The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-05-05
SCHOOL HINTS AND HELPS.
FREE EDUCATION.

MAY MEETING OF COUNTY BOARD.
MESSAGE OF THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
TON OF TEXT BOOKS AND OTHER IAPoR-
TAST ACTION.
The county board of education met at the
Office of the superintendent, as required by
law. at 9,o'clock yesterday. By decision
of the attorney general, the city board Of
school commissioners OF Indianapolis are |
entitled TO seats in the county board. But
as the interests considered lie almost wholly |
outside the city, only few members at
tended from the ci.y, very properly Iesyihg
township trustees. There were present w. /
8. Smith. superintendent, VIM. Hunter, of
Warren township, L. Harding, Wayne, j.
n. Smith, Washington, f. +. Norwood,
Perry, ]. Coble, Pike, Charles Johns. Center,
Jaoob Horner, Decatur, s. NJ. Houston,
Iryinrton. Dr. Youart, A. II. Brown, Mr.,
Bamard, Q. vonnegut and W. A. Bell. The
SUPERINTENDENT, Mr.. Smith, read a careful
MESSAGE TO THE BOARD.
C3ESrIEMEN OF THE BoARD:-In obedience to
the aw of our state you are assembled In this
second meeting for the consideration and the
determination OF important matters. Our func-
tioIs are too well defined In the law 70 need re-
cap,tuIation here at this time. We are much
better prepared for action than we were eight
months ago since we have all learned something
Inconvenience and responsiveness Of proceeding
i without a plan. In our meeting in
s sTPseiI Agreed upon code Of rSies.
But we aid nothing towards harmonizing the
mater Of wages or agreeing upon s q ihin ses
corporate board 10 consider; and great good can
be done by attending TO them to-day. 1t is not
s sin in the many years Of the past harmony
has not been sought. But it win be profitable %
point Out the possibilities for their cure. Some
townships have beautiful new school-houses
w Snr1itu nre others other have old and rlcfety
pens, with nothing decent about
them. Some have a few schools densely packed
tifI houses and small and lifeless schools. One
township had a session Of five months, one Of
i've Of eight months. II is TOO late TO prevent
this by wise legislation. as IL might have been
o. an Es os Gs or
ear we improve ite The fault lies in
the want OF care In locating the school
ourmOre teachers; while Wayne has six too
many. There are two schools In Center town
shio two in Pike, one In Washington and two
i'm Berry that ought 10 be disbanded and alb
sorDed in the schools adjoining them. 1t is bet
t6as of the same material to make three small
schOois and keep up three houses. Ieacners
shonld not have charge OF more than forty
III, tSTeniv-fiye 20 carefully examining
the averages you will find the best at
tenisnce in the middle sized schools
On. such school reports il pupils who have NOT
been tardy during the year, another 10, one IL,
one 10 and one q. These are better results than
haze been achieved in the fuller schools. Inc
philosophy of II is in a school of thirty forty
pupils. the teacher has enough to excite a
heslthy emulation, and yet not too many for CT
rec and personal influence. So IL you will di-
vide your aggregate school enrolment by 49,
yoJ may determine ABOUT the number OF teacn-
ersyou ought to have. II we could get the en-
tir, 900 pupils of the county into the
schools, we should need $50 teacher.
are furnished with some cheap and unreliable
traps which little better tnan none. Every
wdI res ulated school should have a good clock,
which will mark the accurate time, and by
Which the program OF the teacher can be
inside thing OF au hority; Several exec lent
most valuable plans of work, simply through the
wrthlessness of the black-boards. These can
mer, at an inconsiderabIe expense. The
past year is perhaps the first in the history
OF the schools wherein the houses have not been
greatly abused. There are desks in Pike and
Wayne townships, the tables of which have been
mere than hall Wnltt lat AWAY, VIII R0ck S
adopted among the rules one forbidding the
teacher to leave the house during the noon
expected Scarcely any furniture has been
broken during the year; and II Is very
again as they have been in the past So / think
il will pay to put them all in first class order.
townships the best of the houses have been
forcibly opened and some pIllaging has been
done. This might be prevented by putting on
both sides, and thea securing the door as
carefully as we secure our nome nome
school house to furnish i on tho cheap
A good house with good appointments will out
wear a half dozen cheap shanties, and in the
long run
COST NOT HALF THE MONEY.
A broken window causes increased expense in
fuad A had ,of On ba Of ha nj star
ing. Poor seats weaken the efforts OF tn,
teacher to maintain order. Green fuel or
broken stove endangers the health and impair
the temper Of both teacher and pupils
In fine, the school premises and &C
commodafions in frst-class condition ar,
There is one mouse in Warren township who's,
wood finish within Is beautifully grained and
vanished and whose seats and tables are a
comfortable as the sofas in our parlors. Tina
house will stand great many years without in
jury from pupil. Children love beautiful
things too well TO mutilate them. So, too, th'
better pride of the teacher is warmed to life by
the presence of refining things; and new de
sire springs up to keep the good house in order
Perhaps the most important thing the truste,
has TO do is, TO select and hire the teachers. W.
are sadly behind our neighbors i'm this particu
lar. One trustee pays prices all the way from
s2 TO 81 per day, and another pays from 81 to 81 %
Others pay ali alike; and no two trustees follow
teachers; A managing 60 pupils, and mis-
managing s; A holding "a months licen-e
expe e1e tor bnaehsiine his rst year tob
A receives SIS a month, and ditto. Their,
ought TO be some method agreed upon by
which teachers could be engaged at rates CIR
responding with their intrinsic value. "A car
penter OF ten years experience Is worth mors
than the raw beginner. In carpentry, he who
is industrious, conscientious, and devoted To hi
trade life work, is worth more than on,
who drives a few nails while preparing foe tn,
law or the medical profession, and in hiring
teachers as in engaging carpenters thes'
points should be observed. How long has the
a taa ia IL ar
ship. as indicated. by the length OF license
How long has he taught In the county How
many pupils does he enroll and keep In attend
ance7 How faithful Is he to the county anC
township instituted How premPt aud indus
trious Is he in the discharge OF his duties In th'
school room? How free Is he from nauaeOu
and disgusting habiis7 These items, or some
thing similar, might be taDulated by a commit