Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-11-07
Local Certificates and Permits
ny ". II. noLFoRD, COUNTY supr.. GRANT ,

makea few suggestions: Poor teach
ors cannot teach good schools and
good teachers cannot teach poor
schools. What the teachers are the
school will, in q great measure. be-
come II any pupils need good,
thorough, well qualified hive and wide
awake teachers. they are the back
ward ones; and if they do not have
such teachers, the great majority of
them will alway beback ward al ways
be poor scholars, poorly informed /;
and with very little practical knowl-
edge acquired at school
Yet many school officers and pat
rons of schools complain of poor
schools, and still send me earnest re-
quests, asking me to grant "local
certificates" or permits" to persons
that find in no way qualified to
teach school. | have in mind, now,
two such requests they are well
written aud hence | believe the school
officers to be well informed, and that
if they had given any attention to
the matter, they must have known
that the persons could not teach
Still, the following is the substance
and sentiment of the closing sentence
of these requests: "Our school is
small and very backward, and we
consider her competent to teach said
school" And | have other similar
requests not well written but contain
ing the same sentiment; and although
some OF these do not contain more
than eight or ten lines, they contain
as many very common words mis-
spelled, among which are old, sir, her.
please, loiH oeH, 10 a mot beginning
sentence or expression) taught. h, re,
&c. NC, written as follows 0uId ser.
hur pleas, ,cH 'cet, d., A, TAFT, hear.
l mention these things to show
that such persons are not qualified to
Judge ir such matters even though
they have examined said applicant,
but IN no case'do find that they had
examined the would be teacher IN the
least, and | do not mention these
things with the slightest intention OF
being disrespectfuI to the writers of
them, nor with any desire to suggest
that my judgment in general is any
better than theirs or even as good,
for it is quite likely that in many
things these same men display better
sense and soundcr judgment than |;
Still, | feel that, in this particular, /
have the advantage of them, and |
kH0,c that if | have not | am not fit
TO be county superintendent but
some one who is qualified forthe posi-
ton should occupy it, and carry ont
the intention Of the law.
At the present time | am receiving
many such requests, but | cannot di.
rectly comply with them, yet think
can help the applicants if they will
sustain my notion in the matter. Bat
shall first direct their attention TO a
few items of my instructions under
the law and from the State Superin-
tendent of Public Instruction. The
law, with o rise and beneU0lent inten.
ton, that of elevating and improving
our teachers and thereby the condi
ton of our schools. says that teach
crs shall pass a satisfactory examina
ton on the following named studIas
Penmanship, Pronunciation, Orthog
raphy, Grammar, Reading. Writer
and Mental Arithmetic, Geography
Theory amp Art Of Teaching (rheory
of Teaching aud Practice OF Teach.
ing), Z. S History and Civil Govern
ment, for third grade certificate
the lowest known in the law and foi
a second grade, IN addition TO this
Algebra, Physiology and Physica
Geography and for a first grade
two more studies are added. The
law also provides that third grade
certificate shall not be renewed. Thi,
is good and wise provision, one that
is in two ways calculated to cause
the teachers TO iml rove: First
thinking that they may want the
certificate renewed, and knowing
that if only third grade it cannot
be renewed, they will strive to obtain
higher grade secondly, if they do
not get higher, they must come
before the county superintendent
every year for examination, or not
teach and if he is what be should be
to occupy the position, live man,
know,ng and doing his duty,-he will
at each examination give the teachers
many valuable items of practical
knowledge, and many useful hints as
to ,chdt should be taught, how it
should be taught and ,chy it should
be taught; and suggestions in relation
to what should not be taught, and
ring; suggestions also, in relation TO
The government Of schools, aim OF
individual pupils; and in this way
the examinations Will be render ed
very advantageous to all who are
capable Of improving TO such an ex-
tent in this direction as to become
successful teachers, and those who
are not thus capable and who do not
thus improve, should be denied the
privilege of teaching, as the position
of teacher is one of too much import
ance 10 be filled by any but the most
competent; and through another
wise provision, the county superin-
tendent 10 given the power to put
the incompetent out of the ranks OF
teachers, and to keep them out for
the first sentence in the certificate
reads at is hereby certified that
- - has passed satisfactory
examination upon all points required
by law" &c.
The language is plain and so it
should be. But if those who desire
to teach absent them selves from the
public examinations for any cause
whatever, and particularly if from
fear of failure, which is often the case.
the law, although having the most
worthy intention, is defeated and
especially so, if the applicant be
granted 'local certificate" or per
nit, even though it be at the request
of all the school board and all the
voters OF the district for we have nc