? f OLV SCHOOL, Jt(uue^ 



rr 



one nx)ves into the distria with a 

 large family the enrollment will, 

 in a couple years, be decreased to 

 three or four. 



This same thing is happening all 

 over Illinois, not in all districts how- 

 ever, because some communities have 

 unusual situations, but the trend is for 

 a decreased enrollment. For instance, 

 the average daily attendance in the 

 eight rural districts of Mount Pleasant 

 township in 1934 was 132. Five years 

 later in 1939 the average daily attend- 

 ance was 110. Ten years later, or in 

 1944, the average daily attendance of 

 these eight districts in Mount Pleasant 

 township was 94. This was a decrease 

 of over 28% in ten years. There was 

 a reduction of approximately 50% in 

 the enrollment in Mount Pleasant 

 township from 1900 to 1944. In 1891 

 there were 4,016 pupils enrolled in 

 the one-room schools of Whiteside 

 county — in 1943 there were only 

 1,664. The average daily attendance 

 in almost 50% of the rural schools in 

 the county is nine or less. 



Although not always true, there is a 

 general tendency for districts with a 

 small enrollment to hire cheaper teach- 

 ers. I am sure that all of us will agree 

 that the teacher is the most important 

 element in any school. One of the 

 principal reasons why I feel that we 

 should consider taking steps to enlarge 

 our districts and improve our facilities 

 is so that we will be in a position to 

 require fewer teachers, but better ones. 

 There are many good rural 

 school teachers at the present time 

 but I am very suspicious that the 

 urban schools are making their 

 selection first. I perhaps can 

 show this picture by telling you 

 that in 1941, before the war had 

 begun to create an emergency and 

 a shortage of teachers, the average 

 salary of rural teachers in White- 

 side county was approximately 

 $845. During this same period the 

 average salary of teachers of urban 

 elementary grades was approxi- 

 mately $1,232. 



Does it not stand to reason that 

 the city schools who have better 

 buildings, better equipment, no 

 janitor work, no transportation 

 problems for the teachers, and 



MARCH. 1945 



who are paying higher salaries 



are able to attract the "cream of 



the crop".' 



Do you know what I would like to 

 see tried in my own township.' Since 

 there are only approximately 90 pupils 

 attending the eight rural schools in 

 my township, it seems to me that our 

 people might at least think about build- 

 ing one good three or four room 

 school in the township and hiring 

 three or four of the most capable 

 teachers available. I believe that some 

 teachers can do a very good job of 

 handling all eight grades, but I be- 

 lieve that most teachers who concen- 

 trate their training on a few grades, 

 generally speaking, do a better job. I 

 think such a school could have a much 

 broader course of study, have better 

 equipment, have inside toilet facilities, 

 furnish excellent transportation and 

 have a better school spirit at no greater 

 cost than under the present arrange- 

 ment. 



I really believe that four teachers in 

 a four-room school with approximately 



100 students will do a much better job 

 than eight teachers working in eight 

 one-room schools. I realize that there is 

 no cut and dried plan that will work 

 in , all communities. There are many 

 factors to take into consideration. One 

 of these being the condition of the 

 roads. I realize that the suggestions I 

 have made will be quite a shock to 

 many of you and I do not expect many 

 of the people in my district to at first 

 agree. 



I do not want you to get the 

 idea that I am recommending 

 these changes in order to save 

 taxes, because any plan of work 

 probably will not reduce the cost, 

 but I do believe that it is p>ossible 

 to buy more education than we are 

 now doing for the same amount of 

 money. 



I do not agree with the statement 

 of an educator who said, "There is no 

 justification for the one-room rural 

 schools, that they never have been good 



(Continued on pjne 24) 



THE AUTHOR: 



Leo M. box 



LEO M. KNOX, Morrison, 

 Whiteside county farmer, 

 is a former lAA board mem- 

 ber. He secured his elemen- 

 tary education in the same 

 one-room rural school at- 

 tended by his father and 

 which his grandfather helped 

 organize in 1 862. Mr. Knox's 

 father also served on this 

 school board and Mr. Knox 

 has served as a director 

 for 25 years. Mrs. Knox 

 also taught in the school for 

 three years before her mar- 

 riage. "So," he says, "I love 

 our old school, but it takes 

 more than sentiment, how- 

 ever to educate our children." 

 This is the talk he made at 

 the annual meeting of the 

 Whiteside County Farm Bu- 

 reau. The opinions ex- 

 pressed here are his own, 

 he points out. 



