Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-08-04
OUR SCHOOLS.
Report OF County school SUPERB m
tendent Smith.


EDs. JouRsAL:-I Lave completed
my summer round of visiting with the
exception of enc or two schools just be
gun. | have visited in all sixty six
schools. Owing TO my being mistaken
MS to the length of the term, one school
escaped the infection of my presence by
closing few days before | went to visit
it. Also another in distant portion Of
the county that was having vacation of
week while | was visiting in that local
ity. Six new ones have been organized
and started this season. AT this r tie our
good, old county will soon boast of
hundred schools.
The general prosperity Of the schools
has been respectable. There have been
very few downright failures. This sea-
son has afforded two unusual stumbling
blocks in the path of suceess-hot wealth
er and potato bugs. On account of these
two misfOriunes the percentage of attend
ance has been small
A large number of our teachers have
labored with very commendable spirit
and fidelity. Although there are, on &C.
count of the exigencies of the case, a
number teaching who would figure with
more credit to themselves and benefit to
Others in some other fielj-pcrhaps a
cornfeld, yet We have some that cannot
be beaten. A large portion of the bet.
ter class are females, and | wish to I'M
prove this occasion to suggest 10 school
officers that in my judgment there is an
unwarrantable preference manifested
among US for males as teachers of the
winter schools. 1t is true that we have
some first class male teachers but the
number of first class female teachers is
much larger. A superior female teach
er is worth infinitely more to district
than even a medium male teacher. [
sincerely hope that in my lators of the
coming winter | shall! find all our good
female teachers employed and enjoying
the remuneration equal for the same
amount and quality of work to tina: of
the other sex.
The most successful curse to our
schools is the number of our text books.
| think there is no school in the county
in which there is a uniformity of text
books. Almost every school is running
two kinds of geography. This makes
the teacher just double the work in that
department with 20 advantage gained
This Inconvenience was brought about by
the introduction of Guyot's Geography
Il geography that differs from the one we
were using only in being neaoer and not
nearly SO good. The strong weakness
that some constantly manifest for intro
ducing new school books in nine cases
out of ten works nothing but confusion
and trouble. The School Code warns
earnestly against this evil.
Another curse to cur schools is the
number of text books on study. There
are in use six books in Robinson's math-
ematical series. There should be but
three, two intellectual and one written.
Robnson's Rudiments of Arithmetic is
nuisance. Children aught not to study
written arithmetic at all until matured
enough to take the common school arith
me,ic. In Kerrs series there are four
grades of grammar. We need but one.
Scholars are not fit to study grammar
until they are in their last year or two Of
district school life. By being forced in
to it before they are old enough to un
derstand it they get a distate for it,
which is often never overcome. Guyot
has four biographies when two is all that
is needed. Tho only benefit accruing
from such swarms of books is to book.
makers and bookkeepers.
We often hear i: said that children are
not so good readers and spoilers as the
the children of twenty-five years ago
we're. This is probably true and arises
from the fact that they are crowded into
other things at an age when reading
spelling and writing aught TO be atten
ded to exclusively. When child Of
eight or ten years is fooliug with little
geography, little grammar and little
arithmetic, he has little interest left for
reading and spelling. Moreover, teach
err burdened With so many clas-
SEES as this legion of school books indu-
ces, has very little time to devote to read
ing exercises. The younger half of a
school ought to read four times day,
as it is they often read but once. Many
times we hear teacher say that n schol-
ar must have new book or new study
to revive his interest. The truth is
when a scholar is found With no interest
in his school ii is not new book nor
new study that he needs but new teach
err.
In closing this communication I take
occasion to express sincere gratitude to
those teachers who have labored so spir
itedly and faithfully during this season
in their high and responsible cslling.
"H G. SMITH.