Harry Truman Address at the 1948 National Plowing Match

The following is an excerpt from President Harry Truman's speech at the National Plowing Match in Dexter, Iowa on September 18, 1948.

I wonder how many times you have to be hit on the head before you find out who's hitting you? It's about time that the people of America realized what the Republicans have been doing to them.

Why is it that the farmer and the worker and the small businessman suffer under Republican administrations and gain under Democratic administrations?

I'll tell you why. It is the result of a basic difference in the attitude between the Democratic and the Republican parties.

The Democratic Party represents the people. It is pledged to work for agriculture. It is pledged to work for labor. It is pledged to work for the small businessman and the white-collar worker.

The Democratic Party puts human rights and human welfare first.

But the attitude of the Republican gluttons of privilege is very different. The bigmoney Republican looks on agriculture and labor merely as expense items in a business venture. He tries to push their share of the national income down as low as possible and increase his own profits. And he looks upon the Government as a tool to accomplish this purpose.

Rural Teacher of the Year

A teacher in New Harmony, Indiana has been named Rural Teacher of the Year by the National Rural Education Association. Lois Mittino Gray, a science teacher at New Harmony Junior/Senior High School, will be honored at the National Rural Education Association's 100th convention in San Antonio October 27-29.

Gray teaches six lab classes, supervises the daily care of 22 assorted lab animals, and teaches a gifted and talented program. She also is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Indiana after her regular school hours.

She has taught at New Harmony since 1987, starting as a biology teacher educating students from the seventh to 12th grades. She serves on the New Harmony Parks and Recreation board and the New Harmony Garden Club, while promoting science education throughout southern Indiana. She created a senior level human biology class from which students can earn college credits at University of Southern Indiana.

The Rural Teacher of the Year Award is sponsored by the John Deere Co. Honorees receive a $2,000 honorarium ,and the school district receives $1,000 to purchase instructional materials and school supplies.

Very Difficult to Fill Teacher Vacancies

Rural districts had a more difficult time than nonrural districts hiring teachers in 7 out of 12 subjects examined by the National Center for Education Statistics. In 2003-2004, a higher percentage of rural schools reported it was very difficult to hire teachers in:

1. English as a second language (37.5%)
   
2. Foreign languages (35.2%)
   
3. Physical sciences (27.4%)
   
4. Special education (27.0%)
   
5. Music or art (20.5%)
   
6. Computer science (17.7%)
   
7. English/language arts (10.9%)
   

The statistics were reported in the Status of Education in Rural America, Table 3.11.

One-Size-Fits-All Policies & Practices Disadvantage Small Rural Schools

Principals of small rural schools face distinctive challenges that are not addressed by one-size-fits-all policies and practices according to a study from Australian researchers Karen Starr and Simone White. Results of the study, The Small Rural School Principalship: Key Challenges and Cross-School Responses, are reported in the Journal of Research in Rural Education.

What's Happened to the Center for Rural Education?

I hadn't heard anything for awhile from the Center for Rural Education at the U.S. Department of Education so I checked the website. The most current meeting summary available is from December 14, 2006. Does anybody know if the Center is still functioning?