Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-04-19
Examination OF Teachers.


efficiency of the common schools OF the state
is in the hands of the town superintendents'
BY provision of law the town superintend-
ents in each county as body constitute a
board in which is lodged the power to fix
the standard of qualifications of teachers.
At annual county meetings of these officials
a set of questions to be used in written ex-
animation of teachers is prepared. The per-
centage of correct answers which shall en-
title applicants to a certificate to teach is
established by this board, and to persons
who pass the prescribed examination salts
factorily the superintendent may grant a
certificate to teach in the public schools oil
the town, provided the candidate for peda-
gogic honors gives satisfactory evidence OF
good moral character and of capacity for |
the government and instruction of schools"
The difficult part of the task Of the con-
scientious superintendent in the examination |
of teachers is found in the latter specifca-
ton of his duties. Whether or not appli
cants correctly answer in writing required
percentage of previously arranged questions,
which have been put in type but which have
been, of course, scrupulously kept out of their
sight, is a mere technical matter. Whether
a person is or is not of good moral character
is question that is easily settled. The de-
cisive test of the efIicaciousness of the ex-
animation is in the discovery by the superin-
tendent of satisfactory evidence" that appli.
cants for license to teach have capacity for
the government and instruction OF schools
From indifference, or from habit OF going
through the business of examination in per-
functory manner, or from sheer inability on
the part of the superintendent to develop by
questioning or discover by intuition young
mans or woman's " capacity for the govern
ment and instruction of schools" this most
essential provision Of the law is practically
a dead letter. Answering satisfactorily
certain number of prearranged questions is
only incidental evidence Of the possession of
a certain amount of book knowledge. 1t is
not evidence of capacity for government and
instruction, and yet so far as the granting OF
certificates is predicated at all upon an ex-
animation it is true that they are given in the
great majority of cases on just this kind of
evidence. The weightier matters OF fitness
to govern and aptness to teach enter very
slightly if at all in the consideration of the
applicants qualifications for the work OF
teaching. To discover them, no printed
formula will avail. Judgment and penetra-
ton must be exercised even at the risk of
an occasional error in judgment. For the
latter human infrmity is responsible; for
the neglect of a plain duty under the law
superintendent cannot plead fear of mis-
Judgment In accepting the office of super
intendent they assume this responsibility
and it cannot be shirked. With the obser-
vance or disregard of this plain duty the
success or failure of many schools, the
profitable use or the squandering of the
school tax, is concerned. An applicant for
teachers certificate might answer without
flaw the entire list of printed questions,
might be impregnable in the knowledge of |
the books, and yet fail utterly in teaching |
while another, though he might fail in an
swering satisfactorily the requisite percent |
age of questions, but having capacity for |
government and instruction, would succeed |
brilliantly. Cases like these are not I'M
known to those who have had experience in
school management. The Importance Of an
intimate and practical knowledge of subjects
is not moderated. 1t is only desired that
the paramount Importance of other qualif-
cations be not Lost TO sight end to note tho
point that in the welded existence in an
applicant of real knowledge and capacity |
for instruction the judicious superintendent |
will seek the substantial grounds which |
shall highly justify the issuance of certif-
cate to teach.
The efficiency of the public schools de-
ponds largely upon the superintendent |
The point at which his most effective work |
is done and where moral courage surprising |
other qualifications is demanded is in the |
refusal of certificates to unworthy applicants |
The law of school supervision faithfully and |
fearlessly executed should give the state |
good schools Without a certificate no |
teacher can collect wages, and committee |
man employing teacher thus disqualified |
is liable to the district for moneys paid to a |
teacher who has not a certificate. Under |
the restrictions with which the law has
guarded the public schools teacher grossly
and VIGOROUSLY incompetent can obtain a
legal foothold in any school district only
through the indifference, the incompetency,
or the collision, of superintendent. The
habit of many towns of electing to the office
of superintendent persons VIGOROUSLY in
competent, or by summarily decapitating
the official who has had the moral courage
to do his duty faithfully and intelligently,
has fatally crippled the efficiency of the su-
pervising power; and the manner in which |
superintendent have obeyed or rather broken
the law fills the schools of the state with in
competent teachers and practically legalzes
inefficient instruction. The beginning of
this evil is at the examinations. We trust
that with the commencement of the school
year new era in school supervision will be-
gin; that all superintendent will set out
with the firm determination intelligently
and judiciously to do their whole official
duty to the schools. Especially should the
delusion be dispelled that most any one who
will work cheap enough will do to "keep"
the summer term of the schools in the out
lying farming districts. Superintendent
should not make themselves accomplices in
cheating the children who attend the sum-
mer schools in these districts. The smallest
and most insignificant school in the state is
not so insignificant that dummy may be
placed over it in summer or winter, under
the sanction of superintendent's certificate.
1t is not expected that the same degree OF
qualification will be insisted upon for one Of
these small schools as for the larger village
district, but qualifications the same in kind
must exist in the teacher-sufficient practi-
cal knowledge and an ascertained capacity
for government and instruction of schools
The superintendent in the approaching ex-
aminations should begin the work of reform
in these summer schools. Without fear or
favor, license only those undeniably qualified
to teach.
CHEAP PosTAGE.-The house of repre-
sentatives has indicated verv MAINLY that n