Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-05-15
TO School Directors.

of your number who assembled in convention
on the fourth inst, for the purpose of electlng
a Superintendent of Schools for the County of
Bradford, the undersigned was placed in that
responsible position.
Having no other means of ascertaining your
views upon the important questions pertaining
to the educational interests of the county, and
of communicating, so far as may be proper for
me to do so, before my term of office shall
commence, my views and plans, have thought
it advisable to address you through the public
press of the county.
/ am somewhat aware gentlemen, of the
difficulties which cluster around the position to
which your partiality has elecsd me, and feel
that shalt be able to do but little, if any
good in the Office, without your hearty coope-
ration. The schools in your several townships
are emphatically yOur schools, in which your
own children are to be educated, this of course
must cause you to feel a more lively interest
in these schools than any other individual can,
still l hope to be able to evince to the friends
of the schools, that | feel a deep interest in
their welfare, and am laboring for their i'm
provement and through the schools for the
well-being of the rising generation. hope to
be able, by devoting whatever of talent and
experience may have, to the faithful discharge
of the duties connected with the Office, to Sc
cure your confidence, and if deserve it, | feel
hat cho oil har / tIch Won N 10 q
that my business is to act in concert with you,
not alone, or without your counsel and aSsis
tance, in furthering the objects we all wish to
promote.
am also aware, that the law imposes upon
you onerous duties, and requires You to per-
form those duties without receiving any remu-
neration. 1t is my duty as it shall be my
pleasure, to tighten those burdens so far as
may be done, by cooperating with you-by
combining our efforts to awaken an interest in
the cause of education, in the minds of those
who have not properly viewed the important
question: in all its bearings upon the future
well-being Of our country, and by giving to
each other advice and encouragement.
1t is Self-evident, that the schools can be
improved only by improving those who are to
teach them :" Like teacher, like school," is as
true now as when first uttered, our schools
then, cannot be made good schools, if they are
not so now, unless we can have good teachers,
where we have not now good ones, to take
charge of the schools, not simply to keep them,
but teach them. Let us then encourage our
teachers to qualify themselves as rapidly and
as thoroughly as is in their power to do let
US offer them every inducement possible, to
stimulate them to gain such knowledge of
the sciences to be taught, and the best me-
thods of teaching them, as shall enable them
to educate our children thoroughly, and pre-
pare them for usefulness. 1t is not expected
that there will be supply of we'll qualified
teachers at the present time, and perhaps not
for several years. Yet directors can do very
much by way of encouraging those who desire
to qualify themselves. propose, if it meets
the views of the directors of the several town
ships, to hold, what shall, for the sake of
convenience call teachers drills, in as many To-
calities in the county as is practicable, during
the latter part of August and the whole of
September. "By teachers drills" T mean
temporary schools for drilling teachers in the
several departments of study, to be pursued
in the schools of the county Commencing, if
necessary, with the very rudiments, or ele-
ments, and proceeding thoroughly, as far as
possible giving instruction at the same time
as to the most approved methods of communi-
eating information in the different branches
The plan will be, to gather so many of the
teachers of three or four townships as can be
induced to attend at some convenient place,
and give them instruction during week or
ten days, and al the close of the time, grant
certificates to as many of those who have been
present, and any others that may see fit to at
tend for the purpose of being examined, as
shall be entitled to receive them After hold
ing such teachers gathering in one portion
of the county, say the North East, or South
West, let there be similar one in some other
locality, thus afording these opportunities to
as many of the teachers of the county as pos
sible. 1t is true these short drills will not do
for the teachers all that is needed, but it is
to be hoped that they may do something to-
ward turning public attention to the subject
something to show teachers what theyneed.
Gentlemen, this plan cannot be carried out
without your assistance. fit meet your views,
will you labor with me to get up, and carry
on successfully, as many temporary normal
schools of this kind, during the coming fall, as
time and circumstances seem to justify l
should be happy to learn the views of the seye-