USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Daviess County, Indiana : Its people, industries and institutions > Part 20
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han, a teacher of the Odon high school, sought the Republican nomination. Burris received the nomination on the second ballot. In the election he received seven votes and McHenry three.
Burris resigned in January, 1911, and on the 7th of that month Alva O. Fulkerson, teacher of history in the Washington high school, a graduate of the Indiana State Normal and of Indiana University, was elected to the vacancy. Philander McHenry, who had served one term, sought the nom- ination. At the election Fulkerson received seven votes and J. M. Vance received three. Fulkerson was re-elected for a full term of four years on June 5, 19II, receiving the vote of all of the trustees. The Legislature of 1913 extended the term of office to August 16, 1917.
A RESUME OF THE WORK OF THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS.
Edward Wise, the first county superintendent of Daviess county, had attended college and in many ways was well qualified for the duties of this important office. He did much to arouse interest in the schools, secure uniformity of text-books, and raise the qualification of teachers. It is inter- esting and instructive to read some of the comments he made upon teachers and their work after he had visited them in their schoolrooms. On October 7, 1873, he visited William H. Allen, the present county attendance officer, who was teaching school No. 8 in Bogard township, and in the record of his visits he states that Allen had an unabridged dictionary and that he was teaching spelling by having the pupils sound every vowel. Wise states that this is not correct, and it would appear that Allen must have been using a form of the phonetic method. Wise remarks in another place that "Henry B. Kohr is the best teacher in Daviess county," and in another that a cer- tain teacher "drinks a little too much." This teacher's license was later revoked. After visiting one school he reports, "No wood; burn bark."
At a meeting of the county board of education on August 6, 1873. teachers' salaries were fixed at one dollar and fifty cents per day for teach- ers holding a six months' license, one dollar and seventy-five cents for a twelve months' license, and two dollars for eighteen and twenty-four months' licenses, respectively. Mitchell's Geography, Harvey's Grammar, Brown's Physiology, Butler's Speller and Ray's Arithmetic were adopted as the text- books to be used.
In commenting upon the township institutes, he says of the Van Buren township institute that there were ten teachers present and thirteen enrolled. and that the "teachers appear lively and in earnest; made a few remarks
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upon Theory and Practice." In speaking of the institutes in another town- ship he says, "It has done no good this winter."
E. C. Trimble, the second county superintendent, was a Presbyterian preacher and well educated. He worked along the lines started by his pred- ecessor and made special efforts towards grading the schools. At its Sep- tember meeting in 1878 the county board of education adopted a resolution "declaring it to be the sense of the board that the county schools be graded at the earliest practicable time." The following rule of the county board of education adopted in May, 1878, indicates that the idea of the purpose and manner of holding examinations of pupils has materially changed. The rule reads: "Every teacher, before the close of his school term, shall hold a public examination of the pupils of his school, and shall notify the county superintendent and trustee of the same." Different infer- ences may be drawn from the following record, made on August 8, 1878: "After grading the papers of the July examination and finding evidence of fraud, decided to reject all the papers and to hold another examination on August 17."
SUPERINTENDENT'S STRICTURES ON TEACHERS.
David M. Geeting was the first teacher elected to the county superin- tendency of Daviess county. He was considered one of the best teachers of the county at the time of his election. Under his supervision the schools of the county made rapid progress. Geeting required his teachers to make monthly reports to him; in this way he kept in closer touch with what they were doing. He did not hesitate to record uncomplimentary things about his teachers, as the following record will show: He visited a school in Barr township and "found the teacher had dismissed school 'to go to mill.' Saw the teacher and recommended that he do such work on Saturday or hire it done." In speaking of a Veale township institute, he says, "A good interest was manifested, but some of the most ludicrous blunders were made by 'the oldest teacher in the township,' among them being the admission of the fact that he never read anything but the Bible-all other books were novels." On January 22, 1881, he records, "Attended Steele township teachers' insti- tute at Plainville. In this township are four good live teachers and four 'sore-heads,' and the result is the institutes are almost a failure." In his report to the county board of education in May, 1881, among other things he says, "You have among your teachers, too, a few, a very few, whose only relief is railing at the trustee, county superintendent, state board of
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education, our Legislature, and the governor. They oppose school visiting, and I am fully convinced that, should I keep as untidy school premises, as poor discipline over my pupils, and such little interest in my recitations, I should not court school visiting from any one, if I did not oppose it."
