CHAPTER XIII 

 ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS 



One of the most important recent tendencies in education is 

 the redirection of schools of a community in terms of the daily 

 welfare of its people. For a rural community such redirection 

 must be largely in terms of agriculture and of other country- 

 life interests. It is for this reason that so much emphasis is 

 placed upon agriculture as a means of increasing the efficiency 

 of rural schools. 



When this idea began to express itself in practice in rural 

 communities the elementary school was the first to receive at- 

 tention. But age of pupils, many grades in one room, lack of 

 properly qualified teachers, and various other limitations have 

 led many to doubt the wisdom of this selection. The results 

 of introducing agriculture as a school subject into the elementary 

 schools have thus far not been entirely satisfactory. Neverthe- 

 less adjustments are taking place, so that agriculture, not as 

 a systematized subject of instruction but in certain of its nature- 

 study aspects, will no doubt find an important place. About 

 all that may reasonably be expected of agriculture in the ele- 

 mentary schools is to interest the children in country-life sub- 

 jects so that they may know the common birds, insects, trees, 

 weeds; the meaning of some of the best farm practices, such 

 as selecting and testing seed, how the soil holds water and means 

 of preventing its loss, care of milk and value of its fat content, 

 etc. ; and through such studies to lead the children to appreciate 

 the fact that there is something worth while in the immediate 

 world in which they live. 



The rural high school is now being recognized as the best 

 place below the college for instruction in agriculture. Such 

 a high school is closely related to rural education in two ways : 

 one in the adjustment of its own work to the industrial and 



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