The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-12-11
Examination Day at the District School.

Examination Day at the District School.
q. Charles Francis Adams, Jr, in speak
ing of the 90 examinations - at the dis
trict school, says: 81. These eXamina-
tiOns were a study for the humOrist. A
day was publicly assigned for each
school, and on that day the children
were present in their best clothes; the
benches were crowded, and a tolerable
representation of parents and friends
occupied the vacant spaces of the room.
The committee sat upon the platform
in dignified silence, and the teacher
conducted the exercises over safe and
familiar ground to a triumphant con-
clusion in some peculiarly unnatural bit
of childish defamation. Then the
committee were asked to crafty the
children with few remarks, which, 1T is
commendatory character. The whole
thing was a sham. After it was over
the committee knew nothing more about
the school than they did before it began !;
and as for tests, there were. none"
Six years ago, however, a change was
introduced. The committee themselves
examined the scholars. g The result
was deplorable. The schools went to
pieces.' That is to say, the scholars who
reeited glibly by rOte could not apply
the rules which they repeated This
discovery led to a thorough reorganiZa-
ton of the system, and the result was
not only instruction which was both in
telligent and effective, but a method So
attractive that the 50 whining school,
bOy'' became a willing disciple. And
this was due to the selection of a SUI
perintendent who understood that teach
ing was a science, and who had careful
lv trained himself in it by study Of the
best foreign methods 1t is singular
that in the land of common schools it
should have been only recently discoy=
cred that teaching is q science for which
training. is as useful as Tor any other
With ruthless sincerity Mr.. Adams says
.s'Very much as Bentham defined a
Judge as : an advocate run to seed, the
ordinary Superintendent is apt to-be a
grammar-schOol teacher in a similar
Condition. Where he is not this, he is
usually some. retired clergyman or local
politician out of a job, who has no more
idea of the processes of mental develop
ment or the science of training than the
average school-master has of the object
of teaching English grammar. The
University of Michiga1bas recognized
the necessity of training by founding a
chair for teaching the science of teach
ing. 1t 75uaE ,G-a-t ~
Massachusetts is regarded as a model
commonwealth One-ffth of the entire
amount raised by taxation is expended
upon the common schools, and they are
supposed to be models. In many ways
they are admirable; but Mr.. Adams
holds that from the want of Il pervading
and intelligent direction of school eX-
penses some two millions of dollars a
year are wasted, and the chief defect
that he finds is the lack of trained super
intendency. A few citizens of his energy
and sagacity and public spirit, however,
would spur any community to necessary
reform. The.detailsa and statistics which
he gives about the Quincy schools are
worthy of careful study, and explain
their reputation among the schools OF
the Bay State.-HGrpeT''s AfagGzi71e Jor
| December