This report shows that Superintendent Geeting was abreast of the times. He says that he noted the following points when he visited a school : "First, inspection of the school and school grounds. Second, inspection of the teacher before his class." Under the second head, he notes the following points : "Does he require the pupil to do the work of the recitation? Does he give his undivided attention to the class? Are the pupils interested in the recitation? Are all the pupils reciting the entire lesson? Are the dull pupils called upon, as well as the bright ones? Are the pupils reciting thoughts or mere words? Does the teacher make his work practical? Does he require the work to be done neatly? Are the questions such as will stimulate the pupil to think? Is he energetic and enthusiastic in his work?"
Geeting was succeeded by Samuel B. Boyd. Boyd was a successful teacher of the county, and he was equally as successful as county superin- tendent. He sought to raise the character of the work of the teachers, by visiting them in their schools and in the township institutes, and suggesting better methods to be used. Closer gradation of the pupils was accomplished under his supervision. On September 1, 1883, the following text-books were adopted for six years : McGuffey's Revised Reader, McGuffey's Revised Spelling Book, Ray's Revised Arithmetic, Harvey's Grammar, Eclectic Geography, Eclectic System of Penmanship, Steele's Physiology, and the Eclectic United States History.
Peter Ragle Wadsworth came to the office of county superintendent, with the experience both of a teacher and a trustee. His social disposi- tion enabled him to make many acquaintances among teachers, patrons, and pupils. He was a popular superintendent, but no records of his work are to be found in the office of the county superintendent.
William Alfred Wallace succeeded Wadsworth as county superintend- ent of Daviess county. Previously, he was a teacher of Veale township. Although no new lines of work were instituted by him, yet he made espe- cial efforts to keep the boys and girls in school, until they at least graduated from the grades. He sought to get them to remain in school until they had completed the common school course, by holding commencement exercises for the graduates and offering medals to those who made the highest grades in the different townships. He urged the trustees and the teachers to do what they could to furnish their pupils with the young people's reading circle
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books. The following, from the "Daviess County Common School Man- ual," published by Superintendent Wallace in 1899, in regard to grading and classifying pupils, is of interest: "The teacher is the proper person to grade and classify the pupils. The patrons and the pupils have no right to dictate in the matter. The teachers should know where the pupils belong and then have the courage to place them there. Patrons and pupils have been dictating the grading long enough. The teacher must do it from this time on. Pupils are crowded through the school too rapidly, especially in the primary grades. It is not the grade or the year that a pupil is in or the book that he is studying, that makes the scholar; not by any means. What he knows of the subject matter contained in the book and his actual stand- ing in the grade, is the only true test. Better, a good third-year pupil than a poor sixth-year one."
Wallace, who had served over eight years, was succeeded by Philander McHenry, a teacher who had had varied experience as an instructor. McHenry was a man of force and brooked no opposition to his plans. Some of the teachers, it seems, did not pay the county institute fee. In order to compel each teacher to pay this fee, McHenry had the following resolution passed by the county board of education : "No person shall be employed as a teacher. principal, assistant principal, or superintendent, who does not pos- sess at the time of his employment a receipt for his or her county institute fee for the county institute immediately preceding the term of employ- ment." He made earnest efforts to get music taught in the rural schools.
Benjamin J. Burris, a teacher of the Plainville schools and a Spanish- American War veteran, succeeded McHenry. He put a great deal of energy into his work and succeeded in getting the course of study organized, as it had never been before. The work of consolidation was begun. Trustee W. L. Brown, of Washington township, ably assisted by Burris, built the Longfellow consolidated school, the first in the county. High school work made great advances under the supervision of the new county superintendent. Burris frequently issued bulletins to his teachers making suggestions for improvement and offering plans that had been tried out by successful teach- ers. These bulletins were of great value to teachers. Burris discontinued the plan of holding commencement exercises for eighth-grade graduates on the ground that it tended to cause them to discontinue their school work by not entering the high school.
OLD HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING, WASHINGTON.
FFF1
NEW HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING, WASHINGTON.
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AN ENERGETIC SUPERINTENDENT.
