Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-04-06
Report or the Examining Committee Of
the Graded School


Report OF the Examining Committee OF
the Graded School.
Aessrs. Editors. a $40
Asyou are doubtless aware, the School
Board Of this place, preparatory to the
examination Of last week, appointed o
committee of five gentlemen to assist
them. For various reasons only two or
three of them served. Two, however,
were present almost constantly, and did
what they could to make the first exam
nation a marked and profitable event
In the history of the school. Those of
us who served, though but a portipn of
the committee, yet feel that it is due to
the school, to the teachers, and also to
the citizens, who ut 80 great an expense
have established it, that we make some
report of what we saw, heard, and had
suggested to us during the days we
spent there. U.s.. la.
1t was matter of regret that SO few
of the patrons were present. Several
things, in our view, are essential for the
success of . first class school: a good
house, good books, welldisposed schol-
ars, able teachers, and cooperating pat
rons. The last seem to us hardly less
necessary than any of the preceding
| The prominent fault of this place, now
that we have SO fine school building
is likely to be-not in failing to secure
good teachers, nor in emitting to fur
nish bright children and good books in
abundance-but rather, in neglecting to
give the school that constant, personal
supervision, which it greatly needs. The
parents and other friends of the chill
dren should make it a point to call upon
the school often during term time, and
especially to be present in large num-
beers at every examination. Would that
many more, not for benevOlence sake
merely, but for their own sakes, had
been present with US to enjoy the exam
ination just past. Having been In re-
peatedly before, and knowing somewhat
Of the everyday experience of the
school, VIC could see that the children
had not been drilled to make special
display at examination upon few we'll
studied subjects, creating very deceit.
full impression in regard to their actual
knowledge, as is SO often the case; but
that they were being faithfully exam
ined upon all the subjects which they
had passed over. Indeed, we ourselves
examined most of the classes in the
higher departments, exercising our lib
erty to the utmost--too greatly some of
/ the scholars and parents perhaps tho't--
in questioning upon whatever parts we
chose of the branches which had been
studied during the term. The results
were very gratifying. We found in al
most every instance that the scholars
had good understanding-in many
cases remarkably good-of what they
had professed to learn. In the main,
they rccited promptly and accurately f.;
and whenever explanations were called
for, they could give them clearly. We
thus had confirmation Of what we had
already learned in our previous visits
twhen, allow US to say, the classes were
uniformly able to make as good dis
play, and often better, than upon exam
ination) that their teachers had gener-
ally been very earnest and thorough in
disciplining them.
When we saw and heard what we did
during those days, remembering that
four months before there was no such
school in existence here; that the five
hundred children and over who had
been in attendance during the term
were then, and had been for years
either rowing about with little occupa
ton, or attending some of the small Sc
lect schools, where they could have little
to stimulate them to rapid progress, our
emotions were too deep for utterance.
Nothing before in the history of the
town had given us such genuine salts.
faction, or filled us with so gratifying
hopes.
What has been accomplished, how.
ever, the past term in our school, is but
the small beginning of much greater
results which we expect in the future.
When we consider that we have had
but three months school, after such
an educational chaos as existed here for
years before, that which has been al
ready done seems truly wonderful. AL
ready the school seems to be quite &C.
curately graded in all its departments.
Remarkably good order, all things con-
sidered, has been instituted. The emu
lation which can nowhere else be 30
successfully called forth as in a well
graded school, has begun to appear; and
we predict that in consequence of the
examination, of the promotions there
made, and of the public reading upon
the last day of the carefully prepared
averages of each scholar, under the
heads of Attendance" Department
and Scholarship" there will be great
increase of legitimate rivalry manifest
ed at the very beginning of next term.
There has also been beginning, we
think, of the kind of mental discipline
which is calculated to make ready, ac-
curate, and widely-informed scholars.
Still, what has been done seems to us
chiefly valuable because it is a com
naeacement Of what we hope to see ac-
complished here. We wish first-class
school in every particular: one worthy
of the building reared for II. We do
not suppose that we have such one
quite yet-such rich fruits do not grow
and ripen SO quickly-but we feel that
we have made very successful start for
1t. Continuing as we have begun, if
there shall be just cooperation of all
who are interested, we shall attain it
very soon, we trust. But the patrons
must Uork Nth the teachers and the
schoidrs.t One way in which they may
do so we have already shown: by fire.
quently visiting, and especially by
presence at examinations. Two or three
other ways Of assistance are very impor-