The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-06-30
OUR SCHOOLS.

My good natured obituary of the Port
Teachers Association,-it was intended at
last to be good natured, has served as a
hang an attack upon the school manage
ment Of the county. While disposed to
indulge i'll little quite fun at the expense
OF those teachers, myself included, who
have permitted its death, nothing was
further from my design than to furnish a
text for general attack upon the admins
traiion of our school affairs.
There seems to be a disposition to in
dulge in a series of petty thrusts at the
school officials with which | am getting
tired; | speak for myself. This fault finder
wants better teachers. | am aware of but
one way of getting them-pay better
salaries.
As to those boys and girls in their teens
who get into our schools, he will have to
search the county pretty closely to find
them. There may be three or four en-
ployed as assistants who are under 90.
doubt it if there is any one employed as
principal under that age. A majority
of the present teachers have been in the
schools for from five to ten years and many
longer. Unless we allow some new begin
ners to enter it would be hard to keep the
to see the analogy between a new teacher
and young lawyer. You expect young
teacher to teach as many hours as an old
one, and find fault if he does not do it as
efficiently as an older one. Expecting the
same work from him, am at loss to see
upon what theory you can justify paying
half wages. The young lawyer were he to
do the same work as older one would
expect the same pay. AS matter of fact
some of our younger teachers are among
the best. There is always lack of ex-
perienced and qualified teachers" With
from two to ten applications for every va
cant place this sounds strangely.
much money is needlessly and reck-
lessly SPENT This is a square charge
against the financial management Let us
have the specifications To me it sounds
very much like ''Cousin Sues" charge
that the President of the School Board
| was midnight assassin of woman's repu-
tation, as both reckless and irresponsible.
| The most frequent complaint l hear is that
one of the Commissioners carried economy
to the verge edge of meanness and that the
other two catch little of his disease.
AS to the Associations, as a rule the
most popular teachers with the public are
those who ignor them most thoroughly,
and do not believe myself that attendance
on the Associations is a test of efficiency.
viii those who wish to attack the schools
in the future tell us what they are striking
| at? General, indefinite charges are not
enough. While l have little sympathy
with the ideas of the members of the
school. Board in many things, do not like
to see faithful officers attacked toithout a
Cause.
That the present school Board is doing
all they can with the means at their dis
posal is not an open question. They have
a corps of teachers of whom Cecil can
afford to be proud. they have given Elkton,
North East, and Port Deposit comfortable
school houses where they found none worth
the name, and have done something toward
supplying those needed in the country.
Laboring as the great mass of the pub
lie believe them to be doing honestly and
efficiently it is more appropriate to bid
them "God speed" than to indulge in at
lacks alike reckless and untrue.
J. A. CALHOUN.