304 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



DIFFICULTIES IN BUILDING UP A RURAL SCHOOL. 



( Miss Tillie McHarg, Columbia.) 



First of all, I wish to state that what I have to say does not 

 apply to the district in which I am now teaching — the Robinett 

 school. I have the hearty co-operation of the school board and 

 most of the patrons. The board provides everything needed as far 

 as it is able to do so. 



I have met with these difficulties in other schools, however, and 

 other teachers not so fortunate as myself still have them to contend 

 with. 



One of the first difficulties we meet with is the poor material 

 conditions existing in the rural schools such as cold houses, un- 

 comfortable desks, poor ventilation, uncurtained windows, lack of 

 sanitary conditions and a lack of anything to cultivate the child's 

 taste for the beautiful. 



Another difficulty is poor equipment — no maps nor globes, no 

 sand table nor table for concrete work. Should the school happen 

 to have a case of maps, they are not usually hung where they can 

 be used and not infrequently the teacher is afraid to use them for 

 fear they will fall down on her head. 



As a rule, there are no reference books on Geography, History 

 or Agriculture, no supplementary readers and the library, if there 

 is one, is usually very poor. A good deal of money has been spent 

 for encyclopedias and unabridged dictionaries which the children 

 cannot handle nor use to any advantage. 



If the teacher makes an appeal for better things, her requests 

 are often given no consideration at all and sometimes she is told 

 that she has been employed to teach the school and not to make 

 suggestions. 



It is claimed by many that our course of study does not meet 

 the needs of the rural communities. If this is true, I wish to say 

 that it is not the fault of rural teachers. The course is made out 

 at Jefferson City and the county superintendent and teachers are 

 expected to co-operate in carrying it out. I am not unmindful of 

 the beneficial effects of a wide use of a State course of study, for 

 by it the State system is made uniform and more effective. How- 

 ever, on the other hand, teachers are left little option in the matter 

 of presenting subject matter that is best adapted to meet the de- 

 mands of a special community. Rural teachers are seldom con- 

 sulted as to the contents of the course of study. 



