Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-12-22
school Reform, No. 6.

4
During the past three years, we have ex.
amined more than three thousand teachers
| Monthly reports, and we are forced to say
that they have been, as a general thing, very
carelessly prepared. Hardly one in a hundred
is perfectly correct; and more than half con
tain errors that prove either ignorance or
carelessness of the grossest character Il
they have been no better throughout the state
the volume ofstatistics annually published by
the School Department, is so far as it is TAX
en- from them, the merest stuff, not worth the
paper it is printed on. We need reform in
| this matter The teacher who neglects, or is
unable, to make correct monthly reports, is
unfit for his position and ought to be dis
charged at once. The report books that have
been in use duriag the past FIVE years, are
a disgrace to the profession of teaching. We
are ashamed to say how many Of our teachers
have left in them the monuments of their own
earlessness or stupidity. The county is this
year supplied with new monthly report books.
Districts that are not yet supplied should send
to us for them at once. The intention is to
begin with them everywhere this winter; and
reports must not be made in the old books.
| Let the reports IN them be strictly correct.
Secretaries should not give the teacher
his order until they are correct. If secreta-
ries would take this course there would be
an end to all trouble in the matter
We make the following suggestions in the
hope that they may prevent, in the future,
some of the errors that have occurred most
frequently in the past.
l. The report book should be kept in the
school room. Visitors wish to see It. They
have right to see it. The book is intended
to be kept in the school so that they can see
it. Teachers who keep it out of sight, fe.
quently do so because they fear 1t will not
bear inspection. If the schoolroom is not a
safe place to leave it over night, it can be
carried home evenings.
,. 1t should be used as a daily roll. and
tardiness, absence, &c, should be marked
in it when the roll is called. We know the
directions, in the book, advise differently but
we can see no good reason for this advice,
aud, therefore, take different view. If the
roll is kept ona sheet of paperand afterwards
copied into the book, the liability to error is
doubled 1t occurs once when the roll is call
ed and again when it is copied This is an
important consideration, because this liability
is considerable even when the greatest care
is exercised. The labor is also doubled The
old books were nearly all used as rolls, and
yet they lasted FIVE years and ninety nine
hundredths of them would have lasted five
years longer. What is to hinder the new
books from lasting as well?
8. The roll should be called twice day,
once exactly at the time to begin in the NOR
ming, and again exactly at the time to begin
in the afternoon. Those who do not answer
should be marked tardy. Some teachers neg
lect this and thus fall into a very grave error.
Hardness is great evil, and it can never be
corrected unless record of it is kept The
roll should be examined again, before school
is dismissed, and those who have not come in
should be marked absent for the half day.
Teachers should keep their daily record as
described above. They can do it correctly
in no other way.
i. The proper names Of pupils should be
written in full silly nicknames like Eddie,
'Mollie, &C., should not be substituted for
honest aud beautiful names like Edward, Mary,
&c The sickly sentimentality that at pres
ent pervades all classes of the community in
regard to this matter win pass away in few
years like other epidemics, and plain people
looking over these reports, win wonder who
could have owned those excessively tender
and afectionately refined cognomens.
5. No. Of different pupils belonging to
school since 2st of June, till date, means
only those who attended school, and not all
the pupils in the neighborhood, whether
they attended or not, as some have supposed.
In this county we hadno school after June Ist
until the present winter term began. Have
the above item and the next, whole no. in
attendance during mo. win always be the
same for the first month of the term. After
wards they may differ widely, and care should
be taken that they be correctly entered.
9. To find ''per cent of attendance during
no. annex two ciphersto the average of boys
and divide by the whole number of boys an
mex two ciphers to the average of girls auc
divide by the whole number Of girls; and an
mex two ciphers to the total average and di
vide by the total number.
To get per cent Of all during term till date, =
add together the average of boys for all the
months; add together the average of girls fol
all the months, add together the total aver
age for all the months. Then add together
the whole number of boys for all the months
add together the whole number of girls fol
all the months add together the totals for al
the months. Then annex two ciphers to eacl
of those three sums Of averages and divide BY
the corresponding sum of ftotals.
7. The number and kind of books should
be noted in full. It's not enough to say Nc
Guilty 4. The number of each kind Should
be given. The same should be done witt
all books.
8. Every blank should be filed in ever,
report
.. Opposite the words spelling tread
ing, &C., in the proper column should b,
| entered the number of classes in each O
these branches.
J. w. DICKERsoN, Co, supt.
BEDFORD MARKET
[conREcrEp wEEkLY.l