The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1857-02-25
REPORT.
or the Common Schools of Columbia Co.
for the year ending June LIST, sc.

In September and October last, appoint-
menls were made in the respective districts
TO meet and examine teachers but the at.
tendance was small on these occasions. The
teachers seemed shy of a public examination,
and most Of them came Afterwards to my Of
fee. for a private one. have urged direct.
ors TO insist upon public examination in
every case where il is practicable.
A few more certificates were issued Tin ad-
dilion 10 The permanent ones of last year,
than there were schools taught, but this hap
pened from the fact that some of those who
received certificates went out of The county
a few sough, other employments, and others,
with high figures on their certificates, would
not ask for school.
During the pas! year visited one hundred
and tweny-four schools, being all in the
county which were in operation, except sew
en-. Two of these seven were inaccessible
by reason of snow, when was in the district,
and five were not in session when I was in
their neighborbood. Some visited twice
Every available day, between the 12lh of
December and the 18th of March, was spent
by me in this business.
My visits were spent by listening TO class.
es: suggesting Improvements TO teachers,
organizing new classes in mental ari,hme-
tic, orthoeraphy, concentrating, rhetorical
reading, writing from diciation, practical
grammar, or the manufacturing Of sentences,
as we'll as The anatomy OF language, and in
addressing The scholars. The greatest cause
Of backwardness in our schools is the me-
chanical method of instruction, by which
dry, duH tasks are substituted, lc repulse and
weary the scholar, when Ineligible oral il.
alusl-s@,,;,vns sl@,,vns, from the every day practical af
aisirs of life ia The world, oughl TO be furnish.
sd 10 tempt and lead the scholar TO pleas
FAINT and friendly familiarity with the princi'
pies of science. There ought 10 be less par
rot.like recitatiors, and more thinking in the
schools. have found many cases where
photography was understood only as arbilra-
ry spelling, instead of being the anatomy Of
words, ard where reading was only praciced
20 tiio WouOtOuOuS piVhuuCtahoh VI "oiuo,
instead oil being, as il should, the expression
of ideas and thoughts.
School Houses-The condition and location
of the buildings used for schools are not SO
Objectionable as the method, or, rather, want
Of method, OF teaching within them. OF the
school houses in this county, twenty.nlne are
we'll adapted, in every respect, for the use
made of them. Only thirteen are entirely
unfit TO be used; and all the others may be
included in a middling, which, by little
labor and expense, might be right we'll adaP-
ted for the training places Of youth. Some
OF these only need 10 have one end Of the
room coated for blackboard; others want
some little fixtures 10 perfect ventilation; and
yel others only need few shade trees plant.
ed around The building.
In no district can all the school homes be
included in the first class. Scott has more
good houses than any other district. Mon
lonr has three excellent brick houses, and