The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-09-06
TOO SMART TO TEACH.

Meme can boast of number of good
teachers, progressive and ever abreast
with the times. There are also number
from that portion of the county who have
examined their own attachments with
such satisfaction that conceit has partially
deprived them of good sense. In that
neighborhood are several young men
who within the last three years have
never attended an institute or teachers
meeting. They do not seem to be aware
of their shortcomings, and school-boards
are 50 negligent of their duties as to en-
ploy these quasi-teachers, knowing their
distaste for school work as evidenced by
their carefully absenting themselves
from educational meetings. If princi
pals of graded schools, graduates of the
state university, of colleges and normal
schools, and holders of state certificates
find it to their advantage to attend in
stitutes, those teachers who tremble at the
approach of an examination, whose evil
dence of scholarship is 3rd grade GER
tificate, whose voucher for skill as
teachers is the fact that they have taught
school, may find that they have not SO
thoroughly drained all the sources of
knowledge that attendance at an insti-
tute is loss of time.
Will district boards so far recognize
their duties as to inquire of their teach
ers when they attended an institute or
teachers meeting2 Will they take so
much interest in educational matters as
to visit the schools held by these young
men and ascertain just how much they
know of that course of study which has
received the attention for years of the
best educational talent in the state2 just
test these fippant young men who seem
to have grown in knowledge by virtue of
3rd grade certificate until they have
outstripped the leaders of the state and
are above and beyond the need of help.
A number of these young men as
sembled at a saloon in Meme lately,
these teachers who have never been
present at teachers institute or teach
ers' meeting,-and proceeded to discuss
the worthlessness of Institutes and the
loss of time occasioned teachers by at
tendance upon them. While these young
fellows were thus decrying what is worthy
in their profession, other teachers from
that town were winning reputation in
the institute and gathering wisdom
But the callow youths were too learned
to need assistance. In their wisdom they
denounced as worthless that for which
is annually paid out thousands of dol
lars, and which is earnestly supported
by all the leading educational men of the
state. Will school boards that have en-
gagged these young men. learn anything
from the indifference they manifest to
educational progress? There is not one
of them who knows the first principles
of teaching, and it seems they are too
conceited to learn. Some of the older
teachers, those who have been ever
faithful in attendance, were given to I'M
derstand that their absence would be
readily excused this year, and the insti-
tute was managed solely with view to
benefit such teachers as those who for
mulated their views at Meme on Sun
day in public house, teachers who
need instruction in methods in order
to be able to earn, approximately, the
salary they never fail to draw. Prom
almost every portion Of tie county the
inexperienced teachers came, and readi-
ly acknowledging their deficiencies,
sought to remedy them. But the teach
ers who found time to state their objec.
tons to institutes could not attend, and
the institute was spoken of in spirit of
coarseness which is indicative of a moral
tone too low for the school room.
These young men know too much to
teach school; they should seek employ
ment in some field whose riches they
have not yet exhausted, whose secrets
they have not mastered. Entertaining
such sentiments it is better to securely
lock the school house door on the day
the term is to open unless the services
of some teacher can be secured who is
willing to admit there is something he
can learn, and who tries to learn Il.