Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1854-09-13
Ghufatiunnl Drpnrtment.
Decisions, by the State superintendent.

Decisions, by the State superintendent.
! County Superintendent should go to each
district to make examinations, giving ample
notice of the time and place appointed. The
| law expressly declares that the Directors may.
be present at all examinations, ard the citizens
of the district should also be invited to attend.
| When examinations are thus attended by cit
izens, the County Superintendent should give
| the persons present full information in regard
to the objects and working of the law, his own
and their duties, the duties of the Directors
Teachers, Pupils, Parent, &c, by means of
| addresses carefully prepared for such occa-
sions; and should arouse the public. mind, as
| much possible, to the Importance, utility
and practibility of Education by Common
Schools.
There is no cause for difficulty in granting
the proper Certificate to Teachers. Unless the
candidate passes with credit thorough exam
inaton in the branches named in the Certifl-
cate with the seal, it must not be given to him.
but the temporary one issued in its place. A
strong inducement is thus held out to inferior
teachers to improve their qualifications.
If Directors employ teachers who have not
obtained certificate from County Super
intendent, they render themselves liable to
prosecution and punishment for misdemeanor
in Office, if the public sustain injury by their
neglect of duty; and they may, at any time, be
removed from office under the provisions of
| the 9th section of the school law.
No reasonable object ion exists to Directors
| employing teachers who have certificates from
Superintendents of other counties, but they
may, if they think proper, refuse to employ
them until such Teachers are examined and
approved by their own County Superintendent.
If incompetent teachers are imposed upon the
schools of any county, through the careless
ness, neglect, or other deficiency of Superin-
| tendents Of other counties, the Superintendent
of the former avail himself of the provis-
ions of the 2Sth section of the school law. and
thus fully protect the schools of his county
from having incompetent instructors imposed
upon them.
Whenever County Superintendent discov-
ers an incompetent teacher with first-class
certificate from another Superintendent, he is
requested and it is his dnty, to report the fact
and names to this Department. Any material
granting the professional teachers certificate,
will be followed with prompt romovel from Of
fee, as soon due proof thereof is made.
County Superintendents will not be permit
ted to alter the character of the blank certifi-
Gates furnished them by the Department, or
to issue others. They may make reports to
boards of directors, in any form they may de-
sire, for the purpose OF exhibiting, in detail,
the results of their examinations of teachers,
and this course is recommended.
The 38th section of the school law requires
that Orthography, Reading, Writing, English
Grammer, Geography, and Arithmatic shall be
taught in every district, not in every school of
every district. The intent and meaning of
this section is, plainly, that reasonable op
portuniitty shall be afforded to every pupil in
each district to obtain proper instruction in all
of these branches. If this purpose can be ac-
complished by having them taught in only
one school, or by grading the school of dis
trict. and requiring the branches named to be
taught in only one or more schools of higher
grade, the duty of the Directors will be prop
erly discharged by adopting that course.
In regard to the question of the right of
teachers to i1fict corporeal punishment upon
their pupils all concerned will bear in mind
that the Superintendent has no power to make
laws;-though it is his duty to explain such as
relate to schools and school purposes, when
applied to. The right of the teacher to in
flict such punishment is founded only upon
the necessity ofthe case, and not upon statute.
1t is absolutely necessary that good order
should be maintained in the schools, and that
all proper rules, regulations and commands
of the Teacher should be strictly and prompt
ly obeyed. Hence necessity exists for suf-
ficient power to enforce this duty, and hence
it is held that teacher may inflict such rea-
sonable corporeal punishment upon his pupil
as the parent might infiict for similar cause.
The pupil is technically in school from the
hour of opening in the morning and afternoon
until final dismissal, and while in or about the
school house in pursuance of his duty as pu-
pill. This, then, is the extent of the authority
of the teacher to inhict corporeal punishment,
and it would be totally impracticable to extend
it by legislative enacment.
No parent would consent to relinquish the
control of his child at his own fire-side or in
his own household, and it would be unjust and
cruel to make the latter responsible to two
authorities who might differ in almost every
command given. II such was the casu, a.
| teacher might require pupil to commit les
sons of school hours, while the parent would
require manual labor from the pupil during
the same time. The Teacher might prescribe
one line of conduct-the parent another. Who
should be obsyed, when both could not be