Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-11-12


sight of ours it was not printed
| Having by letter pointed ont tho
several inaccuracies Of MY annual re.
port, | shall not here eter to them
or explain them. The source o
them lay outside my office ! an
sorry that quite numb OF districts
e whole and ioint) failed to report
There are thirty >one towns in the
county. have during the yeai
held twenty examinations, consum
ing about three months thus, alto.
gethor, and have made one hundred
and sixty visits to the different
schools OF the county, giving evening
lectures upon educational topics in
various localities. | nave strivcn to
do good by these visits-to encour-
age what see good in methods 81
instruction and discipline, and where>
in | see need Of Improvement to sug
gest it.
| The year has been one OF improve,
ment. Fewer schools have been fail
ures, and more have been decided
successes. This is owing in part to
the fact that teachers baye been more
earnest and enlisted IN their work
in part to the better system introdu>
ced and in part TO thc fact that |
have been careful to exclude nnwor-
thy teachers as fast as | can; true
this causes degree OF dissatisfaction
on the part of some fathers and moth.
ers and uncles and adnts of rejected
applicants. And, if | speak OF the
county SUPPLEMENTARY without the
charge of lauding myself, l wodld
say that it has done much to elevate
the schools and the teachers of the
county. The standard OF qualifica-
tons of teachers has been raised
thus, dropping out by the way, many
of the incompetent. know there
are some who lay this very thing of
higher wages as serious charge
against the system, but they belong
to a class who are willing to count
dollars against morals and intelli-
! gence, and to whom the world is not
indebted for any desirable reforms or
material progress.
| am pleased to mention also, that
fifty two teachers have taught dur
ing the year in the same school, at
least twenty >four have contin ued in
the same school as during the previ-
GUS year, twenty for five terms, four
for six terms, one for eight terms,
Two for nine terms, and one for ten
terms, consecutively- There are
still, however, too many districts
that show a curiosity for change
| Some localities seek for the cheapest
teachers they can fluid and in the
end generally have the dearest school
They really throw away their mon,
ey, and worse than throw it away,
for they allow their children to DC
taught vicious habits of study COR
rather of idleness) and too often OF
manners. But these are exceptions.
| The citizens generally, Of this county
are in favor of good schools and are
willing to give them the necessary
pecuniary support,
Teachers have received higher
wages than for the previous year
and the wages for that year was an
advance on previous years the ay-
erage wages of male teachers this
year, being an advance Of ten pei
centum, and for female teachers, five
per centum. This shows the advance
of wages of female teachers to be but
half that made in wages Of male
teachers but in individual cases the
advance has been far larger than IN
male teachers wages, the average
being reduced by the very small wa
gcs in some other districts. Tho
best wages paid female teachers
were in the towns of Muscoda, Ian
caster and Tafton-in the first, SIP
and in the last two SIC per month";
The best wages paid in the county
to a male teacher was to the princi'
pal of the Boscobel school, SO pei
month. In number Of districts fe'
male teachers have received from 3d.
to $37 80, and males from $40 to Sc,
per month. 1t is but right that labor
should be rewarded according to the
difficulty and importance'of the labor
itself the responsibility imposed, the
preparation required, and the faith
fulness with which it is done. Too
many have heretofore acted upon the
, idea that a woman, simply because
she is a woman, should receive, fol
the same labor, as we'll done, less pay
than man, simply because he is ;
man, should receive. Fortunately
the times and opinions are changing
Next years report will show still
I better state Of things.
= The board of regents of norma
schools has during the year located
one of the five State Normal School,
at Plaateville, in this county | lool
upon this as one of the grand result
of the year, and take it as an earnes
. of better things to come to our com
e mon schools. A better class of teach
ers of necessity creates a better elias
of schools and if public opinion doe
: not go ahead in elevating the school,
the schools thus improved will bege
better state Of public opinion in re
gard to them. Hitherto there ha
n not been, aud there is not now a sui
b ticiency of first class teachers to ii
the schools; and hence many school
'e are taught by to some extent, in
competent teachers. We look TO tn
State Normal School to supply thi
long felt want. | expect it to with
draw many teachers from their wor
!, next winter; and thus, for the time
= make the supply of teachers smaller
t but in time it will make Iaymen
with interest.
In the matter of grading there ha
been great progress made in distric
!. No. 5, (south SCHOOL, of Plattevill'
o and in the school OF Boscobel Thes
two schools, during the year, wer
qnite thoroughly graded, and the Ia
Dor in them systematized. The oil
er schools have not changed in Obi
ID particular. The two schools &