Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-07-01

tehaent Oi Common schools Of Jurssata
County, for the Tear Ending Monday,
June LIST, 1S7A
New EoUsEs.-Among TIE best evil
dences Of the growth of the Common
School System in our county is the dis
position on the part Of school directors
To build better houses than he, etofore.
Three good houses were built during
the summer of lSI3-one Ia Fayette,
frame structure, at a cost of about
Si5OO; one in Fermapagh. and one in
Milford, both brick, at cost of about
$500 each. These houses are cf suf
sicient dimensions, wei. constr ucted.
furnished with the patent Gothic desks,
and sufficient bIackbcsfd surface. Eaci,
has neat portico il. front. The one in
Fermanagh was built for a new school,
now known as the tuba school The
locations are about as good as could be
obtained. and the grounds only need to
be neatly fenced and planted with uees
te make them very pleasant places.
The Boards of Directors deserve much
credit for the sare they took and the
taste displayed in the erection of these
houses. Three new houses are now
under contract, to be ready for the
cof,ikg term. There are still about
twenty FIVE that should give place TO
others. A large number need repair
ing aud researing. Houses should be
examined frequently, and furniture.
hiackboards, door. aud sindows put in
good order 1t would certainly be
good economy to do so. Ventilation
should receive more attention than II
does. Sumo houses are furnished with
vefy poor stoves, with too little heating
capacity, and the fuel supplied is not
always Of good qnali.y. EVery house
should have a cellar, or a building for
fuel
ScHooLs.-There are one hundred
and three schools IN the county Some
of them are quite sTali; others are
over crowded. Fifteen are graded,
but the number should be doubled
mere diG t(Nfldl sChOttS ttdt
have been graded long ago, and direc
tors and patrons would do Veil to turn
their attention to the subject at once.
No teacher can accomplish much in a
school of from 60 to 50 pupils. In
MANY schools the teachers are obliged
TO have too many Classes. ranging IN
pumber in some of she largest school,
fro,i twenty to thirty, the average not
being less than twenty fnur classes, and
the number Of reo,tatI"ns necessarily
ranging higher. Tie average time that
teacher can give TO each recitation
under such classification is very lin
Entirely 100 short 10 do effective
wcrk besides that he has not the time
that he shohl! have to assist and direct
his pupils in the preparation of their
lessons This can only be remadied by
T. proper grazing, and an Increase In the
teaching force. Sixty schools were
se.y weIi classified. Frequent changes
of teachers, the employment, of young
teachers whv have had no previous ex-
periente, want OF uniformity OF books.
and Irregalarity Of attendance, are all
hindersuces 10 progtess. The teacher.
were changed in eighty tso schools last
fall, and twent. -fohr we're empl"yrd
without any previous experience. The
books arc not uniform IN about 0ue
third of the sohoHl.i aud in a number
too many pupils are not arppll' d with
books as they sheuld be. Attendance
in majority of schools ras better last
winter than il was the previous winter,
reaching IN some as higl, as 80 per cent.
The average will be nr;h higher than
i, was year ago. Good pr"gTess was
made in aCout two thirds OF the schools.
in some middiiug, whist an few i, was
very apparent that the feathers bad
mistaken their calling. The Bible was
read in all the schools of the cuhntv.
TEACuERs-One hundred aud eight
teachers were emplo, ea-seventy -ni,e
males and thirty seven females. Our
teachers as body are progressive, and
are improving. Many Of them are very
efficieut workers Some are ,Jung aud
inexperienced Yet on the other hand
few who are older are very poorly quail
flied and have failed 10 profit by their
experience. Our corps of teachers last
winter was just as good as the county
could afford. We had not the material
from which to make any better selec
ton. Nearly all of them have read,
and some have very carefully studied,
one or more works on Theory of Teach
ing, and are readers o: the Pennsy IVA
Dia School journal. | am glad to bear
testimony to the good r,oraIs and moral
influence of a maj jsrity Of the teachers.
Yet il is to be regretted that few
we're employed last winter rhu are I
questionable in these respects. Good
moral character is the first r.quisite IN !
teacher, and 700 much care can not
be taken in scouting such TO reach our
SCHOOLS. One hundred and eighteen
teachers were examined, seventeen pub- !
iic, two special, and fur private exam
nations being held. The average
grade of provisional certificates Issued
Was 3 Most of the applicants had
made considerable preparation to NEE.
the examinations. Sixty directors and
many citizens attended the examIna-
tIons.
COUNTY INsTITUTE.-The County |
Insti,u;e convened III the Court House |
at Mrfil'ntown, on Monday, November
"a, 1873. The instructors and iectur
ers present We're Prof. W. w. Wood
ruff, Or. I. j. Griswuld, Prof. David
" ,lsor, and C. j. Arms. Esq. A num-
ber Of teachers took an active part.
The work done was of a practical char
acter Ninety i've OF the actual teach
ers were present few ab-enied ,hem
selves upon various pretexis l must
say for the teachers that they attended
uaIl A maturity nf ibe Loards of di- |