Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-10-23
Secretary French'S Address.

t. Hall Of the House of Representatives
en- Tuesday evening, before members of the
Legislature and others who took q sufficient
interest in the subject TO be present. 1t
was a carefully prepared review of the
school situation, with condensed statistical
information illustrative Of the operations
of the present school laws, and suggestions
as to further Improvements.
The entire school population of the State
was given at $1,000, with 2,645 organized
school districts and departments. The per-
manent investment in school houses was
estimated at s ,265 ,3S7, and the total cost
of schools for the school year, including
the expense of books, at an average of one
doIla- per scholar, apd six per cent. inter
est on the amount invested IN school build
ings, was placed at S630,000.
Under the head of Teachers and their
qualifications" the Secretary proceeded to
give some what in detail the operations and
results Of Teachers Institutes and Normal
Schools. The number OF enrolled members
at the Institutes show small per cent. OF
increase for the past three years, previous
to which time no record had been kept /;
the number in 1872 being 1902, and the
attendance being % per cent. against
65 , per cent. in 1870. The increase
in membership, total attendance and daily
attendance, though small, was regarded as
j favorable indication Of increased interest
in these auxiliaries to our schools. There
we're also, besides teachers, "a Town Su-
perintendents present at these Institutes IN
1872, against Al one year ago. Free en-
tertainment was provided for those IN ct
tendance by the people of the localities
where the Institutes were held, amounting
In the aggregate to s 8S4 days in two years.
The Indifference of some Town Superinten-
dents was regarded as "a prominent obstacle
to greater usefulness. The law of 1870,
making it the duty OF these Superntendents
TO make the local arrangements for the ses-
sions in their several counties, has general
y bee1 well carried out, which had materl
ally ightened the Iaoors Of the Secretary.
But the very small per cent. OF attendance
by Superntendeuts upon the Institutes
only - GU; OF 229-dld not speak well
for the interest which thus class Of officials
take IN the schools. Another fact in con-
uection with this, as gwen by the Secretary,
from the records kept, was that the lar
.cst attendance OF teachers was from towns
where Superiutendents were most constant
IN their attendance at the Institutes; ami
mat several towns, whose Superintendent
we're not seen at all at the Institutes, were
not represented by a single teacher
lud f-rcuce OF some teachers was next
iwelt upon Two classes seem to avoid
the Iusltutes-sone Old teachers VINO re
gard them as very well tor young and also
or inexperienced teachers, but OF no value
10 others: and class VINO fear they may
be called upon to DO something which they
ftei cousc Gus they are not competent TO
DO. But the Secretary believed that out
Ot the 262 teachers who attended the
Institutes the iast year, not more than fifty
can be found who failed to appreciate the
saue of these gatherings. lie gave as an
u .ustratiOu Of what some wIdC-awake teach
crs wod.d do to attend the IuStltutcs-thc
case oil two young ladies IN WIndham
county who travelled sixty miles across the
country, by stage and private conveyance.
to be present At the session at Townshend,
and that they felt well paid Tor the effort
they We obliged to make to be there
Prudential committees are not always
friendly 10 the Institutes, as tn law gives
teachers the right to close their schools
and attend the County Institute without
deductlng anything from their time. In
some instances committees have oIbidden
their teachers to attend, and. TO avoid
trouble, these teachers have usually waived
their egaI right. Secretary French ad-
mittcd that this opposition was growing
. = h.
+ discontlnuauce of school for five days
was not only a deduction OF so much time
out OF the school session, but loss of pub.
+ lie money, which is divided " IN proper
+ ton to the aggregate attendance among
( the various school districts. The bad
effect of breaking up school for 4 week
and in some instances 1t must occur dur
/ ing the last half, or near the close of a
I term-was a serious objection, and from
! the want Of uniformity, an injustice &c
. to some districts. The conclusion on the
whole gas-which of course must be re-
garded as the views of the State Board
that the law regulating Teacher Institu
ties discriminates against districts 10 the
distribution of the public money, in pay.
ing for services not rendered, and IN the in.
furious effect upon the school, from closing
It for a whole week during term time. Tt
obviate these objections, several modiica-
tons or alterations of the law were pro.
posed reducing the terms of County
1 Institutes to two days, to be held early il
the winter teachers to attend them, il
during school session without loss O.
time, and authorizing teachers to add Il
. RI D aftapA,pna g. -
days OF attendance as shall equal the daily
average attendance multiplied by the
number CT days spent by the teacher il
attending the Institute; this latter provi
sion securing districts against loss o
pubic money. Another provision sug.
gested was, to require the Secretary Il
uold three State Institutes annually, O
three weeks each, in different parts OF tn,
State, dur NJ the spring and fail, when bu
few schools are in session, and also tC
confuc the examination Of teachers io
Institute certificates to these State Insti
tutes, and to such only as attend then
through the entire session, With these
notifications 1t was thought the destitute
sys,rm would work well and accomplish
all It's friends claimed for it, furnishing /
larger number of teachers, better qualified
for their WORK, than can be secured under
exl sting laws.
The Secretary proceeded to tortify his
position as to the Importance OF Teachers
Institutes by giving some brief extracts
from the OPP mons OF State Su erlntendents
of Public Instruction and Secretaries OF
State Boards of Education Of other States
y review of the present method of exam
lining teachers in this State was next
presented, and copious extracts from the
laws and practices of other States, includ-