Binding. Is the binding strong enough? Is it sufficiently flexible? Are the materials, colors, and style adapted to the prospective use? Will it wear long enough?

Size. For the pupils for whom intended is the book the right length, breadth, and thickness? Is it adapted to being carried and stored with other textbooks? Is it adapted to the desks used? Could its size be improved by the use of different paper or margins without interfering with its content or pedagogical values? Would it be worth omitting some of the less important parts of the content to reduce the size?

Total Score.-There are two systems of recording the score values, and finding the total score. In one the book is credited with the amount of the desirable characteristic which it possesses and these amounts are added to obtain the final score of the book. In the other the book is debited with the amount the scorer decides should be taken off, or "cut," because of its not possessing a proper amount of that characteristic; these "cuts" are then totaled and their sum taken from 100, which gives the final score for that book. The crediting system is preferred by most persons.

Rank. After the final scores are found the books may be ranked, the one whose score is nearest 100 being ranked one.

In General. When scoring several books it is better to score all of them upon "adaptability," then all upon "proportion" and so on through the score card than it is to score each book through the entire score card separately. By this plan all the books are scored upon one quality while the judgment of the scorer is concentrated upon that quality and upon all the books in respect to that quality. This is likely to result in a sounder score.

If the book is so defective in some important particular that, regardless of its possessing other valuable features you would not want to use it at all, it should be marked low enough upon that point to cause its rejection.

EXERCISES

1. Discuss the adaptability to your school of the curriculum recommended by the N. E. A. Committee on Agriculture (U. S. Bu. Ed. Bulletin) and recommend improvements.

2. Arrange the various main topics of agriculture in a "three-year rotation" as proposed in the text for a one-teacher rural school giving due emphasis to the type of local agriculture.

3. Arrange the sciences of your high school curriculum and the principal topics of each science in the order in which you would like to have them presented in order to furnish the pupils the best preparation for their agriculture.

4. Enumerate a few ways in which the grade and rural agriculture can be made to correlate with the other subjects of the curriculum.

5. Several farm girls want to join the class in agronomy; would you approve their doing so? The animal husbandry class? The horticulture class? Give reasons for your decision.

6. A senior wishes to take agronomy with the freshmen; would you approve? Why?

7. Examine the daily programs of recitation of several rural schools near you and see how they could be so arranged as to provide for a recitation in agriculture twice a week; three times a week; five times a week.

8. Examine the programs of the seventh and eighth grade classes in your town schools and see how they can be adapted to the following:

(a) Combining the boys of the seventh and eighth grades in an agriculture class while the girls of these grades take sewing in the seventh grade room; (b) teaching the boys of grade eight agriculture in the high school agriculture rooms twice a week; (c) teaching the eighth grade boys agriculture three times

a week in their room and the seventh grade boys agriculture twice a week in your agriculture rooms.

9. If a junior high school program is available, see how it can be adjusted so students desiring it can obtain two years' work in agriculture and take as large as possible an amount and variety of other prevocational subjects.

10. If a normal training class program is available, see how it can be arranged to permit the entire class to receive instruction from the agriculture teacher under each of the following conditions: (a) five lessons a week during 9 weeks of the fall and 9 weeks of the spring; (b) three lessons a week during the first half of the year; (c) two lessons a week throughout the year; (d) combined with the regular agronomy class in the high school.

11. How can the program be arranged to meet a, b, c, and d, conditions in exercise 10, if the agriculture is to be taught by the normal training teacher, herself?

12. Make a week's program for the special teacher of agriculture in a four year high school under the following sets of conditions in a system of schools containing twelve grades in town and some associated rural schools: (a) Freshmen, agronomy, daily; sophomores, animal husbandry, and juniors and seniors, farm management, daily.

(b) Freshmen and sophomores, agronomy; juniors and seniors, farm mechanics; eighth grade; all classes daily.

(c) Freshmen, agronomy, daily; sophomores and juniors, animal husbandry, daily; seniors, farm management three days per week.

(d) Three rural schools five days per week supervised by agriculture teacher one day per week, each.

13. Make other programs for other conditions known to exist near you or that you hypothetically create.

14. How does your program compare with those in this chapter?

15. Each student score unaided and without conferring with other persons, two to four textbooks from which a selection is to be made for a class in your locality in (a) agronomy; (b) a class in animal husbandry; (c) in soils; (d) in horticulture; (e) in farm management; (f) in farm mechanics.

16. In like manner, score five books adapted to rural classes in agriculture and five adapted to the normal training class.

17. Students compare their scores and each defend his score, in class. 18. Judge comparatively other books of the same classes, without scoring and justify orally or in writing the placings.

19. Select from all books studied those you would prefer as class texts in the types of schools in which you are teaching or expect to teach.

REFERENCES

BOBBITT, FRANKLIN: "The Curriculum."

CARNEY, MABEL: "Country Life and the Country School."

COLVIN, STEPHEN SHELDON: "An Introduction to High School Teaching." HOLLISTER, HORACE E.: "High School and Class Management.'

HUMMELL, W. G., and BERTHA R.: "Materials and Methods in High School Agriculture."

INGLIS, ALEXANDER: "Principles of Secondary Education."

LANE, CHARLES H.: "Correlating Agriculture with Public School Subjects." MONROE, PAUL: "Principles of Secondary Education."

NOLAN, ÁRETAS W.: "The Teaching of Agriculture.'