Burris resigned a short time before the expiration of his term of office, to take up the study of law. Alva O. Fulkerson, who was at the head of the department of history of the Washington high school, a graduate of the Indiana State Normal School and of Indiana University, and who had taught in country, village, town and city schools, was elected to succeed him. Fulkerson holds that the greatest need of the rural schools is closer super- vision. He has this in mind in planning and directing the work of the teachers under his supervision. This is a difficult task, with so many teach- ers scattered over such a wide territory. To accomplish as much as possible along this line, he prepares each week, while the schools are in session, a column for the newspapers of the county in which he makes suggestions for the improvement of the work, gives plans and devices, discusses the course of study, and points out mistakes being made. Monthly reports are required from the teachers. He visits as many township institutes as possible, to discuss with the teachers their difficulties and to keep in personal touch with them. Consolidation is being pushed. The Montgomery, the Cannelburg, and the Sugarland, are consolidated schools in whole or in part. George B. Drew, who was trustee of Barr township, built the Montgomery and the Cannelburg buildings, and Grant Keith, the ex-trustee of Washington town- ship, built the Sugarland, the most up-to-date building in the county. Ful- kerson, in order to consolidate and centralize the work, holds a county-town- ship institute. This plan is a time-saver for the superintendent and creates enthusiasm in the teachers. He has held four eighth-grade county com- mencements. Charles A. Greathouse, state superintendent, made the address at the first; President George R. Grose, of DePauw University, delivered the address at the second; Supt. J. G. Collicott, of the Indianapolis schools, made the address at the third; and Louis J. Rettger, of the Indiana State Normal, spoke at the fourth institute. His idea is to make the county the school unit, as nearly as possible. The efficiency of the township high schools has been greatly increased under Fulkerson's supervision.
COUNTY TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.
The first Daviess County Teachers' Association was organized in Sep- tember, 1870. The plan and purpose of this association was good, but it failed to accomplish much. The first president of this association was (15)
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County School Examiner George A. Dyer. The secretary was Benjamin S. Henderson. The members of the committee that formulated the constitu- tion and by-laws were, Elbert Bogart, Lizzie Hogshead, W. H. Johnson and Howard Williams. Meetings were held during the school year of 1870-1871. These were not generally attended. Because of this lack of interest, the association was soon abandoned.
In 1895, another county teachers' association was organized. Begin- ning with that year, fifteen sessions were held before the meetings were abandoned. The sessions were held on Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving, of each year. These associations did much in directing the educational thought of the county. The association was abandoned in 1909 for two years, and in 1911 it was reorganized, to be again abandoned in 1914.
County Supt. W. A. Wallace was the president of the first association, which was held in November, 1895. Succeeding him as presiding officer were the following prominent teachers of the county: A. C. Wise, F. B. Colbert, J. M. Vance, J. S. Westhafer, Philander McHenry, W. F. Axtell, A. O. Fulkerson, Robert Core, F. M. McConnell, Hamlet Allen, Lew S. Core, William Young, William T. Brown and Charles McMullen. After the intermission of two years, John Doyle was president for the session of 19II, and Rett A. Roberts, O. M. Shekell and C. T. Amick were his suc- cessors in order.
The State Teachers' Association had changed its time of meeting from the Christmas holidays to October. Because of this and as so many other educational meetings were being held, it was felt that the County Teachers' Association had served its purpose and should be abandoned.
COUNTY INSTITUTES.
Among the important school laws passed by the Legislature of 1865,. was the one providing for a county teachers' institute. This law provided that one county institute should be held each year in each county and when there was an average attendance of twenty-five teachers, the county should pay thirty-five dollars for its maintenance, and when there was an average attendance of forty or more teachers, the county should pay fifty dollars for its upkeep.
There is no record of the first institute held under this law, but from the best information it was held in 1866, the year following the passage of the law. An institute was held the week beginning August 17, 1868. The
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late Judge David J. Hefron, then a Barr township teacher, is reported as giving a lecture and also a Reverend Mr. Fisk, of Petersburg. There was an attendance of between forty-five and fifty. Those enrolled were G. W. Morin, J. A. Murray, Aikman Carnahan, Hamlet Allen, M. E. Barton, J. Carnahan, Susan Cosby, Fred Agan, B. Agan, O. Cosby, M. T. Con- naughton, L. Clark, J. Beckett, J. C. Allison, Weston Wise, F. Arford, A. Connolly, H. B. Kohr, H. Williams, J. Laverty, William Kennedy, J. C. Porter, S. Loveless, John McIntire, N. J. Goshorn, Thomas Kilgore, J. C. Lavelle, F. M. Walker, Levi Reeves, G. Robinson, Anna Kennedy, R. Gra- ham, L. Wilson, L. Wells, M. Stubblefield, L. Ryan, Ophelia Roddick, M. Feagans, J. Feagans, L. Hogshead, M. E. Flinn, Emma Baldwin, M. Perkins, M. Dyer, J. Morgan, E. Connaughton, Thomas Lavelle, A. W. Arford, W. H. Allison, J. Nichols, E. S. Pershing, Thomas Wade, A. W. Smith, J. Mahoney, Frank Myers, J. Winklepleck, L. Cosby, M. Gallagher and D. H. Morgan.
