EDUCATIONAL COLUMN
BY COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT CROCKER.
Following is the Regular AnnuaJ Circuarl Letter to Directors
TO TUB DIRECTOR :
Annual Meeting June 26th.
New bllicers assume charge July 10th , and the only
business that can be clone legally during the.per.iocl begin
ning June 27th and end ing July 10th , is the annual settle
ment of the directors with the county superintendent.
New ottlcers' acceptance must be filed by July Oth.
A district treasurer selected to succeed himself muse
lile a new bond. The treasurer's bond mustbeiiled with
the director not later than July Gth. It must he approved
by the director and moderator and when approved shall be
liled by the director in the olllce of the county clerk.
Use Pen and Ink.
. The enclosed tablet of legal school forms contains all
the forms needed for your annual reports.
' Please read very carefully subject matter printed on
the back of the tablet.
The tablet contains :
1. 4 Blank Notices of Annual School District Meeting. ( Only
3 are needed.
2. Appointment to Fill Vacancy. ( See Sec. 11 , Sub. 5. )
When a vacancy occurs , it should be iiled at once and no
tice sent to the Co. Supt.
15. Acceptance of Office. ( See Sec. 3 , Sub. 3. )
4. Certificate of Amount of Money Voted. House Roll 180 ,
which became a law March 29 , 1905 , reads in part as fol
lows :
"The trustees of each school district within the state
of "Nebraska shall , prior to the. annual school disl.rM ; . wet-
ing each year prepare an estimate showing the amount of
money required for the maintenance of schools during the
coming school yea r , and the legal voters at .the annual
school meeting each year shall determine the amount of
money required for school maintenance during the coming
school year. * * * The amount of money s.o voted as
being necessary for the maintenance of the school for the
coming year shall be certified by the district school board
to the County Clerk of the county in which the said school
district is located and said amounts shall be levied by the
County Board on the assessed value of the school district
and be collected as other taxes. " O5 course , 25 mills is the
limit. Fill out each item , then give the total. Note that
estimate for payment of school bonds and interest is y netted.
This matter is disposed of by the County Board' and not
by the school district. This tax was voted once and for all
when the bonds were voted. . . :
One copy is to be sent direct to the County Clerk and
one given .to the County Superintendent.
5. District Treasurer's Bond.
6. Annual Report of the Director. 2 blanks. One for the
Co. Supt. and one for the director. I must not fill out cer
tain parts of this report for you as I have in the past because -
cause tliis would make the tablet first class matter , ne
cessitating an additional expense of about $15 for postage.
But if you have required your teacher ( or teachers ) t (
leave the classification record with you as the law requires ,
you should have no trouble in filling all blanks. ;
Please be sure to have every item carefully and cor
rectly filled out. Of course , you cannot fill out , the item
numberrd 18. Read carefully the notes ( N. B. ) under the
words " " and " "
"Receipts" "Expenditures.
On the filing page of this report , write the names of
school officers and postoiliee addresses for the coming year
7. Pupils Compelled to Attend School. This report is to be
filled out by carefully copying from your census report.
8. Census Report of Director. This blank should explain
-itself. One copy is made for the Co. Supt. and one for the
director. Be sure to fill out every blank carefully. Be sure
to fill out the columns headed Section , Township , Range
Our school census has been decreasing steadily and rapicilj
for the past ten years. Be sure to get the name of ever , }
person of school age in your district.
In addition to names of parents and guardians , write
at the bottom of the report the names of all other tax pay
ers living in the district.
In taking the census , please remember that you should
not take pupils transferred from your district , but that
you should enumerate pupils who are transferred to youi
district for school purposes.
9. Teachers' Contracts.
10. Notice of Employment of Teachers , ( Three posta
cards. )
As soon as you secure a teacher for your school , please
let me know. Remember that you cannot legally contract
with a teacher who does not hold a certificate in force.
At the time of annual settlement , you are required to
make the following reports to the Co. Supt. : Certificate
of Amount of Money Voted ; Annual Report of the Di
rector ; Pupils Compelled to Attend School ; Census Report
and Notice of School if you have employed your teache
or teachers ) . These reports must be made within ten
lays after the annual meeting. ,
Of course you know that the moderator and treasurer ,
is well as the director , should each have a record book and
achshould keep a record. ( See Business Calendar , page f > ,
School Laws.
NOTK. It is well for the board to meet Just before the
annual meeting to settle up all business and to balance
heir books.
It will not do for the school olllcers to leave the care of
he school and school property to the 'teachers alone. Our
teachers are conscientious young people , but the
caching force changes too rapidly , and the schools change
teachers too often.
Of the 152 teachers emyloyed in the county at the
hue I assumed the duties of this olllce , less than 30 will
be teaching in this county next September. 10 of our
teachers have been married since school began last Sep
tember. We had 'M beginning teachers last year. It seems
that we shall have about 40 beginners this year. Yes ,
school olllcers should take more direct interest in the
school. As it has been in the past , but few ever go near
the school when it is in session. Can you not take time to
look after the trees and shrubs tluibyour pupils planted
last spring ? When you mow the grounds please be careful
not to destroy them. Are the text and library books'being
taken care of this summer ? If there are any repairs to be
made on the school building , please do not wait until the
last minute but have them done before school begins.
You should remembef that' the school laws require
that two separate water closets or privi should be kept in good
condition on the school premises. . . ( ! See Sec. (5a ( Subdiv. 5. )
It is a little too early to .tell definitely hut it seems at
present that teachers are going to he scarce during the com
ing year. 1 would advise that you contract as soon as you
can secure a good teacher. If you have had a good teacher
during the past year , don't ' wait for him to make an appli
cation , offer him the school again. Don't let a few dollars
lose you a good teacher. You cannot pay a good teacher
too much.