"

STRAYER, GEORGE D., and NORSWORTHY, NAOMI: "How to Teach.” Twiss, GEORGE R.: "Science Teaching."

CHAPTER III

HOW TO MANAGE THE TEACHING OF AGRICULTURE

Agriculture Teacher as Manager. While the superintendent, the principal, the parents and the pupils may participate to some degree in formulating or in executing the plans for management, the teacher is the most important factor in their success. The superintendent or principal may, with the counsel and advice of his teachers, determine the main features of the policy and formulate the general plans for their maintenance, but upon the teacher rests the responsibility for developing the more detailed plans and for the efficient execution of both. In the degree to which the duties of the teacher of agriculture correspond with those of the other teachers, his responsibilities are identical with theirs. In so far as they differ from those of others he must develop plans of his own and be responsibile for their proper execution. Even in these, the fundamental principles governing his relationship to others in authority are not changed.

If the teacher of agriculture is the teacher of a one-room country school she is largely a law unto herself in management, subject only to the statutes, the rules of local, county, and state boards of education, and general plans made by the county or district superintendent, and the additional plans of any supervisors working under his direction. When stated these subjections look formidable but in actual operation they usually occupy the field of administration and encroach little upon management. The rural teacher, however, will do well to consult fully and freely with her superintendent and supervisors, since they are usually persons of large experience and superior judgment.

If the teacher of agriculture is in charge of a special department of work in a town or city system, there are a few outstanding features of his responsibilities that he should see clearly and always observe carefully in his practice. Among these are the following:

That there can be but one executive head in a system of schools; that the superintendent is by custom and law that head; that no principal of a school, head of a department, or teacher is expected to divide this headship with him (duumvirates and triumvirates were long ago demonstrated to be failures in administration); that

AGRICULTURE TEACHER AS MANAGER

27

the superintendent is the person chosen by the board to bring to their attention all matters relating to the schools upon which they should be informed and to execute within the schools all their decisions which they have a legal and moral right to make; that loyalty to the properly exercised authority of the superintendent is expected of every teacher (subject to the dictates of his conscience regarding points involving moral principles); that teachers should express their opinions freely, fully, and forcefully upon any proposed procedure, but a course of action honestly decided upon by the proper authority should be supported wholeheartedly and faithfully; that upon invitation of the superintendent the teacher should be ready at any time to present to the board any technical matters, but at no time should the teacher attempt to take to the board or members thereof by "short circuit" any official business nor encourage members of the board to bring official business to the teacher without first presenting it to the superintendent and obtaining his approval of the procedure.

Nothing should prevent the freest conference and discussion between the teachers and members of the board upon educational matters of common interest, but contemplated official action should pass through the office of the superintendent.

If there be a principal of the high school the teacher of agriculture should find out early what administrative or managerial responsibilities have been reposed in him and should thereafter conform to the plans of the school in enabling the principal to bear these responsibilities. These may include the making of the daily program of recitation and study, the general behavior of pupils, the movement of classes, the compiling of records and reports, and in the larger schools may extend to the making of curricula, the recommending of textbooks and the classifying and promoting of pupils.

For whatever features of management the principal has been made responsible the teacher should exercise full and hearty loyalty in aiding him to execute. "Render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's." No factor contributes more to the success of a teacher's class management than the general management of a wise, strong, high school principal. The more loyally a teacher supports such general management the more he lightens his own burdens. Make your best knowledge and counsel available to him; execute his plans regarding the program of recitations, passing of classes, making of records and reports, attendance and general

1

deportment of pupils, with tact and sincerity and promptness and at shall be bread cast upon the waters.

Relationship to Co-workers.-The teacher of agriculture should munbun the most cordial relations with his co-workers. Helpful correlations of work can be established especially with the teachers of sevence, English, geography, manual training and home eronomies by means of which the work in all these departments as well as in his own may be greatly improved. His vital contact with the community, his apparent freedom of action and frequently his greater compensation should not be allowed to cause their feelings to degenerate to jealousy but should be utilized to arouse in them the spirit of emulation. He may be able to aid them in de envering mesing of more vital contact of their subjects with community life from which many of the other conditions would followers regulta

Professional Attitude. To dispel a widespread belief, less warranted by the facts now than several years ago, regarding his Jack of profesonal preparation, he should pay strict attention to his profesional duties and responsibilities regardless of the heavy demands made upon his time by the practical character of hi work He should not let his fellow teachers exceed him in zeal for profecgonal improvement nor in attendance upon gathermg6. For the purposes nor in participation in the proceedings.

Welationship to State Supervisor of Agriculture. If there be a Late dupervisor of agriculture work the teacher of agriculture dodd promptly familiarize himself with the supervisor's plans, de it her dorbances and keep him informed in a modest, businessHis wory of what is being done. He should attend all conferences Call Fly the pervisor when possible and participate generously in the imprentement of the work in the state. He should respond poudly fully, and accurately to all requests made by the super

Podationship to Community. To the people of the community pichest of agriculture bears a peculiar relation in that besides 1. list a teacher in their schools he is considered to be an expert a researching the business. Farmers, business, professional, tu ar paźdtimal men and women of the community call upon This give him a wonderful opportunity to cohaus and shop and store and office and farm and school, man Fully treated in a later chapter. Here it may dud that he decorld take advantage of this opportunity to the