The following resolutions, passed by the teachers' county institute of 1869, are significant :
"Resolved, First, That this institute as a body request the county school examiner to use his influence to the farthest extent with the town and town- ship trustees, and request them to increase the salary of teachers. And also that he request the town and township trustees to purchase with the special school fund, the necessary school books and stationery to be used in the town or township, in order that a uniform system may be adopted.
"Second, That we, as members of the Daviess County Teachers' Insti- tute, will not agree to teach for less than two dollars per day, and ask as much more as the grade of certificate may call for; and also request the trus- tees to give extra compensation to those teachers who have attended the county institute for 1869."
Howard Williams, George W. Morin and Hamlet Allen composed the committee that formulated these resolutions. The ideas in these resolu- tions are now a part of the school laws of the state.
A. W. Smith, who was the secretary of the institute, gave lessons on penmanship. He was asked by the institute to formulate his rules for writing in verse. The following is the result :
While writing be erect and free, With nature for your guide ;
Incline your heft upon your left, The right arm near the side.
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So lightly then you hold the pen, 'Twill almost from you slip; Let both points press with equal stress, In sight your knuckles keep.
While fingers bend let arm attend, And on the muscles play ; As rolling rest; while nails light pressed, Slide freely every way.
With equal height and slope now write, With equal space now combine ; Trace with dry pen your copy then, And keep it next your line.
As the number of teachers in the county has increased the attendance and the interest at the county institutes have increased. Now, instead of local talent furnishing the instruction and discussions, some of the best educators of the country are employed. As an incentive for teachers attend- ing the county institutes two per cent. is added to the general average of those teachers who attend the entire institute. This means an increase in the wages of the teachers of from six dollars to about fifteen dollars per year. These institutes have served to create a better attitude among teach- ers toward their work, to advance the standards, to increase the profes- sional interest, to keep teachers in touch with advanced thought along edu- cational lines, and to cause others to have a higher regard for the profession.
Edgar James Swift, of St. Louis; Rosa M. R. Mikels, of Indianapolis; Z. M. Smith, of Lafayette, Indiana; Roberta McNeil, of Lafayette, Indiana ; and May Robinson, of Washington, Indiana, were the instructors for the 1914 institute. O. L. Warren, of Elmira, New York; Anna H. Morse, of Charleston, Illinois, and Richard Park, of Sullivan, Indiana, are the instruc- tors for 1915.
The following teachers were enrolled at the 1914 institute: Hamlet Allen, Norma Allen, Ottie L. Allen, Thomas E. Arvin, William Arterburn, C. T. Amick, Inez Bonham, Maggie Bradley, Ernest Burch, Margaret Brewer, Edith Brother, Helen Brother, Mabel Burris, Mannie Burris, Bessie Brown, Jessie Brown, Eunice Brown, Oscar Booker, Etta Berry, Flossie Barley, Ray Cunningham, Helen Cochran, Edith Cottingham, Harriet E.
