St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-03-27

/ llNi~ vi tdCll OlllcT-lllt
teacher, or any body else and 50, day
after day. till '.school is done" Tie
scholars rejoice. the teacher gets his or
her pay" and goes home-cach wait
inc for the good time coming" of an
other term. What is such Il teacher or
school worth How many ciphers shall
place for the answer,
| 1t will cost YOU money, and it will
cost you terms of good teaching to undo
the evil, of one such term. Call this
-chonl teaching But have there been
such schools IN Burke the past year
Who will answer! Are those prepared
10 do it who have not visited their
school once during the year? ga word
To the wise Is suiiic,ent.' Let Inc an
-wer the question. You have not had
any school in Burke As highly colored as
my picture, but some few have ''looked
this wav;' but through timely efforts
something Of a change has tran>pred.
For II single moment turn we 10 j
brighter phase. | think facts will sus-
tain me in saving that a marked inn
provcment has been made in some schools
this winter, especially in reading. In
my first visits, early in each schoul-and
! | have visited each school in town this
winter at least twice, some more en-
deavorcd to impress upon the pupils the
almost priceless value OF good reading,
and the Importance Of reading as the
spirit of the writer dictated-not all alike,
III the SINE death-likc. monotonOus tone.
! Hence | made sclccIi Jns-of Il crave. e.
evatcd, mirthtul, sarcastic style-lOud
and soft, high and low. and tried to read
them. and hlve the scholars read them
all alike. and to show how ridiculous and
uon-cnsical such reading appeared; and
/ then TO enter into the authors feelings,
and read them, as nearly as possible. as
they should be. And this, | can truth
fully say: Your children, with scarcely
an exception, seemed to appreciate the
matter, and think their verdict will be
Improvement.
One thing more only will | mention
the nece ~itv of each parent and guardian
feeling Il more intense interest III lii,
complete education of every child il
town. And this should lie manifested by
personally visiting the various schools
By this plan some teachers would he re-
moved il they did not amend, and man,
tr;lch"r and child would be encourage
10 do better And this course wuu;
awaken a deeper interest, anG resui; in {;
yratcr Improvement IN another direction
in the election Ut Your school commit
zee. There are but few offices held in
town ot - treat importance rs di,tric
school committees, and any district thai
does NOT select It's best men, WRONGS tn,
chlir,n OF that district;
SIch should br selected. and il posi-
h,e, unanimously elected. and then finally
and mlntuliy Sustained. From such /;
cau~r another GOOD result ought neces>a
rlIy 10 follow: 4 selection of superior
teachers. tor such can be found. 1t ehou!,
never be said In Burke. such person
viii answer to teach in our district, iui
.Lr scholars are backward. An iucili lent
'c.,c,,er i .iu-t ,he one to keep them 50.
/. such must be employed. place them ii
our village schools, or most advance
un.~. where the children will be NOR,
likely 10 have better advantages hcrcat-
ter than those IN more rural districts
where. il IRON their surrounding rircum
stances thcv can harr but few education
al ;Ilaur ,9.-, lct those be Of Il high or
Ter. Bat here, - n .v.rything else, til,
best l. the cheapest"