Show RURAL SCHOOL PROBLEMS Dy By MISS HELEN HEFFERNAN California Department of or Education tion Gone forever are the dunce cap the roller towel the birch hirch rod the recitation bench the tin dipper and the common water bucket that once were rere indispensable adjuncts of the time old-time little red schoolhouse Today the little red schoolhouse itself is fast following them into oblivion The magnitude of the rural school problem at the present time is not gen gen- generally gen generally generally appreciated When we speak of the country school we mean 57 7 per cent of Americas America's elementary school enrollment When WIlen we speak of time the country school teacher we mean G l C-l 4 per cent of the elementary teach teach- teachers teachers teachers ers of the nation And when we speak of the country school chool we mean 91 per cent of the elementary schools In my state we are arc developing state rural demonstration schools to serve as standards for a better hetter type of rural school We are training teachers to take the time general materials of education and shape them to tile the con condition of the rural school The greatest function of time the new teacher is to develop an environ environ- environment ment simple ment-simple simple natural and beautiful in which there is an informal of happy living The new school is child-centered child rather than centered teacher centered In the old school it was the teacher who was active planning inventing organizing talking The reorientation of the school around the child naturally leads to the time acceptance of the necessity for chil child interest and activity |