Iowa Old Press
Sioux County Herald March 13, 1884
Educational
School Visiting by the County
Superintendent
District No. 5, Sheridan Township, -- Mrs.
Shope, teacher. Began January 7; term three months. Grade of certificate
2nd class; wages $31. Number enrolled, 12; present 7. Mrs. Shope has good
order and quite good methods; some of her pupils are quite well advanced.
The school house needs banking and the school is in need of a dictionary.
District No. 9, Boyden School, Sheridan Township, -- Miss Anna Grenolds,
teacher. Began November 5th; term five months. Grade of certificate 1st
class; wages $34. Number enrolled, 34, present 31. Miss Grenolds has
splendid methods and good success in instructing, but there is a lack of
discipline; and I am inclined to believe that in this particular some of the
patrons are more at fault than the teacher. I do not mean to say nor even
insinuate that all in the district are at fault; it may be that only a few,
and it may be that none are at fault; it may be the fault of circumstances,
and even if the fault were traced home to some of the patrons it might prove
to have originated from a misapprehension of their relation to their
teacher. There are many in every district, who do not understand how much
influence they wield over the condition of the school, either for good or
evil by the instructions they give their children at home. I will give, in
connection with this, a letter from "A School Teacher." On the Parents
Influence. (There follows an article on the parents influence on student
behavior at school. The submitter has chosen not to include this article at
this time as in does not related directly to the school visiting. It is
obvious that Miss Grenolds in the Boyden school had some issues with
discipline of students stemming from home influence.)
March 20, 1884 Sioux County Herald
Educational
School Visiting by the County
Superintendent
District No. 2, Lincoln township -
Miss Georgiann Forbes teacher. Began November 19; term four months. Grade
of certificate, 3rd class; wages $26. Number enrolled, 18, present 9. Miss
F. has fair methods and quite good order. She lacks self-confidence and
seems slightly discouraged in her work; having lost four weeks time on
account of ill health, and two weeks on account of the prevalence of scarlet
fever in this town ship, which broke up the term badly. The school house is
in fair condition and has a respectable amount of apparatus. Mr. Julius
Seegar, director.
District No. __, Lincoln township - Miss Mary Donnan teacher. Began January
28th; term three months. Grade of certificate, 3r class; wages $26.
Number enrolled, 7 present 5. Miss D. is going quite good work. The
school house is in a very dilapidated condition. It has been "moved" no
less than three times, so I am informed, and is much the worse for wear; and
to make a bad matter worse, there has been no director in this district this
winter to look after its interest. Mr. Frank Doty has been elected director
in the sub-district, and we have good reasons to hope for a better condition
of things in the future.
Center School, Welcome Township - T. W. Latta, teacher. Began November
9th; term, five months. Grade of Certificate, 2nd class; wages $32. Number
enrolled, 11; present 4. Mr. L. has quite good methods, and a good deal of
instructive ability. The school is destitute of apparatus; otherwise in
good condition. Director J. A. Auperlee has not visited the school.
District No. __ Vande Berg School Welcome township - C. N. Sawyer, teacher.
Began October 22; term six months. Grade of certificate 2nd class; wages
$33.5. Number enrolled, 18, present 8. Mr. S. has had a good deal of
experience in teaching in this county, and seems to have quite good success.
This school is also destitute of apparatus. It is to be hoped that Welcome
township will supply her school as soon as she can afford to. John Vande
Berg, director, has visited the school twice.
District No. 2, Rock Township, was closed for the term when I called
consequently can make not report.
Independent District of Rock Valley - Geo. W. Harris, principal. Began
September 24; term, six months. Grade of certificate, 1st Class; wages
$55. Number enrolled 36; present 26. Mr. Harris uses the latest methods of
instruction and meets with success in the work. He gives a good deal of
attention to industrial work in the school. Upon the whole, Mr. H. is doing
very good work.
Primary Department - Miss Viola Coutts, teacher. Began September 24; term
six months. Grade of certificate, 3rd class; wages $40. Number enrolled
46; present 31. Miss Coutts is only a beginner in the primary work, but
works with a will and energy that will bring with it success. She has quite
good methods and good discipline. Rock Valley justly prides herself in
having as good a school house as there is in the county. It is well
arranged for convenience and comfort; but that color, boys, to use a slang
phrase, "gives it away." The school is, as yet, poorly provided with
apparatus.
