The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-09-23
Address OF supt. wedswood.

.
At your meeting in February" an Invitation
was extended me to address the board" ct it
next meeting on "the educational interests o
La Sale County" l was glad then to receive
that invit .,ion. as am glad now to discharg
my duty under it.
I do not now desire to occupy the time of th
ho,rsb bodv il suloyizing the character Of tn.
public school system generally, but rather t.
spe Of Us working in l., Sale county.
While l ak, willing to ad init that some of oul
schools are justly condemned. and the Gualifca
lions of the teachers justly criticized, yet am
sure that in many instances the fault may be
traced directly to the doo. of the accuser.
have no desire to shield any teacher in wrong
doing, nor to excuse myself only ask that,
ere the taxpayer complains OF the ineff,iency OF
our schools, let him shly Investigate the
cause OF such complaints, and then let the blame
rest where il belongs.
kooN that the m as Of the people are honest,
and whenever any oompliut Is thoroughly un.
derstood by and lefr TO the people, it il sure 60
be ,smldied.
Tho trouble is that in m ,uy se. where diff.
eulties arise, the teacher has NOT an equ, chance
with the compliments 10 lay hi. before the
people of his district, hence the prejudice az ,ins,
him.
Ia L, Sale county are 900 school houses, in
which arc taught about $50 schools. About "a
OF this number employ two different teachers
each year, making the number of teachers in La
Sale county bat year GA. Now, ask, is it
surprising that Of this large number of te .ch.
ers some unqualified ones obtain situations ir
our schools.
Persons apply for certificates to teach, armed
with all kinds of excuses for their lack of edn.
cation. One has worked ut other business all
summer, and is "rustv"--he only wants to teach
three or four mos tbs in the winter. Another
has taught in Missouri or Kansas, always 80
Tar away that record OF her teaching is
kn0wn,) is nephew or brother of the director /;
has note from him stating that the school will
be much smaller this Year than usual, and that
they are unable to get another teacher at 30 low
wages. Another has been told by her teacher 90
many times that she qualified to teach that she
too really thinks it true, and finds not her mis-.
take until she has been refused a certificate, and
then, OF course, the examiner is blamed-he does
not knop h,S business.
Gentlemen, do these seem to you like idle
words! Follow me three months or NAV DO
60 into your neighbours house, and hea- the
pleading for certificates and the elanderiny be.
cause they are refused.
should not feel called upon to make these
remarks were not aware of the many com.
plants that are being made on account of nv
refusing to grant certificates.
During the past year | have examined $50 ap.
plicants, and have rejected 274 This is .xclu.
which l have no account. | have done this in
good faith and still believe it better to close the
school houses. If necessary, than to employ iu
competent teachers.
Again souo directors think that because It
person can obtain Il second grade certificate from
an examination, she il capahte of teaching re-
gardless OF the grade of school This is CHROME.
GUS. Directors should exercise some ud gnenr
IN hiring. There may be- pecu, ar crcums,ance
he, srhr lprr 81,
1t impraciicabe for her to to, ch school In che
district while she would do well in another
again she may answer every question Ia the
law requires OF her from books and still lack the
vital elements necessary to success in teaching:
still be repusive c, the children she il expected
10 Instruct, either through urcongenisl dis.
Posltion or rcs OF energy, better n,ncd, dt-iReSs
nave known Persons who were well educated
through some lndiscreet action, 10 agit.te the
minds OF The patrons of the school over some
Iooiish question that snonld awe been KEEP. out
OF the dlo'r,C, 10 such aa extent as 70 entirely
destroy Thai: asctulnes. Il &c scter il those
schools.
You say, We knew vi this before Hpx ,Lal!
we remed. iif Ia answer, then, | -4y be- IS
anxious concerning; yonr -cap1Is jetore as ctlsi.
the teacher has been hirri. Eject srhoo direct
ors who will lock more TO toe interests Of the
district tam TO ther perSy,tM interests Some
say, I'VE cannot tell whether t, person will
make good teacher until she has been rricd "
IL Ii the especial province Of Normal schools 70
NJ persons to teach. 1t is not claimed that all
persons may become good teachers, hence the
necessity OF trying them Somewhere outside OF
our public schools II We FIRST try them in oar
schools as teachers and they fail. they are p id
'1or Their time, while our children lose theirs
In the properly conducted Normal schools. per.
sons are bound to show .het capacity :or teach.
ing for weeks before a training teacher, who
Should say without fear or favor, whether ia his
OF her Judgment, the applicant promises the
necessary e. !ents to success in teaching
am aware that many poor toicherS come
rom some Normal schools, bat this only hap
pens when the real aim tor " hoh the school was
founded has beon perverted. Wherever Normal
SCHOOLS nave been established aud ably sustained,
the experiment has unifortnly resulted in sup
plying teachers Of superior order
AS in every other at, whose PRINCIPLES are rec
ouced to rule and maturod into system, the
Learner is rot limited to the slow aud .canty re-.
suits OF his single. anaided experience bu, is ut
once ehr''".d with the accumulated tr. .sur.rs
OF all who nave laborel in the same mine befor.
MN. without such IN opportunity he may be
compared with the medical practitioner, who
oohmences his labors without the knowledge of
any settled principles of biz art, but tx poets TO
acquire his knowledge of his profession in tA.
course OF his Practice. IL i. plain that the phy.
stefan needs, ut the commoa cement of bis care.r.
tnst knowledge Of tho healing art which cou.
tAihS the embodied principles Of those who have
Eono oeiore him and carried his profession to
.ne alshest degree Of excellence. No less does
t!e instructor OF as school need the wisdom OF
M PREDECESSORS 70 guide him at his first setting
OUT nor Can he any better afford to wait for the