Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 111, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 October 1909 — SUPERINTENDENT ALEY MADE FLYING TRIP. [ARTICLE]

SUPERINTENDENT ALEY MADE FLYING TRIP.

Indianapolis Paper Reports Bls Visit To Our Coanty Schools In Superintendent Liynson’s Auto. State School Superintendent Robert J. Aley, who recently visited the district schools of this county in company with County Superintendent Lamson, made a record-breaking trip over the county in Mr. Lamson’s automobile and the Indianapolis News gives the following account of It: An inspection of twenty-seven country and village schools in Jasper county with a visit to George Ade at his country home in Newton county, all in two days, is the somewhat remarkable record made by Robert J. Aley, state superintendent of public instruction, who spent Tuesday and Wednesday at the work. The rapid progress made was due to an automobile, the property of Ernest Lamson, superintendent of the Jasper county schools, and the good roads of the county.

“We averaged from fifteen minutes to half an hour in each school,” said Mr. Aley, "and averaged, it seemed to me, about five minutes between the buildings. There are no speed regulations in that part of the state, or at least Mr. Lamson didn’t pay any attention to them. “Our visit to Mr. Ade’s place was made Wednesday morning. We remained there about half an hour and had a delightful time. Ade certainly knows how to get value returned for the money he spends.” Mr. Aley, in his examinations of the public schools, was favorably impressed with the progress being made by beginning teachers. Their progress he attributes to the higher standard required of new teachers under the law of 1907. “My observation is supported by reports which we have from all the county superintendents of the state,” he said. “The new teachers are making better progress than a great many who have been' teaching for four or five years, due, I believe, to the fact that they have a better foundation. We require that they have either a high school education or its equivalent, with the result that the new teacher really knows whgt he is attempting when he goes Into the schoolroom, and he makes things go from the start. We are just beginning to reap great benefits, I believe, from his higher standard.” Mr. Aley was also impressed with the fact, he said, that pupils in the country schools worked harder and played harder than the pupils in the city and town schools and accomplished more. “The city boys and girls,” he said, "seem to be imbued with the spirit of being on the alert for something exciting. This is absent in the country. When we entered the country schools on our inspection tour, the boys and girls merely looked up, then returned to their work, and we might just as well have been in Indianapolis as there as far as any effect we had on the school work was concerned. But tn the city schools things were different. The children seemed to crave excitement of some sort, and our coming apparently supplied it.” The inspection trip in Jasper is the beginning of a number of tours which the superintendent will take from time to time.