Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-04-18
EduCatiOlia1.
OFFICE SUP'T. PUBLIC INSTRUCTION,
RALEIGH, March 90, 1878.


RALEIGH, March 90, 1878.
To the Boards of Examiners; -
By the fwenty-ninth section of the
School Law, ssThe School COMMITTEES,
shall in no case give an order for teach
ers' wages unless the teacher produce
certificates of mental and moral quail
fication from the Board of Examiners,
dated within one year of the time"
It is evident from this section that
certificates heretofore given by County
Examiners cannot be used by teachers.
For the purpose of making this known
to teachers respectfully recommend
that the Boards Of Examiners for the
several counties appoint day on
which they will examine teachers and
give certificates.
You will please fill the blanks in the
inclosed notice with such date as you
NAV deem advisable, and cause the
notices, signed by the Chairman of
the Board of Examiners, to be posted
through the several townships in the
county
The meeting held under this notice
may be regarded as a regular meeting
provided by law for the first Tuesday
in January. At every regular meeting
of the Board of Examiners, especially
at the first. the Examiners should all
be present to determine the mode of
examinations, and agree upon the
standard of mental and moral qualif-
cations which they Will adopt in grant
ing teachers certificates.
The Boards of Examiners hold the
KEY to the success of the system of
public instruction. It is due alike to
the taxpayer, to the teacher and to
parents, that tests should be applied
which will vigorously and certainly
exclude from the profession of teach
ing every incompetent and unworthy
applicant. Adopt a high standard
and adhere to it. Do not yield to the
idea that if competent teachers cannot
be found, certificates must be given to
This is d fatal idea. It is fatal to the
SUCCESS of public schools. The law
makes it a duty to give Certificates
to al applicants of sufficient moral
! and mental qualifications" and to no
; others. Il you make the standard
p: high, applicants Will come up to it,
sooner or later. 1t is better that the
! school funds should remain i'll the
: county treasury than be wasted by
! giving to incompetent teachers.
; ! most respectfully recommend and
. advise that teachers certificate shall
/ hereafter indicate Will, certainty
J. That the holder is Of good moral
character. -,.
,. That he is, familiar with all the
branches OF study named IN his ccrtif.
! cate.
). That he knows how to teach, and
+ how to make and keep Il school regis
-tci.. and how to govern a school.
! Every applicant for third grade
certificate should stand an approved
examination on the sounds of the
marked letters, and in spelling, read
nag, writing and arithmetic. All the
sounds Of each vowel, and the marks
BY which they are distinguished, ant
words III which they occur should bt
given ~ each applicant. Fifteen
twenty or thirty words should b
named, and the applicants required t.
speilthemin writing. An appGcan who
spells more than one-fourth of the
words wrong, should be rejected.
Every applicant who cannot read in
diligently and fiuently and express thu
sense and meaning of what he reads
by proper emphasis and intonations O
the rliee should be rejected. Ever,
applicant VIVA cannot write a goo(
/ copy hand and who does not know how
10 make and keep a school register
should be rejected.
Every applicant who cannot explain
tie principles of addition, subtraction
multiDlicltion and division, recite tn,
multiplication table and the tables O.
dvnoninate numbers, ond explain tn,
principles Of vulgar and decimal frac
toms. ,:liGrld be rejected.
Every applicant for second grad,
certificate should stand an approved
examination on all the branches abov,
named. and iii addition thereto on Eng
i,i1 grammar, descriptive and physi
cal geography arl} map-drawing, Eng
Lsh composition, history, book-keep
ing ana arithmetic completed.
Every applicant for 4 first grade Ger
1ij;cate should stand an approved ex
animation on all the branches named
for second and ,h:rd grade certificates
and III addition thereto, az drawing
algebra, geometry, surveying, nas.ra
philosophy, astronomy, chemistry, ply
siology and botany.
II the Board of Examiners will a
dopt the standards which the law re
qliires, and give certificates only t.
apj, iicants OF sufficient moral and men
tai QUALIFICATIONS, their action in thi
respect viii NOT Only meet the approva
of the public, but il viii secure conf
dnrcc in orr public schools. Vhel
examiners yield the idea that certiii
Gates must be given to sufficien
4 1o,-
70 Incompetent persons. if competen
persons cannot be foundr-they simpI,
Weld 10 the ieda that If the school mo
ncv cannot be used, it may be wasted
. ! beg the examiners to adopt the idea
ps.r1 stick to 1t, that every teachers Ger
tift@ate given TO an incompetent or I'M
worthy person j. a license to ob.alr
! public money under false pretences.
= question arises here ia regard K
+ giving certificates 10 colorea teachers
Should the rigid rule here recon-
,n.l4aed Yield anything in their favor
! TIE r7:sc should not weld anything t,
Tho extent Of authorizing Incompetent
teachers; for co!oreI children. The
honorable character Of the work ana
. duty 81 cdlcating the colorcd people
is l.ccna4iHg better understood in this
and other States. Is 1t more deGra-
ding to instruct coiored children in
r...,ol than it is to preach to col.
oreI people II q church, or toinstruct
them to work On Il farm or in 81 manu-.
. facti,riug establishment The work
-: teaching is Il branch of industry
which ahorld be accessibleto such col
ored pcTa.,s,gas will prepare themselves
for j. : titiuk ti.ay should even have
Iii" preference LII ,tenol.i3G their own
Ta>:4 wherever they can be found quail
;i.rl il aai;icicnt numbers who atG
vii .ftilI;ficd eai,IIct be found, then
think de Board Of Examiners should
advise and encourage white teachers
wing are we'll qualified, to teach
..oIor"d children The public SEN
tilnent which would ostracise the
faithful, honest, competent white
teacher for teaching colored children
is alike Unwise, unhealthy and detri-
mental to the public good. The law
makes provision for educating ths
colored race the taxpayer recognizes
the wisdom OF that provision by vol
unfairly taxing his property to carry it
into effect The purpose of the law