled sections the condition is almost forbidding. Half the enjoyment
of life consists in having a comfortable home and a good room to
oneself. This is absolutely necessary in order to do one's work well,
especially the work of the teacher. Some of the experiences which
teachers have been obliged to go through are almost incredible. Almost
every teacher of a country school could give vivid and pathetic
illustrations and examples of the discomforts, the annoyances, and the
trials to which a boarder in a strange family is subjected. The question
of a boarding place should be in the mind and plan of every school board
when they employ a teacher for their district. It is they who should
solve this problem for the teacher by having a good available home
provided in advance.