I am beginning to get an upper handrén the ibwar rung of the ladder of 1life
for which your education never prepercd me a whit".
The writer ourlined what he thought his school treinin: should have
included: "I wish I have been taught more about family relationships,
child care, getting alon: with people, interpreting the news, news writing,
paylnz off & smell mortgage, house=hold mechanics, polities, locel govern=-
ment, the chemistry of food, cerpentry, how to budset and 1ive within the
budget, the walue of insurance, how to figure interest when borrowing money
and paying 1t back in installments, how to enjoy operat over the radio,
how to detect shoddy goods, how to distinguish a political dermagogue from
& stetesman, how to grow a gerden, how to psint @ house, how to zet a job,
how to be vigorous, and healthy, how to be Interesting to others, how to
be populer, how to be thrifty, how to resist high pressure salesmanship,
how to buy economically and 1n§$lligently, and thedanger of buying on the
installment plan.®
By changes from within we are trying herd in Loudoun County to meet
the kind of chsllange’faund in this letter. One very serious hendicap has
been the larger number of hizh schools which by their number end small
enrollment have thwarted us in megy directions in the development of & well-
rounded curriculum suited to the vastly different needs of the individual
pupils. We must remember that ¢ college preperatory course is essential 1f
we are to continue to havd lawyers, doctors, enzineers, philosophers, etc.
Other courses must be added to care for those who complete their ecducation
at the high sc§001 level. The needs of each pupll must be considered snd
met. In the smell high school there exists en extremely difficult problem
to which no solution except high school consolidstion hes yet been advanced.
We have reduced the number of high schools from 12 to C. Most of
this hes been done within the last few years. In four of these 6 high