Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-04-18
Examining Committees.
To the Editor of the HERALD:

-
surround them, nothing can be Of
greater in.,res. 10 parents, than the
thorougbness equired of their child.
rem by teachers. To secnre which
two very essential conditions are re-
CURED First: the room must be Quiet
orderly, cheerful and healthfu,; that
is the conditions necessary to sue.
cessful study must be secured. Too
much stress cannot be placed upon
this fact. There must also be thor
ough class drill, a proper method OF
imparting instruction, favorable
opportunity for the pupil 10 express
himself on the topic under consider
ton, and judicions means to draw
out his thoughts. 70 succeed in Ell
Their one of these particulars is com
paratively easy, but to combine them
and successfully prosecute them at
the same time is very different. This
is the most severe test of teaching
| ability; most any experienced toach-
er can with little difficulty secure a
quiet, orderly room, with favorable
conditions for study, if rot chilled
upon to conduct Rotations. 1t ia
equally easy 10 conduct recita tions
successfully when relieved from the
more trying duty of general SUPER
vision. However, il is a matter of
fact, that large proportion of the
teaching both in the country and in
graded schools, is and must be done
under the double pressure, and is for
that reason worthy the special at
tention of school officers and patrons.
consider it both pleasure and a
doty to place before the patrons and
Ulcers the desirability Of esta blish.
irg some method whereby the work
of each and every teacher connected
with our schools may be thoroughly
tested. Let competent, candid
committee, exclusive of teachers
and their influence be appointed and
let that committee take nothing for
granted, but make thorough COM
plete work every year and term. 1
would suggest to the committee not
TO confiDe their labors to the present
term or year, but test the WORK of
the past year also. This suggestion
is made with an earnest hope that it
will be acted upon /; not however be-
cause our schools are in special eed
OF it but because it is need Of all
schools.
The fact that pupils and visitors
ref ort favorably is not sufficient.
While such reports may be trust
worthy as to good order, they are
not equally so with respect to good
work, for The following reasons A
recitation may at any time be so
conducted as to appear favorable,
whether preparation on art of the
pupil be thorough or otherwise
There sre in every large class a mum.
Der of pupils who can always be re-
lied upon. There are others who
can repeat the language of the book
though they know little or nothing
Of its meaning. There is a sympathy
on the part OF the teacher for bis pu-
pile, which unconsciously, if not
guarded against, will result in the
asking of just such questions, and in
such a manner. that the pupil, as
matter of course, can answer. Ques-
tions may be so asked as to contain
their own answers, and frequently
visitors are highly delighted at the
readiness and thoroughness display
ed. Pupils share in the same and
indeed teachers often thus deceive
themselves. A teacher may do all
the reciting himself and serve his
pupils as if he ate their dinners for
them. On the other hand teacher
may call on q pupil simply because
the latter allows his attention to
wander, for the sole purpose of re.
storing it. He may put the question
in such shape that the language of
the book will not suffice, for the spe-
cial purpose Of causing the superficial
easily satisfied pupil to fail. Duty
may require him to give much at
tention to those who cannot recite
well and little to those who can. He
may sacrifice duty, the interests of
his school for the sake of show or he
may discord the latter and prove
true to the former. A teacher may
allow q class to absorb his entire at
tention, while the rest of bis school
is absorbing mischief and commo-
ton. Boisterous classes may recite
all the time precluding the possibiI-
ity of quiet study at any time. Let
not these statements be construed
into reflections upon our teachers.
Never has it been my privilege to
labor with workers more honest aud
faithful. The above however, are
possibilities which to a certain ex-
tent are found in the shape of real
tiles in all our schools.
Examining committees will not
prove panacea for all these evils,
but they will exert favorable influ-
ence. They will serve as constant
incentive to faithful, honest work on
the part OF teachers, moreover they
will in q degree counterfeit prejudi-
cal and false accusations. They will
serve as wholesome means between
indiscriminate wholesale fiattery and
senseless chronic grumbling.