Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-05-14

the SAtAe CoHAmAesA0AeF OF OOmMH
schools.
Delaware county had. in 1867, one
hundred and hftY-one school house.,
valued at sixty-nine theusand dollars
These figures alone would show the
low character. of the accommodations
furnished to p youth, and the small
material attractions that the schools
must present Our limited bbsetVa-
.tions through tie anty ieadu Us to the
same conclusion. Most of the conn
try scheoI-houses that we have seen
are cheap buildings, old, in i'll repair,
meRnly furnished, with no out-houses,
uniRelosed, and often in lew, wet sitIi-
atiOns, selected, Because convenient,
at gBfie Crossroads, or on ground that
is fit for nothing else; Ees many Of
our people are beginning to recognize
the fact that the place where our chill
dren spend 50 many Of their hours
should be made attractive and pleas
ant. During the year, eight new houses
were built, at an expense 81 S6,pafk
This. though but little Tor a great coun-
ty, Is udttB beyond the former average
cost of our s~chOO1+houses, and gives
promise of better things. Tn some of
the villages Better houses are found.
For example, Galena, Sunbury and
Ostrander have recently built good.
brick houses, partly by subscription,
and have organized graded schools.
During the year 1867, there were 156
schools, and 7,2Sj pupils 5nFolled3 but
of these only 4,345 were in daily at
tendance. The number Of teachers
necessary to SUPPLY these schools was
1861 but S04 were, at different times,
employed, Of whom only ) taught h
same school throughout the year. This
constant change of teachers cannot out
be very injurious to the schools,
There are two prominent evils in the
working of our systematic too great
multiplication of sub-districts, and the
consequent employment of cheap and
Unqualified teachers. The remedy for
both evils is mainly in the hands of the
school 0Eaeefs Of the township The
intelligent clerk of one Of tire town
/ ships-hinfseIf che Of u best teachers
writes thus : "One of the great him
I ORANGES to good schools is the large
number of schools, and b small num-
Der of pupils in each. For instance,
Miss - reports only 81 in actual at
tendance. For many years this town
ship has had thirteen schools whereas,
if properly re=distficted; nine would
/ fully answer and the extra expense
for the thirteen poor schOCls would go
1 far to render the mine schools good
The price per scholar paid Miss -
would amount to five dollars per dleEa,
in a school of forty pupils and this
would secure a good teacher. One of
the evil results of poor teaching is the
small average attendance in urschoOls.
In one school last winter, in which six
ty-fve were enrolled, the average at
tendance was only fourteen. L enroll
ed forty pupils, and my average was
over thirty-eight. Without 4 boast Of
this, I wish to make this point, that a
/ good teacher viii seizure the attendance
1 of his pupils. \ smaller number of
schools, and larger pay, would increase
the competition, and elevate both
schools and teachers"
The number of persons desiring to
teach in this county is rapidly increas-
ing. In 1867 there were 81 applications
for examination, and in 1863, 4S4i but
the qualifications of the large majority
are exceedingly meager. Mere smat-
terers often apply for certificates to
teach what they do not themselves un-
~derstand, and in some instances have
never even studied. The examination
papers are sometimes painfully defect
i've and it is sac to think how low
must be the grade of our public schools
when such persons think themselves
fit to be the teachers. Some candidates,
indeed, even urge as q reason why ceK-
tifeates should be granted, hat it re-
quireS but a low grade of qualification
to teach in their particular districts;
and not infrequently local directors
have come with urgent appeals to the
examiners in favor of such applicants,
after they have been once or twice re-
jected. Some candidates, as if con-
| scious of their unfitness. make appeals
to the sympathies of the board, on the
ground of poverty, helPlessness, or de-
pendent friends-appeals that are some
times quite touching; and painful to re-
fuse. Yet b examiners deem it the
pIainest obligation of their office to.
protect the schools against all sue in
competent teachers. Of the 4S4 appIi-
cations during the past year, they re-
jected 176.
The minimum qualification fixed by
law is 50 low that it might seem within
the power of every candidate to reach
it but, unfortunately, facts show that
the majority of the applicants do not
thoroughly master it. If the law did
not prescribe a knowledge OF geogra-
phEandEngIIsh grammar, it is safe to
say that one half of our country teach
ers would never seek any acquaintance
with these branches. Though required,
as a condition of license to teach, they
are practically almost ignored IN the
work of h schOol-room Even arith-
metic, the hobby of most teachers, is
not generally taught. A teacher viii
evidently have no taste or inclination
to teach things of which he himself
knows next TO nothing. OF our 1926.
pupils, only one-third (2,SI0) are taught
| arithmetic, either mental or writers;
only one-fourth Q,7T9) are taught geog-
raphy and only one-seventh G.14O are
taught English grammar. Nor will
this state of things improve until we
get teachers of larger culture n more
general information. u rs
Yet, while these are facts, Ietsus not
do injustice to the teachers. Their de-
hciencieS are, in many instances, rather
their misfortune than their fault-the
result of the poor instruction which
they have themselves received from in
| competent teachers. 1t is simply the
old defects prOpagating themselves in
| n nnw class Of tpaohars ThnU have
never seen any better modelwith which
to compare themselves. They have had
miserable instruction in their nome
schools, and are unable to attend eX-
pensive schools away from home. The
younger candidates, with few adVan-
| tages for self-cu1ture, few books, and
few OF no educational journals, scarce
ly know how to apply themselves to
private study with much profit. The
examiners are convinced that many
candidates whom they feel compelled
to reject, have done as we'll as they.
could to prepare themselves for teach
ling, and have yet failed. And here one.
/ of the defects of our State school SyS-
tenn forces itself upon US. For such
lpersOnS the State ought to provide just
b aid they need and cannot get in
/ our common schools. Weneed normal
| schooIs-free normal chools-for those
who are willing and struggling to fit
themselves to teach, and lack the OPP
pOrtuR1ty. How much normal schools
| are needed, and how certain to I'M
prove the qualifications of the teachers
and the usefulness of the schools, is
shown by the popularity of teachers
institutes, and the success that has uni
formIy attended these efforts of the
teachers toward a better professional
culture. An institute was held in July,
1868, at Sunbury, in this county, con-
tinuing~two weeks. Over one hundred
names were enrolled; and the mem
bers seemed to attend with increasing
interest and profit. OF a class of more
than forty who applied for examine.
ton at the close of the institute, all
were passed but three-a proportion
much greater than is ordinarily passed
classes Of undrilled candidates.
4 But the thing most needed for the
Improvement of our country schools is
a good system of supervision. Nothing
would more rapidly, more uniformly,
elevate our schools and promote their
success, than the establishments Of
county superintendency. Not only
---II 1C-,.atant cTTnnrinfnn6anf DO