Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-04-19
EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT,
WM. ELDEN, Editor.

OF the examination OF teachers, says
When hire man to plow or NOW fol
me, | don't want any man to examine
him and see if he is competent; | car
tell that myself. Just let me see hin
strike out with the scythe," &c.
Now, such comparisons as this viii
never do. 1t may be fair to presume
that the man who plows in your field
one furrow well can prepare whole
prairie for the seeding. And if his ex.
perimental furrow be failure, no great
harm is done. An ugly line of grass
may spring up across the field, to be
sure, but few hours work with the
hoe will make all smooth again. But
it you have a valuable watch that needs
repairing, will you employ the first tin,
ker that comes along, and allow him to
work till he breaks ccy., or springs a
pinion, and not even inquire whether he
is able to pay for the watch if he ruins
it? Or if your leg must be amputated
will you employ the. first man who calls,
wood-cutter, or butcher, and allow
him to cut and saw till you see whether
he can do good job or not? You will
do no such foolish things. You will
take your watch to an established Jew
eler, to man who has suitable tools for
doing the work, knows how to use his
tools, and has, at the same time, a
knowledge of the mechanism of watch
es; and you will call to your assistance
a surgeon who knows all the tissues and
vessels and nerves that lie In the way of
the knife; and you will hold either of
them responsible that the work shall be
carefully and skillfully done.
Now, the jeweler and the surgeon
have spent long time in special prepa-
ration for their work, and yet they are
practically undergoing constant examin-
alton; so are men of all trades and pro-
fessions, and competition drives each to
do his best. compels every one to do
well or 60 to the wall But teaching is
made for the term monopoly in your
district. You set the teacher up in
business; you put him in charge of your
children. dearer to you than all other
earthly possessions. and you ask for
them discipline and culture. Will you
not then, inquire whether the person
who proposes to enter upon this work
has qualifications, natural and acquired,
that will insure his success? and de-
mand some assurance that he has these
before YOU commit to his care interests
of so great import to you and to society?
Or. will you choose a more practical
test. and so give him time to plant seeds
in the rich soil of the youthful mind.
and wait for those seeds to spring up
and bear fruit? Then, doubtless. you
will find it easy to determine the nature
Of the crop; but the summer is past,
and if the crop be tares. what will you
Go for wheat?
Now let us look at our correspon-
dents comparison from another stand
point, and perhaps we may like it better;
but we shall find that it will call for
more superintendents than even NJ S.
H. has asked for Let us suppose that
our correspondent is a practical farmer,
and is therefore competent to judge
what good plowing is. say therefore
competent: for. if he is not a farmer,
the chances are that he cannot tell
whether the plow should run shallow or
deep: whether the field should be plow-
ed around, or back -furrowed; in word,
whether the plowing is good, or merely
looks well. And, by the same rule, it
requires practical teacher to tell what
good teaching is; to determine whether
a given person will lead his pupils to
love knowledge, and help them to attain
thorough mental culture or will be a
stumbling block in their way, or de-
ceitful finger board pointing down paths
bcset with error. and that lead the too
confiding traveller into the wilderness of
doubt.
| say practical teacher can tell what
good teaching is But. if those who
wish to teach are not to be examined be-
fore entering upon their work, we must
have only practical teachers for school
directors. and when a new teacher is
hired, the director must accompany him
to the schoolroom and see what kind of
work he will do But not every furrow
in the field of mental culture is like the
first. 1t sometimes happens that a
person who can teach addition and sub
traction fairly does not understand frac
tions, or ratio, or discount, or mensura-
ten: so our directors must step in cv-
cry day to see whether each new subject
is properly handled. And what is true
of arithmetic is true of geography and
grammar and physiology and the rest.
SO our director may as well stay by and
be ready to dismiss his teacher, or help
him ii rough. when trouble comes.
But enough of this. The Importance
of determining, as far as may be, the fit
ness of man for any important trust
before con6ding it to him, has been ac-
knowledged from time immemorial, and
in proportion as the interests at stake
are great, thc Importance Of making no
mistake is apparent.
In future article we propose to con-
slider how teachers examinations should
be conducted, what they should attempt
to show and to what extent they should
be relied upon, as test of what a teacher
is likely to accomplish.
The school law has been 50 amended
that, after July 4, 1878 erery applicant
for certificate will be required to pay
a fee of one dollar. This will relieve
the County Superintendent of quite an
amount of work, for many who now at
tend the examination do so simply that
they may measure themselves from