Problems of Instruction in the Secondary School 169 



appalling, but the great strides now being made compare favor- 

 ably with the progress in the corresponding vocational training 

 in cities. 



Difficulties of Instruction 



The most immediate problems have to do with the facilities 

 at the command of the superintendent or principal. The diffi- 

 culties are many and varied. The responses to the question, 

 " What are your chief difficulties," were numerous and covered 

 a wide range. Although expressed in many ways, they may be 

 roughly grouped under six general headings as shown below : 



Table 51 



Difficulties Experienced in Teaching Agriculture 



Lack of equipment and (unspecified) facilities 69 



Lack of time or suitable season for the work 61 



Lack of suitable teacher 8 



Lack of moral support in various forms 17 



Lack of suitable text-book 9 



Difficulties of organization or methods 21 



Total number of difficulties mentioned 185 



Number of schools reporting them 151 



Schools reporting no difficulties 13 



Total number of schools reporting 164 



One hundred and nineteen of these were high schools and 45 

 were training classes. Thirty-eight high schools failed to report 

 that otherwise furnished rather full data. Twenty-eight of 

 these, however, reported that the attitude of the pupils or patrons, 

 or both, was favorable and often enthusiastic. Over half of the 

 44 training classes failing to report on this topic were in New 

 York. 



Some of the variations in the lack of facilities reported, were : 

 lack of apparatus, laboratory space, opportunities for practice, 

 material, fields for observation, grounds for gardens and ex- 

 perimental work; lack of heat in the building over night, refer- 

 ence library. Some complained of the shortness of the growing 

 season before the end of the term, others of the lack of time 

 for field trips. A very small number lamented their own lack 



