Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-01-12
More About Examinations.


desire to participate in it, 1 concluded
after some reflection, to remain SILENT
The article published in last week.
CHRONICLE has caused me to reconside
my determination, and / now offer you
short paper on the subject of school, ex
aminations.
Idesire to have it distinctly understood
that personally 1 have no cause to com
plain of the school examiners. I hav,
been treated rs ~courteously and as fairly
as others. While 1 take great pleasure
in avOwing that I have no personal feel
ings in the matter, / must also say, il
truth, that the mode of conducting oul
public school examinations is not, in my
opinion, worthy the high praise bestowed
upon 1t by "Bann,' of Hartford, anC
~" of Rowland. One Of these gentle,
men writes in stereotype phrases "of oul
worthy examiners" of examinations
conducted in an honest, upright and i'm,
partial manner" This is all very well
only it reads like an editorial the day
before election. 1 have 40 doubt about
the honesty or uprightness of the exam
liners, and 81" might have spared him.
self the trouble of offering a special plea
in their defence. But l should like tC
know by what right they withhold GER
tihcates from applicants whose money
they receive, and who pass a satisfactory
examination. This statement no doubt
will be denied. But the readers of the
CHRONICLE will remember, that n OF
the examiners announced over the sig
nature of Oh" that only certificates
enough TO supply the schools of the coun-
ty would be granted. 1 aver, unhesita-
tingly, that this action of the examiners
cannot be justified or defended. Pecu-
niarily it is a swindle, and morally an
i-nexcusable wrong. Any person oflaw-
full age, of good moral character, who
pays the usual fee, and who sustains a
satisfactory examination, is entitled to a
certificate, no matter what NAV be the
number of applicants. What right have
the examiners to the teachers time and
money, when it is determined before the
examination that a part of those qualified
to teach might be rejected under the rule
announced by Mr.. "H." If AZ" of
Rowland, or "Bann," of Hartford, will
explain this matter, and show in what
way it harmoniZes with impartial exam
nations, they will confer a favor on
many teachers. L am willing to admit
that the announcement made by "H."
through the columns of the CHRONICLE,
that certificates would not be granted in
excess Of the number of schools, was not
strictly carried out. But the statement
that such a course would be pursued, de-
moralized the young teachers, and pro-
duced dissatisfaction with the remainder.
The long time r~equiredStO make out
and forward the reports after a public
examination, has been a source of annoy-
ance to teachers, and is another cause of
complaint. In my own case, after one
examination, l heard nothing from the
board for three weeks, and 1 have been
informed by other teachers, that some
times four weeks are required TO make
out the reports. In the meantime the
schools may all be taken, and if the APP
plicant is fortunate enough to get a GER
t~ificate, it comes too late to be of any use.
Teachers, I think, would be willing to
give the examiners as long a time to re-
port as might be required to write a Pres
dents message, but three or four weeks
is certainly a long time in which to ac-
complish Sc small a piece of work.
I do not agree with some teachers in
Directing to questions asked by the ex-
aminers, although they may not pertain
to the branches taught in our common
schools. They are, no doubt, asked to
test the general intelligence of the teach
er. Such questions are, in my opinion,
eminently proper and important. But
questions which imply a knowledge of
astronomy and philosophy, such as the
procession of the ~equinoXeS, the phenom-
and of dews &c, are not readily under
stood by the younger teachers, and are
of no particular advantage to the older
mes.
1 have recently come to the conclu-
sion, very reluctantly, that a large pro-
portion of the teachers of Trumbull
county are dissatisfied with the eNamin-
atoms. Imake this statement with some
hesitation, because it enyolves a cues
ton of numbers, and numbers should
be eIdet. There are, however,
teachers in the county, who I'M
equivocally sustain the examiners. I
have before referred to "Bann'' and a."
These writers and accomplished teachers
have been alternately teaching, and at
tending College al Oberlin, during a
period of three or four years. They are
not only thoroughly versed in the COM
mon English branches taught in our
schools, but they have also studied
philosophy, chemistry, astronomy, alge-
bra, and so on through the list. These
two teachers, who intend in a year or
to graduate, commend the eXamin-
nations. They came before the board
of examiners, armed with credentials
and influences not possessed by the
other teachers, many of whom are as
well qualified to teach common schools,
but who found very little favor with the
examiners. If c~ollege-bred teachers,
and examiners constitute q mutual ad-
miration society, its influence can only
be ~prejudicial to the less favored teach
ers. These facts should have weight in
the value of their commen-
1 beg leave to quote a sentence or two
from "J'' Of Rowland in last weeks
CHRONICLE. ''The teachers of Trum-
bull county" he says, ''shall consider
that we live in an age of progress, and
the intellectual standard of a teach
er should be raised in proportion as
other things advance" Perhaps he
explain what he means by the
intellectual Standard; a clear idea of it
would be very gratifying. He goes on
to say: "Certainly more intricate ques-
tons should be asked us than were ask
ed five or ten years ago. I would re-
spectfully ask "J' what progress has
been made in arithmetic, grammar,
or reading during the last
five or ten years. He, undoubtedly, has
made progress. so he thinks the world
has. Ifhe can explain why more intri-
questions should be asked teachers
than should have been asked five
or ten years ago, he will throw light on
q very misty problem. This talk about
the progress of five or ten years, and
that more intricate questions should be
asked than that remote age could COM
prehend, might be referred to as a sub
lime instant of self appreciation. 81"
also writes about ''other things adYanc-
if he means by that the price of
dry goods, and groceries, or .. S. Bonds,
the sentence will be perfectly clear.
Still I am in doubt whether that is actu-
ally his meaning. After all / am sure
that some kind of progress" is at the
of ii.
Shades of Humboldt, Bacon, Lock,
Newton, Boyle, D&vy, Laplace, Lavoi-
sien, Lelande, Chaptel, to the rescued
Your laurels are being torn by ruthless
hands from your brows, and the pro-
gress of the mighty present will soon
leave you so far out of sight, that your
names, no longer worthy the pen of the
historian, will be forgotten by the philo-
generations to come. Before 50"
boasts again of the progress of this age
learning, it might be we'll to contem-
plate the -tfanscendent minds of the past,
bravely battling with error, with scho-
delusion, with priest-cFaft, with
superstition, and behold what miracles
Of labor they accomplished. l merely
venture to make the suggestion.
Jan. 10th, 1870. SYBIL.
Orphan Children OF Ohio Soldiers.