The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1861-08-07
ANNUAL REPORT
County. superintendent
OF
Potter County, Pa.

Potter County, A'a.
School Houses-No. deficient in all respects,
43; capable of being made sufficient by re-
pairs, q; wholly defective 81 OF the hrstl
class. the number in each District is as tol-
lows Abbott l, Allegany 3, Bingham 3, Cara
!. Couderspcrt |, Eulalia 2 Genesee Fork Ind.
|. Harrison 3, Hebron 4, Hector l, Homer 2,
Heating /, Oswayo l, Pixies l, Pleasant valley
/, Portage /, Roulet 2, Sharon 3, StewardsonI
]. Summit ., Sweden l, Sylyania l, Ulysses l,
West Branch 2, Woodville /. OF the third
class. the number in each District is as fol-
lows: Abbott /, Allegany l, Bingham, Clara
l. Fulalia l, Genesee l, Harrison 2, Hebron z,
Hector 4, Jackson 2 Oswayo l, Pixies l, Rou-
lett 2, Pleasant Valley /, Sharon 3, Steward
son l, Sweden 8, Sylyania /, Ulysses 4, Whar-
ton .. Several new houses have been erected
during the year which are worthy OF notice.
Two in Hebron mentioned by my predecessor
as being in course Of erection, were completed
in time for the winter schools. Though not
properly ventilated, they are large, commodi-
Gus, substantial structures, and an improve
ment upon the usual style of school houses in
this county in height of story. Another now
being built will probably be better ventilated
4 house has just been completed in Steward
son which is one of the finest in the county in
external appearance, but as no school has yet
been taught in it, I am unable to speak Of its
internal arrangements or finish.
Furniture and apparatus.-The schools in the
whole county are nearly destitute of all Ap
paratus except black boards. | have found
but one globe, and that the property of the
scholars. A few Districts have supplied their
schools with large map of the United States,
and Coudersport has part Of set Of MitchelPs
Outline Maps. About dozen schools have no
black-boards, and only three have what
should consider sufficient amount of black
board surface These three are in Abbott,
Summit and Homer Districts.
iSchools.-There are no graded schools in
the county, the population being too sparse to
admit Of grading All are more or less def
cient in classification on account of diversity
of textbooks In some Districts a uniform
series has been established, but in some of
these, the textbooks are not uniform, because
some people are scarcely able to conform at
once, and Directors have not thought best to
inforee the Law with very great rigor. Schools
deficient in classification, are small
and in newly settled regiGns. Where the
scholars are sufficiently advanced to pursue
them, all branches required by Law are taught.
IeqcterS.-No, with professional certificates
who taught during the year, 8 of those who
gave satisfaction, 5 With provisional certif-
Gates who taught during the year, III; of
these who gave satisfaction, Sc. Among those
marked satisfactory, there is still room for i'm
and most of those marked unsat- |
isfactory, will be permitted to teach again af-
ter receiving suitable instruction. Only six |
were considered hopelessly deficient. Much
deficient teaching is traceable to an insufficient
supply Of textbooks, but more to a lack of
in this respect. The selection Of
is left too often to chance or the
exertions of the itinerant book pedlaTs. The
supply Of them is quite often limited By real
inability to procure them but oftener by ig- |
norance Of the importance of the subject, or
apathy in regard to educational success These
it win require years of persistent
effort to overcome. a few teachers have, un-
der favorable circumstances, neglected to
avail themselye of the advantages of thorough !
classification and systematic teaching. These |
are among the older teachers who, having !
been more than ordinarily successful in their
first efforts, have not seen the need of later
Improvements in methods Of teaching. BY far
the most fruitful sonrce Of unsatisfactory
teaching, is school government. Success in !
this department requires that the teacher, able |
and faithful himself, should be heartily sup
ported by his patrons. In few schools, an
unsuccessful term was 'rlceable to inefic;enCv
in the teacher; in a few others, the disorder
was due to direct opposition by parents to the !
teachers authority; but in far the largest por-
ton of failures, the difficulty was the fruit of
want Of parental cooperation, Or indirect op-
position by patrons to thorough school discI-
pline. Some people do not hesitate to censure !
q teacher before his scholars, when it is plain /
that the fullest parental sanction and support |
are necessary TO an orderly school. One fam
lily may, by this means. destroy the usefulness
Of term of school. There is a growing dis |
relish for corporal punishment without cor /
growth in the ability to govern
without it. 1t is to be regretted that many
parents who are unable to dispense with it at
home, should expect a teacher to keep order
without it at school.
EramjaohoHs.-No. of examinations during
the year, las privately, 4. c, without public
notice, %; rejected, 10 At first determined |
to grant no certificate to any one whose stand |
ing was in Orthography, Reading, or Mental
and Written Arithmetic, and not to grant be-
low that in Writing, Geography or Grammar.
l was finally obliged to be little more leni- |
ent, but most ofthe certificates granted in each
case, were for one term. | have seen no reason /
for adopting new rule.
Moral I7struction.- Owing to the hurried
manner in which the visitations last summer
were performed, am able only to approximate
to the number of schools in which the Scrip
tares were regularly read. The number is
something upward of sixty, and probably in
creasing. Moral instruction was given regu-
larly in four schools, but not by means of a !
1t was given in morning and eve
ming lectures. The teachers who gave it re-
port it to have been useful. In the remaining
schools moral instruction was given as occa-
sion seemed to require. Such specific moral
teachingi is highly benefcialinp primary schools,
being more tangible to the mind of the young
than general instruction. Any delinquency
may afford an opportunity to convey suitable
while more than ordinary dill
gence in study or correctness of department,
may furnish theme for discriminating COM