The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-07-09

The agent notifies tho committee that inc
| school in district 81" clos@,-whcuf The day
Il closes, or sometimes the day before, and the
committee find two or three schools to b visited
the same day. 81 "
always performs, yet II Is often only half done.
An agent has no means Of judging Of the quail
fcations Of o teacher, no means Of judging
| whether she Is the best teacher for his school.
In the winter Of $50 the best teacher In Kit
terry taught In the smallest, dullest district,
| where 16 scholars attended, and was paid for
her services $50 per month. An efficient teach
or could have been secured for $50, and S67.-
| so would have given nearly 81 months school,
ing instead Of q months. and the best teacher
| in town could have been teaching school wor-
| thy Of her talents. gHfa .a.f.
How often an agent Is chosen to employ his
sister, aunt, neice, nephew, daughter, cousin,
| or some other Of his kin. Sometimes an agent
| is chosen because he has no relation to employ,
| but nine times out of ten, relations spring up,
like heirs to the dead mans property. -.
The committee have voice in the employ
| ment Of teachers. What is their peweri The
| committee decide whether the candidate Is quail
fled to teach schools and whether she Is suitable
for the particular school for which she applies,
that IL, the agent selects the teacher, and the
committee decide whether she will do. II would
be better, il seems to me. for the COMMITTEES to
select the teacher and for the agent to decide
whether he would employ her. I do not mean
to say that the agent Is best fitted to judge Of q
teachers qualifications, but In this way the
committee would have more power than now.
As the law now stands the committee have no
power to put the right teacher in the right place.
If the candidate has once taught, or passes n
medium examination, II IL great undertake
ing for the committee TO reject the applicant
The power of employing teachers should be
given to the committee, then the committee
could select the best teachers from all who APP
piled for schools. and having selected the requi-
site number, could put the right teacher in the
right place. Then you would not find $50
teacher in a school where $50 teacher would
do Just rs well, or $40 teacher where $50
teacher should be.
There Is another consideration worthy Of at
tention in hiring teachers. The committee is
never new, that is, only one of the committee
is chosen each year, so that the committee would
be likely to employ teachers that they had found
efficient, and they would take care not to leave
the best teachers out Of employment, or to put
them in schools not worthy Of them.
The custom which still fingers In some towns
and parts Of towns, Of employing female
teacher In summer and male teacher in win
ter, Injuries our schools. Females make better
teachers than males, and can be obtained at one
half or two-thiris the price. The change from
one teacher to another is injurious, and with an
eye to economy and the improvement Of our
schools, females should be employed summer
and winter.
The agent is to repair buildings, provide flu
n. e.. tnn tka H.
ly neglects his duty. The committee can per-
form this duty much cheaper than agents, for
having to supply all the houses with fuel, uten-
sis, &C., they could obtain them much cheaper
than agents. AS said at first, II the agent
perform his duties ever so well, his Office Is
needless. Often he does not attend 10 his du-
ties, and becomes q positive hindrancc to the
committee.
In town Of eleven districts certain powers
and duties are given to eleven agents and the
committee and selectmen, that is In seventeen
different persons, which could be better man.
aged, and that too ut much less expense 10y the
Com, alone, and So 900 are given to seventeen
men to spend. Do VIC do private business in
this bungling, clumsy, obsolete method! IT'S
true the agent does his work for nothing, and II
is Just as true that he gets oil the pay he de
serves. IL would, therefore, improve our schools
TO abolish the Office Of district agent, or IL we
must retain the agent, Mt least We ought to give
the power Of employing teachers to tho COM
mittee. "
The committee are the most important part Of
our school system. On the character of the
committee our schools depend, and We cannot be
too careful in selecting the right men ,-mcn Of
energy and progrcss,-men willing to work
hard for little pay. Never choose for committee
men who in the whole term Of Office make but
three visits and those visits to the sclcctmcn and
treasurer TO draw pay for doing nothing. Some
towns vote to pay the committee $40, or $50, or
S25 each, for their services each year. The |
State says that the committee shall be paid S1.6O
per day, and no less, and reasonable travelling |
expenses. One dollar aud fifty cents will never
cause man to seek the Office, or, II elected,
cause him to run up large bill. BY voting a
salary of twenty-five dollars. without any refer
cnce TO the amount Of work, towns have violated
State laws and allowed men TO draw their S25
without earning one cent. Nearly one-half Of
what money Kittcry raises is spent for schools,
and II Is very essential TO choose men to spend
this money who will dot judiciously, and main,
tain strict watch over our schools. There Is
no Office so important in the town rs that Of
school committee, consequently we should be
careful into whose hands we place the care Of
the education Of our children.
As result of paying committees fixed sale
ry, the towns are divided into three portions and
each member of the committee manages the
schools Of his portion. One Of the COMMITTEES
knows the condition Of onc-third only Of the
schools, no that all of the committee must be ac-
tive, interested men in order to have the schools
flourish. Eliot farms out her schools In this
way, and the schools arc poor. Kittery man
aged her schools In the same way, and they did
not advance. r..
Parents have important duties to perform. To
parents the committee look for support, and pa
rents should In all possible ways aid In securing
for teachers and committee the love and respect
Of their children. They should checrmlly aid
the committee to carry forward improvements.
How many parents there are who say they are
ready to do anything for the improvement Of the
schools, yet when asked TO send n note for schol-
ar's absence, refuse point blank, threaten to
prosecute the teacher. etc. How many parents
are ready to quarrel with the teacher, and quick
to refuse to supply the necessary text books, and
make the baseless and malign accusation that
the committee introduce new text books TO make
money. II is rs important for parents to visit
schools as for the committee. In this way only
can parents learn what progress the scholars are
making, what kind Of q school they have, and
Otner unihSs important ior parents W hho"'
Parents must also encourage their children by
daily inquiring into their progress, hearing them
recite their lessons, ascertaining II they are
thorough. Any teacher can select in her school
the scholars whose parents take proper interest
in the education of their children. Frequently
parents cry out against school they have not
yistcd, because their particular children are not
learning rapidly; judging the whole school by
from one TO four children. -...
have tried TO show plainly the defects of our
school system. The remedies are, abolish dis
tricts. II they are not abolished, give the COM
mittec entire control tf district limits. Next,
abolish the Office Of district agent II they are
not abolished, give the committee the power Of
hiring teachers. Care must be taken In the Sc
lection Of the Committee, and parents must 90.
operate with the committee and teachers, and
take the trouble to ascertain what their children
,yc doiny Finally look 10 your representatives