what pupils should know
The following is a report telling what Kingsbury County pupils should have known by the time they left the district school during the De Smet "Little House" years.

When our boys and girls graduate from the district school, they should know how to read the English language intelligently upon the common subjects of knowledge such as history, geography, and general literature. They should be able to read from newspapers, magazines, and some of the principle literary productions of the most eminent authors.

They should have the ability to express themselves by writing the English language according to the established rules of grammar, and with special reference to the proper use of words, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, etc.

They should have a good knowledge of the Constitution and general workings of the government of the United States.

They should have a thorough knowledge of and the ability to perform operations in the fundamental principles of numbers, and understand the common method of calculating interest, the proper use of decimals, the general principles of reduction, deduced from practical applications and observations. In addition to this, they should have a clear and exact knowledge of the elements of bookkeeping as applied to the general business transactions of life, embracing the ordinary business forms and single and double entry bookkeeping.

They should understand the principles of penmanship so as to write a good legible hand.

They should have a general knowledge of the various land and water forms, the nature of the earth's surface, the variations of climate, the facts of vegetation and influences upon human life, and a knowledge of those physical laws as exemplified in common natural phenomena.

They should know something of the history of their own country with reference to the manners, customs, and doings of the people of the early history of our country, together with the most important events leading up to the present time.

With regard to their physical training, they should know the structure, functions, and how to take care of the human body and they should receive such training as will tend to preserve health.

These are all essential in the education of the youth of our country in preparing them for citizenship.
- posted by pioneergirl at 1:16 AM