{"id":197,"date":"2019-04-29T20:20:30","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T20:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/?page_id=197"},"modified":"2019-05-03T21:06:39","modified_gmt":"2019-05-03T21:06:39","slug":"model-rural-school","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/model-rural-school\/","title":{"rendered":"The Early Biography of Key Influencer, John R. Kirk"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_198\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-198\" style=\"width: 498px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-198\" src=\"http:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/Kirkportrait-873x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"498\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/Kirkportrait-873x1024.jpg 873w, https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/Kirkportrait-256x300.jpg 256w, https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/Kirkportrait-768x901.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-198\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Above: Portrait of John R. Kirk, courtesy of Special Collections Department, Pickler Memorial Library, Truman State University.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class='white' style='background:rgba(0,0,0,0); border:solid 0px rgba(0,0,0,0); border-radius:0px; padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;'>\n<div id='slider_210' class='owl-carousel sa_owl_theme owl-pagination-true autohide-arrows' data-slider-id='slider_210' style='visibility:hidden;'>\n<div id='slider_210_slide01' class='sa_hover_container' style='padding:0% 10%; margin:0px 0%; '><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>John R. Kirk was born to George and Mary Jane Kirk on January 23, 1851 on a farm in Bureau County, Illinois. The Kirk family moved to a farm in Harrison County, Missouri in 1856.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p><\/div>\n<div id='slider_210_slide02' class='sa_hover_container' style='padding:0% 10%; margin:0px 0%; '><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"font_8\"><span class=\"color_11\">At the age of five, Kirk began <\/span><span class=\"color_11\">his education at Eagleville Rural School in Harrison County. He graduated from Bethany High School in Harrison County.<sup>4<\/sup><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div id='slider_210_slide03' class='sa_hover_container' style='padding:0% 10%; margin:0px 0%; '><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"font_8\"><span class=\"color_11\">After passing the required examinations, 19-year-old <\/span><span class=\"color_11\">Kirk began teaching at the Eagleville Rural School.<sup>4<\/sup><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div id='slider_210_slide04' class='sa_hover_container' style='padding:0% 10%; margin:0px 0%; '><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>Kirk attended the First District Normal School in Kirksville, Missouri. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Didactics in 1878 and a Master of Arts in Didactics in 1880.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p><\/div>\n<div id='slider_210_slide05' class='sa_hover_container' style='padding:0% 10%; margin:0px 0%; '><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>During his time at the Normal School, Kirk developed a warm relationship with the Normal School President, Joseph Baldwin.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p><\/div>\n<div id='slider_210_slide06' class='sa_hover_container' style='padding:0% 10%; margin:0px 0%; '><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"font_8\"><span class=\"color_11\">Baldwin considered Kirk the most promising student at the School and capable of one day holding the office <\/span><span class=\"color_11\">of State Superintendent of Schools in any state.<sup>4<\/sup><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div id='slider_210_slide07' class='sa_hover_container' style='padding:0% 10%; margin:0px 0%; '><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"font_8\"><span class=\"color_11\">In preparation for running to be <\/span><span class=\"color_11\">a superintendent, Kirk earned a law <\/span><span class=\"color_11\">degree from the University <\/span><span class=\"color_11\">of Missouri. He practiced law <\/span><span class=\"color_11\">for less than a year before he became the State Superintendent of Schools for Missouri in 1895.<sup>4<\/sup><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div id='slider_210_slide08' class='sa_hover_container' style='padding:0% 10%; margin:0px 0%; '><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>As superintendent, Kirk visited hundreds of public schools throughout Missouri. He was greatly alarmed at the run-down state of one-room schools in rural areas.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p><\/div>\n<div id='slider_210_slide09' class='sa_hover_container' style='padding:0% 10%; margin:0px 0%; '><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>Kirk declared that the single most pressing mission in Missouri education should be improving the quality of education in rural areas.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p><\/div>\n<div id='slider_210_slide10' class='sa_hover_container' style='padding:0% 10%; margin:0px 0%; '><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>Kirk traveled extensively across the United States in search of the \u201cideal model rural school\u201d but did not find one. He served as the State Superintendent of Schools in Missouri until 1898.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script type='text\/javascript'>\n\tjQuery(document).ready(function() {\n\t\tjQuery('#slider_210').owlCarousel({\n\t\t\titems : 1,\n\t\t\tsmartSpeed : 0,\n\t\t\tautoplay : false,\n\t\t\tautoplayHoverPause : false,\n\t\t\tsmartSpeed : 0,\n\t\t\tfluidSpeed : 0,\n\t\t\tautoplaySpeed : 0,\n\t\t\tnavSpeed : 0,\n\t\t\tdotsSpeed : 0,\n\t\t\tloop : true,\n\t\t\tnav : true,\n\t\t\tnavText : ['Previous','Next'],\n\t\t\tdots : true,\n\t\t\tresponsiveRefreshRate : 200,\n\t\t\tslideBy : 'page',\n\t\t\tmergeFit : true,\n\t\t\tautoHeight : false,\n\t\t\tmouseDrag : false,\n\t\t\ttouchDrag : true\n\t\t});\n\t\tjQuery('#slider_210').css('visibility', 'visible');\n\t\tvar owl_goto = jQuery('#slider_210');\n\t\tjQuery('.slider_210_goto1').click(function(event){\n\t\t\towl_goto.trigger('to.owl.carousel', 0);\n\t\t});\n\t\tjQuery('.slider_210_goto2').click(function(event){\n\t\t\towl_goto.trigger('to.owl.carousel', 1);\n\t\t});\n\t\tjQuery('.slider_210_goto3').click(function(event){\n\t\t\towl_goto.trigger('to.owl.carousel', 2);\n\t\t});\n\t\tjQuery('.slider_210_goto4').click(function(event){\n\t\t\towl_goto.trigger('to.owl.carousel', 3);\n\t\t});\n\t\tjQuery('.slider_210_goto5').click(function(event){\n\t\t\towl_goto.trigger('to.owl.carousel', 4);\n\t\t});\n\t\tjQuery('.slider_210_goto6').click(function(event){\n\t\t\towl_goto.trigger('to.owl.carousel', 5);\n\t\t});\n\t\tjQuery('.slider_210_goto7').click(function(event){\n\t\t\towl_goto.trigger('to.owl.carousel', 6);\n\t\t});\n\t\tjQuery('.slider_210_goto8').click(function(event){\n\t\t\towl_goto.trigger('to.owl.carousel', 7);\n\t\t});\n\t\tjQuery('.slider_210_goto9').click(function(event){\n\t\t\towl_goto.trigger('to.owl.carousel', 8);\n\t\t});\n\t\tjQuery('.slider_210_goto10').click(function(event){\n\t\t\towl_goto.trigger('to.owl.carousel', 9);\n\t\t});\n\t\tvar resize_210 = jQuery('.owl-carousel');\n\t\tresize_210.on('initialized.owl.carousel', function(e) {\n\t\t\tif (typeof(Event) === 'function') {\n\t\t\t\twindow.dispatchEvent(new Event('resize'));\n\t\t\t} else {\n\t\t\t\tvar evt = window.document.createEvent('UIEvents');\n\t\t\t\tevt.initUIEvent('resize', true, false, window, 0);\n\t\t\t\twindow.dispatchEvent(evt);\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t});\n\t});\n<\/script>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-197","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":476,"href":"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/197\/revisions\/476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhibits.truman.edu\/modelschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}