The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1874-09-10
educational.
THE PIKEVILLE sCHOoL-HIRING TEACH.
ERS BY THE YEAR-&C.

recent visit to the Pkeville School
exhibited in striking mannersthe wisdom of hir
ing teachers by the year and continuing the same
teacher from year to year. We found the School at
Pikeville presided over by Mr.. Peter Fisher who
has been employed by that district number of
work aid listened to the Rotations we had to
ackno Wedge that we had never seen this school in
as good worKing order as at the present visit and
after we left the school, and went jogging along
homeward, we could but conclude that it is wise
TO continue good teacher from term to term in
the same place. Schools should come to be
known by their teachers name. 1t Mr.. Fisher
il capable OF teaching one Of the best of schools
if he is capable of training pupils thoroughly and
of fitting them for the practical duties of life, he
should have the oppornity. If Miss Czanne has
demonstrated by years of practice that she Is
calculated to fill the teachers position with
credit to herself. honor to her calling, and profit
to those placed in her charge, then custom should
settle her in some location there to remain till the
seeds of truth and knowledge soWn by her appear
in the fruits of wisdom.
Isay custom should do this, for it is lamentable
TACT that, at present. custom does exactly the
opposite. 1t is the fault Of school boards ofteach
ers and Of society. Few of our teachers and those
are among the pest, ever aspire to anything so
high and noble as this. Few Of them perhaps,
feel themselves fitted to do so great work.
Too many are like the apprentice in shop, lodging
and changing from place to place, doing little
here and a little there, not daring to assume any
one position and be responsible for the work. He
who would open an academy in our county would
carefully select some favorable location and then
trust to the merits of his school IT, make its
infuece reach Outthrough the community and draw
patronage, aud it he were the right man in the
right place the longer he remained in that place
the greater would be his patronage. SO with the
common school teacher, after he has .demonstrat
ed his fitness for his vocation he ought to feel
sure that he will have permanent employment
There Is great surplus of tea hers and many of
them very poor ones, and this has tendency
towards this unsettled state of affairs.
love of change and variety is weakness Of
our day and society and this wide spread evil has
ITS influence among our schools Parents demand
change without good reasons. Even children
sit in judgment over the teacher and having found
her waning in their puerlle scales, report the
same to their dotlng parents who forthwith
raise the cry, "Our school amounts to nothing
He who thus condemns a teacher upon child's
Judgment and testimony has done an Unjust acs.
1t is now time Of year to hire teachers Tie first
and most important question is, Shall we not hire
70 year? AndtO this question let me answer yeS,
why? Because ia cheaper, You may take two OF the
best teachers, in the county.put one of them into
your school four months. then dismiss the first
and employ the other, who is just as good tie ach-
e.. but is stranger to your school, and from the
two teachers you cannot get more than two thirds
the instruction that you would have received had
you employed but the one teacher for the whole
time. There are some districts that are willing to
pay the highest wages to the best teacher for a
winter school and expect to balance their
expences by hiring very cheap teacher s, for the
plan and not one single instance can you show me
good school as the result Of such management
With no single exception, the schools of this coun
ty to-day, that are as good as we ought to expect,
are those, and those only, that have for years
hired teachers by the year. Nothing is palmer
than to see, that poor teacher following good
one, is worthless Do not think that because the
children who attend in the summer are small, that
'any body can teach them." Had they not
attended the winter school 1t might do, but hav
ing imbided the enthusiasm of the previous terms
work. do not now offer them husks. There are
young men and women in the county who would
like to follow teaching as business put can find
employment in the school room for the winter
months only, consequently they are quitting the
teachers ranks leaving them 10 be recruited with
beginners who are to grow in experience and share
the same fate. Let US look toward Germany anu
behold those gray haired sages engaged in teach
ing the young, Men who have grown gray, and at
the same, time wise in their profession. Let us
look to that country which leads Us in education,
and learn lesson. Let us learn that six or eight
years in the school room, as teacher, does not
necessarily make an "Old Maid out of q young
lady, but may, and ought to make teacher rich
in experience whose mind, replete with wisdom
CLEANED from tyears of labor, comprehends,
controls and guides the minds of her pupils
howard and upward to culture not attanable
Except when children are directed by those to
Whom years have given wisdom.