'South Ward" school, Independent district of Rock Valley - Miss Emma E.
Laudie, teacher. Began January 13; term, three months. Grade of
certificate, 3rd class; wages $35. Number enrolled, 5 present 5. There
being no school house in this part of the district, Mr. Roberts offered the
use of a room in his dwelling house for school purposes. This is Miss
Lundie's first experience in teaching; but she is doing very good work. Her
school has neither dictionary, maps or globe.
District No. 4, township of Rock - C. W. Kent, teacher. Began December 3rd;
term four months. Grade of certificate, 1st class; wages $30. Number
enrolled, 20; present, 7. Mr. K. is one of the 'pioneer' teachers of Sioux
County and has won a good reputation was a teacher. He is doing good work
although some of his methods are not quite up with the times; he has natural
tact and originality to make up for the deficiencies. The school is
properly supplied with apparatus. The district township of Rock support but
two schools and pays $30 per month for first class teachers.
March 27, 1884 Sioux County Herald
Educational
School Visiting by the County
Superintendent
District No. __, West Branch township - Miss Julia
Forbes teacher. Began October 22; term five and one-half months. Grade of
certificate, 2nd class; wages $35. Number enrolled, 34; present 27. Miss
Forbes has very good methods and seems to have quite good success in her
work. The order was not quite perfect, but I judge surrounding
circumstances have been conducive to those results. The school house,
though comparatively new, is a very cold one, and it was necessary for the
scholar to gather about the stove to keep from freezing, and as a natural
consequence the school contracted the habit of noisiness.
Independent District of Grant township; School No. 6 - Miss Mina Parker
teacher. Began December 10th; term four months. Grade of certificate, 1st
class; wages $35. Number enrolled, 20; present, 12. Miss Parker is very
much interested in her work; has good methods, good discipline, and as a
natural consequence has good success in her work. The school house is well
planned and constructed for convenience and comfort; it is one of the best
country school houses in the county. It is as yet not very well furnished
with apparatus but it is to be hoped it soon will be.
School No. 6, Independent District of Grant township - Miss Flora Parker
teacher. Began November 27; term four months. Grade of certificate, 1st
class; wages $35. Number enrolled, 18; present, 13. Miss Parker has taught
several terms in this township and, like her sister, has won a good
reputation as a teacher. The school house needs a little repairing. Nearly
half the plastering has fallen off, and the plastering overhead is loose in
places, making it dangerous for those in the room. A few cloak-hooks would
add greatly to the conveniences of the school. The school has several good
map; etc.
School No. 1, Independent District of Grant Township - E. J. Bishop,
teacher. Began November 26; term four months. Grade of certificate, 2nd
class; wages $30. Number enrolled, 7; present, 5. Mr. Bishop does not like
the work, has become dissatisfied with himself as a teacher and discouraged
with what seems to him his poor success. The school house is one of the
"pioneer' houses, is small and not of the latest and most improved pattern,
but it is not to be condemned for that. It was as good a house as the
"pioneers" could at the time build, and it has answered the purpose for
which it was intended and with proper care will still do so for a time. It
is not well furnished with apparatus.
School No. 2, Independent District of Grant township - N. E. Williams
teacher. Began December 3rd; term four months. Grade of certificate, 1st
class; wages $35. Number enrolled, 17; present 10. Mr. Williams has good
methods, good discipline, and his success is far above the average. But Mr.
W., like other of our good teachers, is going away to follow some other
vocation, because there isn't enough money in teaching. The house is in a
very good and comfortable condition, but is also poorly supplied with
apparatus.
School No. 4. Independent District of Grant Township - Miss Edith Bishop
teacher. Began December 3r; term four months. Grade of certificate, 1st
class; wages $35. Number enrolled, 21, present 16. Miss Bishop has very
good methods and seems to have very good success in instructing, but lacks a
little in firmness and consequently the order is not perfect. The school
house is small and in a rather dilapidated condition but I understand a new
one is soon to take its place.