The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-06-23
For the PORTAGE Sentinel.

Nun 0ChOOLS IN IOkTAGk NOUhTrs-4ueI
system Of education in our common schools
is matter in which ell are deeply interest
ed. You will not then deem It obtrusiVe il
those to whom this important trust is com.
mitted a. examiners, should address q few
suggestions to you, on some subjects con.
nected with our common schools.
It is dictate Of reason and common sense,
| that those to whom we intrust the education
OF our children should be persons of high
character, and of exemplary deportmen. in
all respects, so that they shall be patterns
for their scholars in morals, in manners, in
temper and in industry. OF these qualiica.
tions we cannot know; parents and school
directors must Judge. But in our judgment,
we and they may be aided by the friends Of
education, who are called upon to certify to
the moral character of applicants for exa-
mination. We shall expect certificates from
we'll known individuals, testifying in ali ca
ses to what they know.
The examinations reveal a sad deficiency
in the knowledge of primary studies, in
persons applying for certificates to teach !
school, particularly in reading and English
Grammar. Reading seems to be neglected
in our schools as soon as scholar is able to
stumble through sentence, and the man.
ner, tones and infections, which express the
delicate shades of thought, are not attended
to. The knowledge of grammar seems in
many instances confined to etymology.-|
The candidates are able to designate, with
considerable accuracy, the parts of speech,
but about the dependence of one word upon
another, agreement, government, and the
modifying influence of words, they seem to
know little, and we are constrained to believe
many have begun this study when too young
: to understand it, and have thus contracted
dislike for it; or they have gone through its
exercises as far as the syntax, then school is
;. out and they suppose themselves qualified to
q teach grammar, which they have never learn.
n ed, for all the other parts of grammar have
o the same relation to syntax, that the letters
q have to words. 1t avails little to know let
l. l6TSI uul66b u peISOu Cuu IOl " oJ Ohu
10 words; go it is important to k now the parts
,s of speech, but it avals little unless the laws
at by which they are formed into sentences are
a. also known.
b. We esteem knowledge of the grammat.
" ical principles of punctuation, also, to be
n important; but we find no attention is paid
b. to the subject, and many seem not to know
that there are such principles, or if there
are, that there are any means, within their
b. reach, of ascertaning them. We feel con-
ar strained to say, that there is a capital def
I'D cheney in the knowledge of grammar. and
ed we give notice, that after the May examina
n ton, we shall require better acquaintance
of with this study from all who receive certf
it Gates.
in In arithmetic there is a deficiency o
ss knowledge, in respect to the operation will
nd decimale, and placing the decima! point, BY
all which there may be made as great differenc'
ts, as between 100 cents and one thousand dol
al lars. And in all departments a lack o
L. scholarly accuracy. We believe that mucl
Is. time is gwen to Algebra. philosophy land 9th
re- er studies of like nature, which would b
he much better expended upon the Fundamental
cir branches, for if these are not understood il
ed the beginning, there is no foundation tor &C
Of curate scholarship Amy study must be pur
'p- sued to disadvantage, and tho defcienc!
er, must be supplied in some indirect way, wit
RS, much expense Of money, time and patience
TO We make these suggestions, that thos
lrk purposng TO apply for examination, the com
ing fall, may be prepared for more rigi
examination.
e. 1t is duty, which we owe to the publi
lal to say that those who do not propose
tic teach school, ought not to apply for examil
'ho alton.
in We also owe it to ourselves to say, tn;
I'm no examinations will be attended upon e!
- cept on the regular days Of examination, II
ism third Saturday Of each month, unless I'll
ks; examination be advertised in the papers,
ing And we cannot review our proceedings,
the the call of every one who may be disa
and pointed in receiving certificate; the on
in remedy is new examination with bett
"S' preparation.
I'M JOHN c. HART,
un. J. A. DRAKE.
ext L. d. WOODWORTH.