Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1869-12-24
SCHOOL GOVERNMENT.

ED. REPUBLICAN-The Common
School System with proper Discip-
line depend for their success and
utility as much upon the character
and discretion of the teacher as upon
the pupil and parent. The teacher
should have good education, good
temper, and above all, well-select-
ed and large stock of common
sense; his rules reasonable and
easily underst pod; his punishment
for breach Of rules certain and pro-
portionate to the degree of the OF
fence. If Superintendent, he
should carefully investigate and
with judgment decide all questions
between teacher and pupil, and, if
necessary. see the parents or guar
dian and talk the matter over with
them, and if he is man of correct
thought and judicious action, he
will always be sustained in his de
cisions; if not such man, then
trouble and difficulty follow. 1t is
not true, as general rule, that pa
rents counsel insubordination in
school; yet when difficulties occur
between teacher and scholar, and the
teacher is clearly in the wrong. it is
the duty Of the parent to stand by
his child to the end that justice be
dcne. A parent who will not do
this, is neither a christian, nor fit
subject to have the custody and con
troll Of his own children.
The common orthodox view of
school government, viz: corporeal
punishment, as practiced in many
schools in this State, we think a
source of more difficulty, and does
the common school system more
harm, than the interference Of pa
rents or insubordination Of pupils
Mr.. Orthdox says to his child: eff
your teacher whips you, whether
deservedly or not, and you complain
or leave school, I will give you an
other much harder, and send you
back again.
The true theory is, that Teacher
as well as Scholar may do wrong.
Let us be mild, gentle and kind to
Notwithstanding the right and con-
demning the wrong in either-thus
intoxicating in the child the principle
of Right, that it may be fostered and
cultivated and become as it were a
part of the moral being of the child
This can only be done by sustaining
the child when right and condemn
it when wrong.
1t is urged by some that the Su-
|perintendent may suspend for q
time, and even dismiss the pupil
from school, for any disobedience,
however small. We answer, that
the courts have held that the teacher
or superintendent cannot suspend OF
dismiss at all The Board of Edu-
cation may for limited time, when
the offence is grave and serious, ol
the pupil ungovernable; and this is
upon the theory that the continua
ton of the disobedient scholar in
school works an injury to the balance
; Of the pupils.
, The remedy therefore is plain ant
J simple Let the Board of Education
, at once assert and maintain the righ
to suspend or expel, upon proper
, and full examination of the facts
, and thus keep the teacher within hi
} proper sphere. Nor is it the provinc'
of the Teacher to object to the siz'
and style of the school house; h,
; sees and examines it before engag
| ing to teach. Much less is it tn
business of those coming among u
, temporarily, for other and highe
f purposes (spiritual advisers) to cal
our school house "dingy, rickety
r utterly unsuitable" &c. The,
: should also examine such building
. before locating, and if not in accor
e dance with their aristocratic ideas
!, pass on to the next town. Thos
e who pay no taxes sometimes hav
Il very lofty notions about schoo
e houses, pay of teachers, DC. It
y not the fine and costly structur
t, that gives power and moral tone t
r the common school system. Th
character and lofty bearing of th