Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-09-26
For the SPECTATOR.
Queries!-Our Public Schools.

For the SPECTATOR.
Queries!-Our Public Schools.
Now that we are enjoying comparative quiet
and rest from political agitation; now when II
cannot be claimed or suspected that any parti-
san ends or personal preferment are to be sub
served, 1t may not be untimely to submit. In
the interest of the general public q few queries
which, unsought and unlimited. have forced
themselves upon the minds of observing peo-
pie in different sections of the county.
Our Public School System. though it may be
claimed and ridden by aspiring men in differ
emit political parties. belongs alike to us all,
brings benefits or injury alike to us all; and
the following plain questions concerning it are
respectfully asked in the interest of us all. ig-
noring alike any and every peculiar claim that
may be set up to it by any particular party, be
it Democrat or Republican, Funder or Read
ulster, Radical or Conservative.
The System is big thing on our hands, and
we ought to understand 1t. 1t Is our privilege,
as citizens, to know 1t as whole, its laws, reg
ulations and results, and to become thoroughly
acquainted with its conduct and operations in
our midst, both general and minute; and this
privilege becomes a bounden duty in the case
of those who would either cordially accept or
condemn it. If it is a blessing. let us cherish
and support it, and not censure and cucumber
it with the management and faults of incom-
petent officials; but it it is fraud and failure
let us cripple and destroy it, and not endeavor
to shield its own inherent evils behind the
charge of inexperience and bad management
and thereby burden ourselves and do gross in
justice to worthy school officers.
It is with view, then, to this better under
standing of 1t, that we venture to dabble in the
| matter at all, entertaining, as we do, the most
| kindly regard for all the officials of whom we
have any personal knowledge. And whatever
of criticism may appear in this article relates
particularly to the operation of our village and
country schools only because it is there that we
have had the opportunity of observing them
and of gathering some personal experience.
And now. begging pardon for such lengthy
preliminary. we proceed to inquire:
Ist Are the schools OF our county better or
more efficient now than they were two or three
| or five years ago? And If not, why not?
| End. Are we encouraging and employing q
decidedly improved class of teachers? Are the
schools running longer? And do they give
| more satisfaction to patrons and people? And
| If not, why not?
| We we're told to encourage and be patient
under the promise of Improvement, with in
creased experience, funds, and facilities
a3rd. And now, with the increase of these
three essentials, (viz., experience. funds, and
facilitiesD is not the reverse really the truth?
| And If SO. why?
| Let us see. AS far back as five or six years
ago, there were not less than four. perhaps
| more, real graded schools. with from three to
five teachers and at least one hundred pupils
each, in successful operation in the county.
/ If we are not mistaken there were not less than
this number of fourishing graded schools at
| any time since about 1878 or 1874, excepting
perhaps i'll the year 1873, when. as is well
known, nearly all the schools here, as else
where throughout the State. were, for good
| reasons, temporarily suspended. What, we ask,
has become of these excellent schools7 We were
| told that il an effort were once made to set
| them on foot SO satisfactory would he their re-
suits, that, after the first year, they would run
almost of themselves, without any special ex-
ertion for their continuance. They were. we
learn, with one or two exceptions, aided at the
start by an appropriation OF $500 of Peabody
money, and they did continue session after
session most satisfactorily and successfully.
But we respectfully repeat the inquiry. where
are they now? We would like to name the
locations and Principals of them. They werea
credit, an honor to any county or community.
But not one of them is in operation; nor is any
thing approximating to them, Ia the way OF
public schools, in existence now within the
limits OF the county. AT the sites of two of
them are flourshng private schools, one of
| these taught by the skiliul ard efficient for
mer Principal OF the graded school at that
point; the Principals of the othersN~all expe-
rienced Observation-Disclosures and una1ded
by the necessary funds and support from the
county officials having either retired from the
profession or gone elsewhere. The buildings,
moreover, at these places~-as were some others
at other villages in the county-were erected.
we understand, at an extra cost for the special
purpose OF graded schools; and they are now
occupied by small or languishing double
| schools, under the charge of young and mex
perienced teachers. and under contract for five
or six months-whereas the graded schools al
ways ran from eight to ten months in the year.
What are We to think of this? Were the State
Superintendent to visit the county now with a.
view to see how his schools are working, we
suppose his first inquiry would be after the
| large graded schools at the prominent villages
of the county, and what would be his judg-
| ment in the matter we wouder. 1t is true.
quite a cumbersome nine ar ten schools of
the county-are reported to him as graded"
schools. But are they sure enough graded
schools? Ask the community in which they
exist? Ask the teachers of these schools them
selves II they regard them as graded schools.
Ask them If they think they approximate to
or have a single characteristic feature of
graded school! That will settle the question
| should any question, in the case of some indi-
vidual, arise. OF course, we don't mean to in
innate that they we're reported as such with
| the intention to deceive, or with any unworthy
motive. If we would undertake to explain at
| all, we would say, that having had graded
| schools at these places formerly, the habit of
reporting them, and other schools Of more
than one teacher as graded schools" has been
| Inadvertently pursued. But surely it is a mis-
homer. to say the very least. If these be facts
with regard to the graded schools (so-called),
what is to be said OF the common schools of the
| county? Are they alive, efficient, and flour
| ishing? Or are they unsatisfactory. inefficient.
and languishing? Are they improving In
thoroughness, length Of term. and popular IA
vor? Or is the reverse of this true? And If
so, why? We repeat the interrogatory. aohys
Can it be due to a detective system? Or is 1t
the result of the mismanagement and incom-
potency of officials?
We have good reasons for believing that the
| former is not the case; but to set forth these
reasons now would require more time and
| space than can be given to this communities
| ton. They may be elaborated hereafter. 1t
may be stated briefly, however, in addition to
other and perhaps atronger reasons, that If
| such were the case, the same results could and
| would be seen all over the State. But this is
not So The public schools, not only in the
towns and cities, but in all other sections of
Virginia, are conducted under exactly the
same law and system as that under which onrs
| here are operated. 1t cannot then be the sys-
tenn, because 1t is precisely the same that gives
SO much satisfaction In other places. Why,
| then, can we not have the same or similar
| results? To answer this. we are forced to
| the alternate conclusion, VIZ: that the fault
| must lie in mismanagemeut on the part of
| some of our officials, Who are they? And
| upon which of them can we saddle this re-
| sponsibility? It will not do to lay the
blame at the door of our teachers as class
for whilst-as in all professions-there are
| some very poor ones, there are many. very
many, excellent ones, of large experience and
good scholarship, who only need to be property
located, reasonably encouraged. and fairly treat
ed. in order to do first class work in the COM
munity. Neither will 1t be just or right to put
the responsibility of these things upon our
1 nfxyo rio for A