Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1859-08-17
TO THE PATRONS AND TEACHERS
OF THE COMMON SCHOOLS OF
TRUMBULL COUNTY.

TRUMBULL COUNTY.
The present school year will close Angus
81; and in accordance with the solicitation
of teachers. we now present few sugges
tions respecting the present condition ant
future improvement of the system of thu
Common Schools of our County.
During the nine months ending June 10
there were 749 candidates for certificate,
to teach, who presented themselves for ex
animation, of these 474 received certificates
and 275 were rejected, having failed to show
that they possessed the necessary qualiica
ton. a few of the defeated candidate,
were Opposed to berate the examiners, whC
believe that the disappointment of such ap
pl:eants will pIove blessing to them
When the ignorance and utter un6tness o.
candidates betray themselves in every part
of the examination, they are rejected fol
their own good and the interest of Common
Schools One teacher in the course Of hi:
examination, made forty-two mistakes il
spelling, which appeared on his manuscript
of three pages. Can the examiners honest
ly license such applicants to instruct youl
youth? Yet these very per-ons readily OBJ
tain testimonials of their ability and scho-
larship from other sources. and expect to
receive certificates to teach on the strength
of these foreign Recommendations, instead o.
a fair examination Although a large
number of applicants, 2755, were this yeal
rejected, yet to HI were granted certificates
which would almost supply each common
school with taro teachers each, as there arr
but 2J6 common schools in the county
Applicants occasionally complain, those re-
iected especially, that the examinations arc
too severe, and the requirements demanded Of
candidates unnecessarily difficult and hume.
Gus; while our best teachers recommend tho
elevation of the standard of qualification:
still higher; thus exclude unqualified teachers
from our school houses Our most success
ful teachers are dcsirous to have candidates
subjected, each year, to more rigorous and
complete examinations, whereby their pro.
fession may be more respected. and theil
remuneration thereby increased. Especial
ly is it the manifest interest of the public,
that there be diminished number of GER
tifcates issued by the Board; for the op-
pOsite course necessarily increases the null
tude of teachers. causing greater cOmpcti-
ton for situations to teach, and thereby re-
ducing their well-earned wages, and by inad-
equate compensation discouraging and driv-
inc competent teachers into other more lu-
crative employments, thus abandon our
school houses to be afterwards occupied by
fourth rate teachers and those utterly un-
qualified by nature and etlucaion, and
wholly unfit, to have charge of. our youth.
There are many persons, who have taught
school term after term, and year after year,
merely as a matter of pecuniary conven-
ence, without increasing one iOta their orr
yinal stock of knowledge We find teachers,
who think themselves insulted if advised
10 study after they have made their debut
Is instructors. They forget that there is
in society a constant progress, that those,
who are competent to instruct to-day, will
not be tomorrow, unless they make CORES
bonding dditions to their stock of knowl-
'dge, and mental discipline These loiter-
ng teachers fall behind the times, and will
&c set aside for those who have been wide
wake to this exigency, and have prepar-
d for it. \ poor teacher is a great nuis-
nee, which should be abltcd, for he stands
n the way of, and prevents the employ
nent Of competent teacher.
One great object and duty of a teacher
) to communicate knowledge and unless he
mploys his own mind in diligent study in
cquiring new facts and fresh principles. he
; unworthy of his profession and fails in
Is duty to the patrons of his school. Some
sachers whose requirements are very limit
d, manifest the disposition to rest perfect
satisfied with their present attainments.
uch persons should hold their teacher
lair only f,om srfferance, until true and
ve instructors can be obtained to occupy
leir posts. We find occasionally ptrsons
ho have been apparently teaching five and
N years, and have, during that time, made
.areely any really manifest improvement,
: increased their small fund of general in
When they began their peda-
,gueship, their requirements were limited,
nd now they know little or nothing more.
heir requirements might have. been con-
dered respectable few years ago, but
icy have neglected to advance with the
Iucational progress of the times and
w their scholarship and ability to teach
II no longer be regarded as worthy of
nplcyment or respect The true interests
the teachers profession, the manifest
,lfare of the Common Schools, demand
at the Board of Examiners should un-
sitatingly tumble such stationary teach Q
5 overheard. Other teachers, although
t exactly or positively stationary, who {
axe but snail-like progress on account of t
hercnt dullness, should make way for c
hers, who are already fully equipped with a
e amount of mental activity and ripe t
holarship demanded by the community I