Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-04-01
DunnnaerstOn,
DumnaeratOn,
ANOTHER STATEMENT FROM THE suPERNTEN-

A-A-@A--IANNRNH
ANOTHER STATEMENT FROM THE suPERNTEN-
DENT.
Possibly the time has arrived when the town SUI
perlntendent must write his report Of schools IN
son to hand II around among certain class Of young
teachers, who plead the sn Of ignorance concerning
the simplest school laws for their inspection and
rection, before he informs the public In regard 10 the
condition Of schools, which they have right to know
and whom the superintendent II obliged 10 inform.
Judging from the temper Of the teachers letter print
ed in The PHUEIx Of March 18, II might be inferred
she was inexperienced why single herself out, any
more than the teacher in No. or the one In No. 8,
West In the special reports made at the annual
March meeting, all the teachers named and their
work criticised, without the thought Of doing any
injustice yet this teacher has suspicion Of injury
and in Justice to herself and the district where she
taught takes the pen in defense Of illegal course
Of proceeding. The superintendent has been under
the Are Of tongue and pen before this instance, and
yet his duty must be performed regardless Of such
attacks. The expression that "the teacher not
properly licensed until she had taught nine weeks"
does not convey to the intelligent reader that she
not licensed at ALL neither Is IL an incorrect state
ment. She was not properly licensed to teach in
Dummerston until Feb 8. II ie not the practice Of
all teachers from Brattleboro TO do she dd-get
certificate there begin school In this town, aud say
nothing to the superintendent until too late to pre-
vent trouble for the district. Miss Kathan, young
teacher from that town. came aud got certificate
the law requires. Mr Whitman, before beginning his
school, wrote that be held state normal school
tcae, gave the date and stated where he was going
TO teach aud when his school would begin. How does
q teacher suppose a superintendent il going TO know
where she teaches and when her school will begin by
telling out Of the in which she teaches
All examination papers contain the questions: Where
do you expect to teach the coming term? when ia
the term to commence and how long IL It 10 continue
Upon the information the answers to these questions
give the superintendent hrranges the time for visit
ing the schools. This IS not the hrst instance OF
trouble in District Nc. /, West account Of the teach
ers not being properly licensed. The teacher who
taught in the summer Of 1879 not properly IL
oensed until the nth week Of her school, and the
ter term was heightened out two days in order that
the district might have 20 weeks Of legal schooling
and not lose the public money. There many
sharp threatenngs about NOT paying the teacher that
summer for the four weeks OF Illegal schooling. All
the serious trouble in town, the rast year, abo1t
schools occasioned by three teachers not being
properly licensed before beginning their schools The
teacher wrote 20 the superintendent, the says; but
not "again," as she claimsor, II she did, II not
sent TO this once. The following letter is the she
refers to:
"BRArrLEnoRo, W., Jan. %, 1881.
Mr.. Mansfield, Dear Sir. Not knowing until re-
Gently that IL is unlawful for 4 teacher to procure
certificate In one town and teach in another write
to ask II you will please be kind to transfer my
certificate, which procured in Bratteboro, TO Dunn
merson, II you think 1t is necessary did not think
IL necessary to pass another examination in Dummer
ston knowing that the questions alike
throughout the county. am teachingin District Ne.
l. Yours truly, Mona TAFT"
This letter Is introduced evidence in the case II
was written on Saturday, three weeks after the
eeiyed by the superintendent at his boArdng-plaee,
Feb sd. II does not read though the teacher had
when she wrote, no thought that all was not right"
II does not read though she had previously written
TO him. THE following Saturday again wrote him.
she Claims and the date Jan 49, answers TO her state
ment but only letter from her the superinten-
dent received by him. "Dut he did not answer
my letter" Did he not comply with the request
write her certificate aud date Fe 5th the earliest
opportunity he had for doinR7 She begs his par
don for not sending postage stamp which Of no
consequence and was not thought Of when tho letter
was read but fails to ask pardon for not sending in
the letter her Brattleboro certificate, which Of
much consequence TO him as evidence Of her scholar
ship and moral character. No certificate could be
sent in letter to her under the circumstances she
was stranger and had furnished no evidence Of seAo
Arship: II was necessary to withhold the certificate
until the school visited and evidence obtain
ed Of her qualifications for teaching. Her school
would have been visited for that purpose Feb ltth,
had not been Informed the day before that the teach
was sick aud school In session. Hence the
delay. Her certificate from BrAtteboro has not been
seen by the superintendent although It was called FOR
when her school visited She did have II with
her-owing, perhaps, to the 'sin Of ignorance" The
necessity for 1t, as evidence, was waived, new
ude TO him for It, says he said "As you have written
me, It is all right on your part" He has recoec-
ton of saying any such thing There was occasion
for such remark. She wrote in her letter she had
found out that II unlawful for her 10 do abe
had done 1t may be for the public good to state that
there s no such thing in law as transferring
dorsng teachers certificate. tSee Sec ~, Compiled
School Laws Of Vermontl Certificates may be
cepted as evidence Of scholarship and good moral
character, aud theybaye thus been used. In regard
to her willingness for second examination, she says
in her letter that ishe did not think II 40
II appears that she was her own judge in that matter
The superintendent did not suppose his visit made
'the last day Of school" Two persons at least, had
close. She asks, COud he not have enforced the law
when it would not have been loss to the district ~
That is where one Of the rigid points Of law comes
in, aud the teacher herself must answer its require
menis. She does not think that "lady Is required"
to know these things. The State Of Vermont thinks
differently, aud has had these very laws about which
Ignorance is claimed aud the neglect OF which caused
the district to lose its public money, printed on the
second page Of the school register which this teacher
and all others have opportunity TO read daily while
ia the sehoolroom. It is not new law, for It was
made in 1878. d. l.. MANSFIELD, Supt.
linz .I,,.r. NG.I. 20,
have seen Rev. ID. L. Miller the BratteDoro supern-
tendent for the year 1850, and nd that he did not
license Miss Taft. He ascertEined however, from du-
peaes Of certificates left in his hands by Rev. w. H.
Collins who superintendent of schools for the
year 1879 that be granted Miss Taft certificate dated
Feb. %, $780, short time before the election Of his
successor Mr.. Miller The law 10 regard to the time
for which a teacher is licensed is this: each town
superintendent shall hold two public examinations Of
teachers annually in the months of April May aud
October or November Said public examinations
shall be held in all the towns in the county on the
same day, aud all certificates granted by super
iutendents shall be good till the FIRST day Of June n
the calendar year next following the eIaminaton and
no longer" The examination referred TO in the last
caupe does not mean examination other than the
public examinations made in the months named in
the law. And no examination of teachers shall be
held at any other time or in any other manner except
in the discretion OF the superintendents and for the
accommodation Of teachers prevented by sickness or
other unavoidable circumstances from attending the
regular public examination. II would be strange in
deed Il teachers who avoid public could
get license for longer time than those who attend
the regular examinations. The law is not to be thus
construed therefore certificates granted by superin
tendents OF 1879 expired by limitation June l. 1880
and those for 1881 will expire June l. issa ItispIain
to be seen that the teacher in District No West had
NO legal certificate at the time she wrote to have
transferred, because the she had good until
June LIST, 1880, and no longer. d. LIN.
I'm the correspondence now published, we have
given both sides full hearing, aud think the matter
should be allowed to rest here, far as newspaper
discussion is ooneerned.-ED. PHGSIx.l
ANOTHER OLD RESIDENT GONE.