Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-02-23
The Town system of Schools.
GILBERTvILLE, Mass. }
February IA. 1871. {

| SCHOOLS, anu only Que OF LWo SeHtureu u
inquire how it was going tc overcome Ger
tain difficulties, which stand in the wa,
of success in so many schools. "CitiZen
asked some very sensible questions, an,
those who recommend the system SO un
qualifiedly should be pressed to answe
them couclusively. The writer once sup
posed that the Massachusetts, school sys
tenn, and the schools under it were jus
about perfect, but after teaching both il
! Vermont and Massachusetts, and now act
| ing as one of the town committee in thi
State, he finds there is something to say
against this town system as well as for it
I would like to repeat the question o
"Citizen" and ask how the attendance il
I to be kept up when the distance lis to bt
increased to two or three miles To say
that team might be sent around aftel
the scholars as farmers do after the mill
for the cheese factory, does not max,
! it sure that one will be sent, ant
think the experiment generally prove
that it is not sent, So far as my observa
tion goes the schools here are not any
more consolidated than under the District
system; but now, az then, the small
schools get cheap teacher sent them by
the town committee. am sure some oi
them could not have had cheaper teachers
when they provided for themselves,-
they did they were truly to be pitied.
Another advantage claimed is, that il
will secure better school houses This il
no doubt true. The school houses here
especially in the small districts, are much
superior TO those in similar districts in
Vermont. They are built with more re-
gard to convenience and comfort than tc
cost. I agree with Mr.. Sanborn in say.
ing that many of our Vermont schoo,
houses are "a Disgrace to the State, and
remember that all of my district school
days were spent in one of the very worst
Of them.
Another advantage claimed is that by
the town system better class of teachers
will be secured. The result in most towns
proves this to be in no wise the fact. The
committee will take the money appropri-
ated by the town always little enough,
and employ the best teachers they can sf-
ford for the larger schools, and send cheap,
inexperienced teachers to the smaller
schools, and in the end they find they
have no better teachers than they had be-
fore, while it has cost them great deal
more.
In the first place there are comparative
ly few good teachers to be had, and
the town system will not make them any
more plenty. Let the public demand
Normal schools, and the demand for teach
ers be for Normal graduates and none
other; then we may expect to see high
er grade of teachers created.
In the second place the better class Of
teachers can not be secured unless they
are paid better wages and this cannot be
so well afforded under the town system as
under the district system. Under the
latter the prudential committee ordinar-
lily receives no compensation, and the in
oidental expenses of the school room are
reduced to minimum, while under the
former hundreds of dollars extra must be
for committees services, and for
the higher prices that must be paid for
fuel, etc. Of course we should expect the
better grade of schools if we employed the
better class of teachers But does the re-
suit in the rural towns here in Massachu.
setts prove this to be the fact? !. e. that
we have the better teachers and so the
better schools under the town system.
By any good Normal standard, the forth
coming school report of this town would
have to say that it was twenty FIVE years
behind time in its schools. But how is it
with other towns? 1 open the last State
Report, and as I glance over its pages l
find such expressions ss these from the
deeply convinced that too little pro.
gress is made in our schools for
the time and labor employed;' reason
given, Improper method of instruction
so commonly pursued" Another, ITO
teachers You need more thorough pre-
paration for your work; we advise you to
pursue course of study in some one of
the Normal Schools of this State" An
other, SIT will not be policy for this town
much longer to look at home for teachers
unless such can be found as have been
educated at Normal School" Another
admits that they have to take imperfect
ly educated and inexperienced young
ladies and permit them to learn the art of
teaching by practice on our children,
without any professional education for
their work. and others of the same i'm.
port might be added. This is not to show
that Massachusetts, does not have good
schools. but that the very same Difficult
ties and defects which are found in Yer
mont schools do actually exist here.
Again, repeat the town system does
not secure to the schools in the rural
towns Of Massachusetts any better class of
teachers nor any higher grade Of schools.
The town system has it's advantages, but
think that it is of the most use in large
towns having large schools. The speakers
love to illustrate by the graded schools of
Rutland, Brandon and Middlebury. By
:he town system the taxes would be high
II and the smaller schools would fare no
better. What would be a good system
or the large schools Of Rutland might not
,e good for the smaller and more scatter