You know it is the duty of the school board to purchase
all the text books and supplies necessary for the school , rice ,
1 , Sub'c'liV. 18 ; p. 111) ) . Also IX Text Books , p. 181 , School
Lawsof-Nel ) . In a few districts the school boards do not
comply with tills , free text book law. Please read the ref
erences I have just given. When school boards fail to com
ply with tbis free text book law it seems , according to
recent 'dectslons of the State Supt. , that it becomes the
duty of the Co. Supt. to apply to the district court in be
half of the district for a Writ of Mandamus , to compel the
board to furnish to the children of the district , the neces
sary text books and supplies. If you have not been furnish
ing text books , you should take the matter into considera
tion in making your estimate of funds needed for the en
suing year.
You know we have been working during the past three
years to secure imiformity of text books for the schools of oin
county. The work in our schools should be uniform. More
than two-thirds'of the districts have made an effort to secure
cure uniformity of text books. Our schools should have
the best text books ' published , especially when they cost no
more than old 'and inferior texts. School people univer
sally condemn Barnes' Histories- . New Franklin Readers
and Steelc's Physiologies and siill many of our schools use
these old , old books. For the sake of your children and
your neighbors'children , you should see that your school
is in line with the majority of our schools in the county in
tlie matter of uniform and up-to-date texts. Please urge
the adoption of the list of texts recommended by the teach
ers of the county.
It is much better for the directors to meet the Count }
Supt. for the annual settlement. l\y doing this you oftei
save much letter writing , mistakes and delays. ' Please
carefully notice the following :
Dates For Annual Settlement.
JUNE 27th Barada , School House , 8 to 11 A. M.
JUNE 27th Shubert , Hotel , 1:50 : : to C P. M.
JUNE28th Stella , Hotel 7 to 11 A. M.
J UNE 28th Verdon , Hotel , .3 to 5 P. M. '
JUNE 29th-Spciccr , No. 05 , 8 to 10 A. M.
J UNE 29th Humboldt , Park Hotel , 1:150 : to 7 P. M.
J UNE 30th Dawson , Albright's Hotel , 8 to Jl A' M.
JUNE 30th Salem , Hotel , 'J to 0 P. M.
JULY 3rd Rule , Geo. D. Kirk's olllce , 8:150 : to 11 AM. .
JULY 5 , (5th ( Falls City.
Very truly yours ,
GEO. CROCKER , Co. Supt.
READ THE TRIBUNE-HAS LARGEST CIRCULATION
A METHOD OF SOLVING TIMR
PKOHI.KMS ,
I have used the following1
method of solving time questions
for several years and claim for
it two things , simplicity and
originality. Many of the diffi
cult time problems arc hard for
pupils to solve and understand.
Let w equal the degrees in the
arc described by the minute hand
in the required time , and t equal
the time in minutes , then w equal
6t is a constant. Then form an
expression for the arc passed by
the hour hand and twice this ex
pression always equals t.
Allow me to illustrate by some
examples :
Ex. 1. At what time between
3 and 4 o'clock will the minute
land be 5 minutes ahead of the
lour hand ?
Remember the contant rela-
: ion w equals 6t. Then 2w
ninus 120) ) , equals t. 12t minus
240 equals t. t equals 21 9-11
ninutes after 3.
Ex. 2 At wlult time between
5 and G o'clock is the mirutos
land midway between 1.2 and the
liOiii" llitlld ? ' "t '
2(2w ( min'iftISO / ) equals t. 23t
equals 300. . .t equals 13 1-23 min
utes'past 5.
Ex. 3 At'wl/at / time between
3 and 4 oclock ? will the minute
hand be as far. frpm It on the
left side of tjiei.dia as the hour
hand is on th'e right ?
2(270 ( minus w ) equals t. 540
minus 2w ' 'dquull-j t. 13t equals
540. t equalsjfiAl 7-l'3 minutes
after 3. ,
if i i- " )
Ex. 4 I look at my watch and
find the time/to be between Sand
6 o'clock. I look .again within
'
an hour and find' Ble hands have
changed places. Find time when
I first looked n ( . i
2(360 minus w ' equals t. t
equals 55 5-13.'minutes , time be
tween observa'ftons. 60 minus
55 5-13 equals 413 , distance be
tween the hands , t diveded by 2 ,
plus 4 8-13 eduals 32 4-13 min
utes past s.H ' ' " -
J. W. WATSON ,
Verdon , Neb.
Special Teachers' Examinations.
Special Teachers' examinations
for'the sttnuhejf will be held in
theCentral , school building , Falls
City , June 16 , and 17.
The following program of ex
amination is given :
PIKST DAY MOKNING.
Arithmetic 8:00 : to 11:30 :
Grammar 10:00 : to 12:00 :
Al'TKKNOON.
Reading 1:00 : to 2:00 :
Geography 2:00 : to 3:30 :
History 3:30 : to 4:30 :
Civics 4:00 : to 5:30 :
SIJCOND DAY MOKNING.
Composition 8:00 : to 9:30 :
Elements of Agri
culture 9:00 : to 10:30 :
Orthography 10:00 : to 11:30 :
Theory 11:00 : to 12:00
Al-TJvKNOON.
Drawing 1:00 : to 2:30 :
Physiology 2:00 : to 3:30 :
Bookkeeping ' 3:00 : to 5:30 :
Writing 4:00 : to 5:00 :
Time for first grade branches
will be given on examination
days.