Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-06-06

out The Slate Of PermonG
At late Convention held in Mddlebury, TO de-
wise means for improving our District schools, va
rous measures were adopted for arousing and Civ
ing proper direction to public sentiment on this
important subject. Among others, was requested
to procure authentic information respecting the
School laws of the free States, and especially of
New England, and TO publish such information as
widely as possible through the newspapers. The
object of this course to show, how far Vermont
winch had once stood foremost in regard to COM
mon School education, had now fallen into the
rear and thus to prove the necessity of immediate
Legislative action if we would have youth stand
on an cquat footing with their competitors for indie
pendence, influence and usefulness have per-
formed the first part of the required duty. | have
opened correspondence with official characters
and others, in Maine, New-Hampshrc, Massachu.
sets, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New-York and
Ohio, all of whom have kindly and promptly COM
Piled with the request OF the Convention, some by
furnishing me with their school laws in pamphlet
form, Cthers by procuring and forwarding tram
scripts from their revised statutes.
1t was my intention to have laid the information
before the public in the cords Of The Statutes of the
respective States. But by arranging it in this
form, tho length Of the article was great as TO
interposc a serious obstacle both to readers and
printers. therefore determined merely to present
the substance of the information through the news
papers, and TO conGne myself for the present, TO
the important points Of, l. Examination of Teach
ers ; 9. Superintendent and Regulationof Schools ;
3. Uniformity of Books, by selection Of the prof
liable, and exclusion OF the Improbable or hurt
full. | shall be happy to afford an opportunity TO
such gentlemen as may desire IT, to examine more
infinitely the Statutes which have collected in a
tour which shall shortly take through the prnci-
pal towns of the State.
/. Examination of TcacherS. No teacher, in
any of the States enumerated, is allowed to com
mcnce public school, untIl he or she has exhibit
ed satisfactory evidence to the proper committee,
Of good moral character, and Undergone a strict
examination, as well as to ability to teach, as TO
literary qualifications In some Of the States, the
act of commencing TO teach without a certificate
from the committee, is made a penal offence. In
several states, the certificate may at any time be
withdraw, should the school prove Improbable.
Every where preliminary examination is indis-
pensible, excepting in
VERMONT,
lclere no examination of teachers tciaieUer, is pro-
rded for by iac, and where, with few exceptions,
such thing is never even dreamed OF.
2. Visit1tion iSupcrinierdence and Regulation
Of The Schools. In all the enumerated States, a
more or less strict and frequent visitation supern-
tendence and regulation OF schools is required by
law. In New Hampshire alone there is seeming
exception to this rule. Thee, any town assembled
in town meeting "mnY vote to dispense with the
services of the Experimenting School Committee
so far relates to the examination and inspection
of schools" But the value Of such examination
has been too strongly felt throughout the state TO
allow to such an exception more than nominal i'm
portance. Unfortunately, however, the cases in
which towns have availed themselves Of the NULL.
flying clause are precisely those in which it is most
injurious to their true interests. For it may be
generally taken rule that strict superintendent
is valued by community in a direct ratio to the
efficiency OF the Schools. But, while all the States
have been thus careful of the vital interests OF their
youth, how is it with US
In VERMONT, the law makes no provision
,chatcrer for these important points, and with very
few exceptions there is no such thing known here
as an examination or superintendence OF schools.
3. Uniformity Of Books-Selection Of The PrQft-
abie-ErciuSion Of The Improbable or HmyM-
In Ohio and New-York the statute makes it the
duty of the Superintendens to determine and rec
ommend the school books best adapted for the
course Of studies. In Maine, New Hampshire
Massachusetts, Rhode-Isand, and Connecticut, the
law enioins the committee to direct what books
shall be used.
VERMONT here again stands alone. Her law
neither commands nor authorizes either direction
recommendation. The consequence is Babel-like
confusion of books good, bad and indifferent, in
Discriminatory mingled in almost every school, bid
ding defiance to classification order or method. In
a school VISITED the past winter, owing to the d.
versity of books, most Of which, though good in
themselves, where wholly unsuted TO the capacity
of the child the largest reading class consisted of
ttco children, And thus the time both of instruc-
tor and pupils, was completely frttered away. In
such a situation, the best teacher would be power
less.
In all the States enumerated, the important du-
ties of which | have spoken devolve on commit
tee distinct from that which selects the teacher and
manages the prudential matters of the school,
The latter committee furnishes the wherewithal;
the former secs that it is carefully and proiitaby
used. The latter provides a teacher; but he can
not stir step till he has exhibited his proficiency,
and given evidence of his moral character TO the
former. In the New England States, the power of
the Superintendents is confined to the torns by
which they are appointed. In New York and Ohio
there are county as well as torn superintendent,
an arrangement found TO be highly profitable since
it has powerful tendency to bring all the schools
under the supervision of the former officer up to
the highest grade that Of the best in the county,
Allow me to close with a few simple questions
intimately connected with the facts above stated
Is there no danger, then, would ask, that Vermont
will be flooded with lazy, incompetent, dissoue
pretenders to the name of teacher who, though I'M
able to pass the ordeal required in their own State,
will readily procure schools here, if the Vages
asked are sufficiently ior? There is something
more in this than mere surmlse. 1t is becoming
well known in the border towns Of New Hampshire,
Massachusetts and New York, that our teachers
are neltllcT examiner HOT lOOheu HOI
few have already avaed themselves OF state of
affairs which places the best and the worst exactly
on level. On the other hand, will our respectable
and intelligent teachers consent to be classed with
this rejected scum from abroad, or will they 90
where their talents will be thoroughly known and
properly appreciated And finally, shall we fold
our hands and patiently submit to a state of things
which has an inevitable tendency to drive off the
best teachers, and ill our schools with those who
dare not even offer their services where they are
known. viii this be doing justice TO the rising
generation? viii they thus be fitted for an honor,
bic rivalry with the youth of other States Is it
right that through our negligence their first move
mcnts in life should be thus hampered? Surely
such questions as these admit OF but one answer.
Let us unite, them in calling upon our Legislature
for an immediate aud thorough reform, such re-
form as will raise up our schools to the level of
those of the States around us, and thus enable us
to share in the progressive Improvement of the
age. THOMAS IL PALMER,
Committee for disseminating information respect
ing School LARS