Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-11-05


will nresent themselves. vi no" i''ue w"
so,,,a,o. this functionary is, is shown ny '''e
fac, that the procuring of certlica'e If
g. ..,s.,ored until the term of school Is
well under way. The little paper when ne
e,ruisbes is regarded mere matter Oh
firm a convenient thing to show to lhe
T,,rn Treasurer when request is mace 'or
nav That the Office OF Superintendent as
at present limited, is perfunctory and well
nigh useless, is painfully felt by all those
who are worthy to fill it. If they reject ap- 4
nlicants at the late hour at which they ap- ]
ply, they not only disappoint some we'll
meaning bat ignorant young persons ana
their friends. but offend their fello" oiiclaiT'
the District Committees, and cause real III
convenience to whole neighborhoods' oy Fe"-
son of the delay incurred in hunting up"
new teacher. s. certificates are signed "heh .
examinations have been an entire ial4ure
and this is frequently done without any eH-
o,nirs,;oD at all. frequently, too, the can
didate has bat to prove, or to say that So1'
where at sometime, he did actually receive
a certificate to teach whereupon the oolls- /
in, official gives him fresh one with his
signature attached Such cases, we trust /
are exceptions indeed, we know that there
are very many competent and conscientious
sunerintendcnts in The State men who could,
and would. do a vast amount ofgood in their
several towns, If only hey had the Po'0er'
But the power lies with the District Com
mittees. Their authority is almost absolute
in their special sphere.
And who are they? Smith, Brown, jones'
and 50 on to the end Of the list; anybody
that is to say, who lives in the district ana
has passed the voting age of twenty-one.
No where is the great democratic prlncipie
of rotation in Office more Tsrsistently followed
than in the school district And the prac-
tice might be a good one, if only the chief
end of the district organization were the po-
ltical education and training 81 the voters :
Since. however it is quite otherwise the re-
suits are often deplorable enough Ii two
ar three of Smiths friends Taught last year,
a. many of those Of Jones wife will get a
chance this year, and next year Brown
cousins will take their turns. This is not
ALWAYS the case, for Brown sometimes mas
M cousins, or none who aspire TO the teach
err. chair. But the school has no perma-
nenee there is no Course of Study pursued
and the children pass not seldom from the
instruction IN of a school ma am ~ who
can neither write nor spell, to that OF one
who knows little geography and less arith-
inetie. Hqud ignota loqHnI'ir,
How to stop all this; how to rid our
schools of incompctents, and put teachers IN
the Mace of keepers Of schools how to double
the efficiency Of our schools in single year
this we think all lies in the direction OF the
recommendations lately made by the Board
Of Education. and separately by the Secre-
tary. and 1--WE rejoice to add) cordially en-
dorsed by the Governor in his Annual Mes
sa,e In a word. we need to abolish the Dis
trrct System, and the sooner We do 1t the
better.
We have said that not more than one
fourth Of the would-be teachers were com
petent to their business. Now We are IN
willing to believe that Vermont cannot fur
nish better body of teachers than the great
majority of those at present employed. We
hold that the Public School should engage
the best attainable talent that As the State
has the means, 50 it is its duty, to see to 1t
that the schools under its special charge
should reach the highest possible degree OF
efficiency.
Now at what point shall We first labor, II
We would raise the standing Of the State
Schools? Shall We build new houses, and
supply them with improved furniture and an
abundance Of apparatus? Maniiestly this
will avail nothing, if the competent Teacher
be lacking. The Teacheris the school. The
good teacher Greats the good school. The
weak. ignorant. resourceless teacher will
wreck any school, whatever lis surroundings
and helps may be
How can we find the Skilled Teacher?
81. Get the graduate of Normal School, Is
the first answer; - be has had training he
NAV have skill But training does not al
ways give skill: and besides, we want twenty
where these institutions will at present fur
nish us one. Import them from abroad. y
Very good but to get the graduates Of the
Massachusetts, and New York Normal
Schools, you will have to treble and quadrl-
ple YOUR present salaries, and even then find
that you have gained but two or three teach
ers where you need twenty.
What more practical way can be suggest
ed than resort to Compet'tirs Examinations?
Throw all the schools of town open to the
widest competition. Examine any who will
apply-men and women, the experienced and
the novice; and let the bcst ,oin. In town
with fifteen schools there will be from thirty
to forty applicants. If the examination be
nroperly conducted, these can all be tested
| bv the Superintendent Tor specia! Commit
/ tee. of which he would be chairman) in from
| four to six hours and the result of the
( DAVIS work ought to be, the selection OF
! better corps of teachers than had ever before
/ been found in the town schools. 1t would
weed out, and forever get rid of. these liter
( ally helpless school-keeYers, who, though
possessed of No proper knowledge Of any one
/ thing which the Safe requires them TO teach,
vet contrive, for long years, TO trundle about
/ from school to school and from town to town,
pocketing the peoples money for work which
/ thew can rever accomplish, but which they him
der others, better qualified, from undertaking.
/ This method. We say, would deliver us from
these oJarucfions at a single stroke; and who
does not see that half the work would be
done? The easier half, perhaps; but we
must clear away before we can bald
/ In the case supposed, if fifteen were found
who came up to a proper standard, grant
| then certificates If but ten-as might
| happen-giye notice Of a second examination,
| and soh1f those who are thought 10 be quail
/ fled, To take it, What if the school should
/ seek a teacher sometimes, as well as the
teacher apply for school? lf a little urg-
/ Ing will not get the man you want, try the
virtue of small rise in the salary. The
school-keeper may be willing to work for
| 800 a week and - board round :" the
teacher may desire local habItation and de-
cent pay. Never mind the latter is the
cheaper, if you care anything for results
Having found the desired number of quail
fled persons, what next? Assign these
teachers to the several schools, with the
most careful reference to the size, grade and
condition of each school, and the special
qualifications of each accepted teacher. The
School in Number One may contain advanced
scbolars; Mr. \. is the only person who can
teach them. Number Seven has a large
primary department; Miss B. can train
these children as no one else on your list can
Fifteen is turbulent-needs a firm hand;
! 80 .-nr,r +r,od and tnstol dis.i inn rim