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Cook, Susie Colbert, Amanda Colbert, Minnie Cox, Hazel A. Chinn, Murl Cunningham, G. A. Cunningham, Leo Clements, Lewis Clements, A. L. Chestnut, Floyd Carpenter, Owen Crecelius, A. Lawrence Clark, Blanche Collins, Hazel Clinton, Flora Clinton, N. H. Chattin, Sidney Carnahan, Minnie Carnahan, T. E. Colbert, V. E. Dillard, Elbert Dougherty, Helen Downs, J. A. Deal, James D. Dwyer, Omer Dages, Corrien Dages, Ella Donahue, Ada Evans, Omer Edwards, Bernice Elmore, Gladys Edwards, Blanche Fish, Dennie Ford, Kell Ferguson, Roy Flint, Edith Flick, Don C. Faith, Walter Funcannon, Hazel Feagans, Earl Freed, Bertha Gamble, Car- rie Greenwood, Rookh Greenwood, Ephraim Gregory, Grant Giltner, Lena Goss, Rebecca Graves, W. A. Grannan, J. W. Gillaspie, Margaret Grannan, Harvey Gilliatt, James E. Gilley, Eulala Guthrie, Cora Hunter, Mary Hast- ing, Harry Herman, Hazel Hoopingarner, Hilda Hoopingarner, Albert Heit- hecker, Harry Hunter, Mary Harard, Dully Harrod, Bernadette Hopkins, Hazel Johnson, Elsie Jones, J. S. Ketcham, Britta Ketcham, Margaret Kauffman, Bessie Keller, Mary Long, W. A. Lavelle, Ethel Littell, Hazel Lett, John Ledgerwood, J. C. Lemmon, Paris Laughlin, Stella McCafferty, Grace McCafferty, Rollie Morin, Ruth McCown, Ermel McCafferty, T. R. McCafferty, Lucy McGehee, W. L. McCormick, O. M. McCracken, O. P. McCoy, Dello McWilliams, Carl McWilliams, Clarence McCoy, Albert Malone, Ellis Malone, Hugh Morgan, Mary Mattingly, E. E. Meade, Roscoe Myers, E. H. Myers, C. Will Myers, Grace Myers, Carrie Myers, G. E. Nicholson, Mayme Nicholson, Gladys Norman, Cora Nugent, Stella O'Don- ald, Beryl O'Donald, John O'Connor, Joanna O'Connor, Nora O'Connor, James O'Neal, Maggie O'Donaghue, Arlie O'Brian, Famie O'Dell, F. F. Osmon, Alice Pate, Agnes Pate, Louis Pate, Edna Pickett, Luther Potts, Lola Parsons, Helen Palmer, Lora Pershing, Albert Pershing, Benjamin Ritter, Rett A. Roberts, May E. Robinson, Clara Shaffer, Irene Spitz, Estella Spitz, Josephine Sanford, Eula Sanford, Pauline Sanford, Mary C. Shirley, Flossy Smiley, Minnie Standley, H. A. Sass, Shellie Simuel, Ray Stuckey, Cecil Smith, Henry Sipes, S. P. Sears, Sherman Stickles, Nimrod Slaven, Martha Sommers, Anna Belle Smeltzer, Grant Scales, O. M. Shekell, Pearl Taylor, Jeannette Ward, A. P. Westhafer, Lottie Westhafer, Elsie Wadsworth, Forrest Wadsworth, Bert White, Charles L. White, Edith Wood, Harry Winklepleck, E. O. Winklepleck, Walter White, Claude Ward, Mary Wright, Katharine Wilson, Dorothy Winston, Luke Young, Madge Yenne, Elmer York, Dora York, Ernest Zimmerman.
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THE RURAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
The following article on "The Rural Elementary Schools of Daviess County," by County Superintendent A. O. Fulkerson, appeared in State Su- perintendent Charles A. Greathouse's report for 1914 :
"During the past two decades there has been quite a change in elemen- tary rural schools of Daviess county. This change has taken place in the school buildings, in their equipment, in the personnel and preparation of the teachers, and in the attitude of the patrons toward the schools.
"The type of school building of twenty years ago was a frame, about a third longer than wide, with three windows on each side and a door in one end. The majority of the buildings in the county are of this type, but they are being rapidly replaced by more modern structures.
"It was difficult for pupils to see to study their lessons in these old- style buildings on cloudy days, and it was almost impossible to read written assignments on the poor blackboards, because of the cross rays of light. In some of these old buildings, in order to have more light, two additional windows were placed in the door end. This made matters worse instead of better.
"At first, a great majority of these buildings were heated by large wood stoves placed in the center of the room. On cold days, it kept one person almost constantly busy carrying in the wood and building the fires. The wood stoves have been replaced by coal stoves. This method of heating was bad. Those seated near the stove would get too warm, while those seated in the remote parts of the room would almost freeze.
"The question of ventilation was never thought of when these school houses were being built. There was no great scarcity of fresh air, though, for after these buildings had been used two or three years, the openings about the doors, windows and in the floors permitted ample ventilation.
"These school houses were built in the main in the centers of the most populous districts. in order to accommodate the greatest number. For dif- ferent reasons the centers of population have changed. This has caused the abandonment of some schools and the erection of others.
"The equipment of the schools of twenty years ago has changed as much as anything else. The double seat has been replaced by the single seat. Then the adjustable seat was unknown. More charts, globes and maps were purchased then than now, but much of this equipment was of little value. The accounting law has made trustees more careful in their purchas-
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