Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-01-02
County Supervision and the
Metric System.

County Examiners for common school
teachers, and was somewhat disappointed
in their perusal, becauseof the undue i'm
portanee given, especially TO the former,
as the eure-all for the shortcomings of
our .ungraded county. schools. 1 have.
been at some trouble for the last ten
years to institute comparisons between
the work of the ungraded schools of Fay
cite County, and the schools of Cincin-
natl; and the result has always been TO
the credit of the former, SO far as the act
nal amount of instruction impaired, and
proficiency of the pubils is concerned.
In graded schools, often, the smart and
energetic pupils are systematically curb
ed back, and compelled to wait on the
or the convenience of careless
teachers. a
am inclined to the opinion, that if
County Boards of Examiners, and those
who take some interest in common school
would exert themselves to
utilize and exhaust the means already
within their reach, for the elevation of
the standard of qualification and efffeien-
cy, in our teachers, we should not need
Superintendents. Weneed improvement
there. And first and foremost, we need
in our County Examin-
ers.
: According to common rumor, the
standard of qualification is determined,
too often, by merely technical informa-
ton, when it ought, rather, to be deter
mined by knowledge of principles, and
the ability to apply them to the actual
business of life. Let any one who doubts
it, examine the State Commissioners
Common School Report, as to the ques-
tions put to the teachers in the different
counties. Many of them most assuredly
appear somewhat trivial. do not wish
to utter word of disparagement con-
cerning our common school teachers as a
class. They are more capable and eff
cient than formerly; but they are just
what county examiners make them, or
require of them, and no more. There is
considerable room for improvement; and
if examiners would discharge their duties
like live business men, the farmers of
this county, especially the rising genera
ton, would derive greater benefits from
the enormous school tax levied. And
instead of squandering the school fund on
finer school houses, let the people also
stop that foodgate, and spend the money,
if we have it to spare, on better, and more
competent teachers. There are many
things that ought to be taught in our
common schools, that are never mem
toned there; for the reason that our
county examiners never require them of
our teachers. Their negligence and in
efficiency, as boards of examiners, have
been a terrible drawback on the educa-
.tior1al progress of our agricultural popu-
latlol know a number of teachers in
he are ambitious to excel in
their pf Sn They don t furnish the
article. ply because they find no de-
mand for it. Y gu ask how and in what
manner the examiners are responsible for
the defect. / will explain. This fall /
called at a country school in an adjoining
county and found the advanced class un-
able to read intelligently, portion of a
newspaper advertisement, 'Fthe field notes
of small farm;'' after close questioning
1 found that only one of eight or ten pu-
pills had the remotest conception of what
it meant, and he was unable to explain it.
Whose fault was it those children were
ignorant? Was it the teachers? No,
the county examiners of that county for.
had it been required of him, the teacher
would have qualified himself and taught
them, as he intimated at the time. In
less than an hour instructed that class
so that they were able not only to read
and understand the field notes, but also
tOdraw an approximately accurate plat
of that farm on the blackboard. Since
then called at several country schools
in Fayette County, and found the condi-
ton of the pupils just as bad, and the in
variable response of the teachers was, F'i
we were required te teach that, of course
we would prepare for it." insist tina
every farmers son and daughter ought
to be taught not only to read and under
stand the field notes of their father
farm, and draw an actual plat of tht
same, but also to calculate the area thereo
| by latitude and departure; any child wht
has the ability to go through the thirC
part of Arithmetic, can be taught to com
pute the area of any tract of land by lat
itude and departure, with the aid of
Traverse table. 1 have seen boys an
girls from fifteen to sixteen years of ag
learn it with ease.
/ The wants of Fayette require also, ths
the principles of leveling for drainage
and the methods of calculating the grade
of bitches should be taught in our countr
schools. A good knowledge of Arithme
tic only, would be sufficient for sue
computations. Again, elements of boo
keeping by single entry at least, ougt
to be taught in every country school, an
instructions in business correspondent
would be valuable addition to the ord
nary studies. do not mean to decry til
study of Algebra, Geometry and Trigt
nometry; not at all; but let us not owe
. look the unpleasant, but stubborn fac
D that the great majority of the childre
2 are compelled by their necessities to leaN
school before they arrive at the age
sixteen. There will be no trouble in ge
5 ting our teachers in line, if our examil
! ! ers will do their duty like business me-
/ and take the lead as they ought in direc
ing the education of the rising gener
ton into channels of practical utilit
2 If half the time that is generally spent
grammar grinding at our public school
was employed in teaching elocution, al
y the above branches, the next generate
would show a vast improvement on tt
present. With all due Difference to J.
: 1 would suggest that "the paramount e
ucational topic of the day in Ohio, - oug
10 to be, the most efficient method of di
charging the duties of county examiner
soas to give the children of the poor Il
10 best possible education their circuI
stances will permit. 1t is never too la
to try and do better. There is Meth