Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-09-09

One Of the most demoraIizing infiu.
ences to our public schools is lack OF
system. It is practical suicide to I'm.
dertake to run an institution of equal
magnitude to our public school system
without having some laws of a gener-
al character by which the teachers OF
the different parts of the county may
be governed. Neither of US knows
| what the other is doing.
There is not a teacher in Iron county
knows how 1 teach arithmetic. I can
not claim that there is teacher in the
county with whose way of teaching
grammar I am familiar.
What can we, as teachers, expect to
accomplish under such an administra-
ton?
We are changing from one place to
another almost yearly.
We spend fully half of the school
term in doing what our predecessor did
and then we, perhaps, implant no bet
ter ideas than was inculcated by him.
Mr.. A. teaches four months school;
next year Mr.. B. comes along and takes
the same school for the same term. Mr..
B. spends two months of the term in
doing what Mr.. A. did. Now the
school stands just where Mr.. A. found
it and only two months left for Mr.. B.
to raise the standard of the school, and
he will use these two months in teach
ing according to his peculiar ideas and
perhaps no better than those he has
spent halt of the school term uproot-
ing.
The third year Mr.. c. comes along.
He conducts matters as Mr.. B. did
taking half of the term unravelling
what his predecessors taught; at the
middle of the third term the school
stands where Mr.. A. found it. In like
manner this method works it's way on
down, and at the middle of Mr.. rs.
term, the schoo is just where Mr.. A
took it. This kind of work is what we
call our public school system. We
have public schools, but we have no
public school system.
The system upon which the business
of the Iron Mountain r. r. is based is
not as extensive as that of our public
schools, yetitis so perfect that an agen.
from one station can go to an other
and go right to work where the other
left off 1t is true there might be more
Or less business at the one than at the |
other, but it is done precisely on the
same plan, SO perfect is the system.
I believe that the State superintend |
ent should adopt some method of teach
ing, and the counties be allowed the |
privilege of electing superintendent
Of public schools and pay him a salary.
Let this county superintendent take
the methods adopted by State superin-
.endent and go all over the county and
them in the schools, and then
in my opinion we would have public
school system.
The way public schools are conduct
ed now l don't wonder at the tax-pay-
er for grumbling. He is compelled to
invest money at large per cent. dis
count.
The average teacher thinks it strange
that some individuals complain about
school tax. I don't blame them. III
we will go to work and build up the
schools like they ought to be, this COM
plant about heavy school tax would
be thing of the past.
Should this article portray the views
of the majority of the teachers Of the
county, we can not adopt it just now,
but do let us have an institute in which
we can all meet, get acquainted and ex-
change views, in regard to the best
methods of conducting our work.
Respectfully,
J. w. RAGLAND.