Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-11-03

Dept. OF Free SCHOOLS
To County Superintendent:
To secure uniformity and efficiency
in conducting Teachers Institutes, pro-
vided for in the thirtieth section of the
School Law, the following suggestions
are respectfully submitted to the Coun-
ty Superintendenls:
The Institutes in the respective coun-
ties are TO be organized and conducted
by the County Superintendent in per-
son, or by some competent teacher
whom he shall appoint in his stead.
They are to be attended by all the
teachers in the county for eight days,
where the schools are taught tor four
months, and where the number OF
months taught is less than four, then
for as many as two days for every such
month.
The time and places for holding these
Institutes are left to the determination
of the County Superintendent. In ap-
pointing them, however, he should con
suit convenience and economy, and ar
range them for the best interests of the
teachers and the schools. With these
limitations, it would be best TO have but
one Institution in the county, with a
continuous session of eight days, or per
haps two sessions of four days each, and
at convenient intervals; but when the
teachers would be put to unwarranted
Inconvenience or expense III reaching
one place, two, or even greater num-
Der Of places, with sessions OF eight or
four DAYS each, may be designated, even
to one in each school district; but the
larger the number of teachers who can
be brou sht together for Institute teach
ing and training, the better. If many
Institutes are held in one county II will
be impracticable for the County Super
intendent to conduct them in person, or
to procure competent substitutes IL his
stead, aud they will be liable to degen-
crate into an idle formality. This
should be specially guarded against, and
the County Superintendent should make
it his supreme aim not onl y to secure a
full attendance of teachers, but to pro-
vide tor the most efficient organization
and conduct of this important element
in our school system. Oue-dav lnSti-
tutes will prove utterly worthless; in no
case ought the session to be less than
four days each.
The Institutes should be organized as
school every class that is taught in a
primary school should be formed and
recitations regularly heard in each, just
as in the daily routine of primary
school. The object should be both to
illustrate the methods of teaching and
to impart instruction on the subject
matter to be taught. The idea should
be to train the teachers in the art Of
teaching-to exemplity to them how to
handle the school, and every class in
the school. Lectures, discussions, etc,
should be provided for the evenings
The conductor of an Institute must
make and keep an accurate roll OF all
the teachers in the county, by districts,
with daily record of attendance, &c,
according to the blank form which will
be furnished for this purpose by the
State Superintendent. He will also
give to each teacher a certificate in the
form furnished, showing the number OF
full days he has attended and tor which
he was entitled to compensation from
the Board of his district. Boards of
Education should in all cases withhold
from the last months salary OF teacher
the pro rata required by law for non-at-
tendance which may be reported against
him by the County Superintendent.
Teachers must attend Institutes in
the county in which they teach, and at
the places designated by the County
Superintendent Attendance in another
county is not recognized by the law.
The County Superintendent should
give due and special notice to every
teacher in his county, of the times and
places of Institutes, require punctual
and regular attendance for the full time
OF every day, and note the percentage
of diligence in teachers respectively.
The discipline, order and instruction of
an Institute should be as rigid, regular
and thorough as in a school, both to
secure the benefits of the Institute and
as an example in method.
County Superiutendents should be
particular not to appoint Institutes to
be held on Saturdays, because teachers