Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-12-27
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

~e "of'hy VI the serious consideration
OF The Legislature. To furnish 500
books Tor every school Of forty or tifty
pupils would cost the State, or the
counties and corporations, not less than
100000, If the books were all boupbt
IN one year. The annual cost AFTER.
wards would, Of course, be small:
To The Editor Of Dispatch:
~ behslfoi the public schools Of v;,.
gina address this communication n
you asking for it place in your excel.
lent paper.
! am heartily in favor Of free schools
Out am bitterly opposed TO manv things
al present in their government az are
louno IN connection with the country
schools u do not say CITY or town
schoois) Of Virginia. For example |
am an applicant for the position Of a
teacher IN the public schools. receive
eerthcate Of qualification then en-
Ter INTO an agreement with the board
oil trustees TO teach school which has
thirty or forty pupils in its community.
The printed contract is filled and agrees
TO pay me twenty-five dollars month
a month TO consist Of twenty DAYS. and
there shall be an average attendance
daily Of twenty scholars; but if there
shall be less than twenty scholars in
daily attendance, then am 10 receive
one dollar and ten cents pc, capita per
month.
This agreement is all right, if both
the board Of trustees and the teacher
voluntarily enter into it; and when
there are thirty or more pupils in
community a teacher would scarcely
lose in making such agreement.
The question arises to my mind,
Should the teacher be held responsible
Tor The n0n-dtfendaBce Of the pupils
HE teacher cannot compel parents to
SEND their children TO school, neither
can he control the elements. which often
prevent children from going miles
through rain and snow and mud and
sieet to school. But the larger ones
Will 60 and the teacher is also there.
and stands or sits, as the case NAV be.
through SIX and 4 half hours or more
with only ten or twelve boys. and it
counts for the teacher half a day.
Should not the board Of trustees, the
county superintendent, and also the
parents have something to bear in this
respect. and not throw the entire bur
den on the teacher:
In this district the board gives the
teachers q warrant on the county trea-
surer for full payment the first month.
whether the teacher has an average or
not. If the board has that right the
first month, why not the same right the
second month, the third, &C..
As the contract calls for an average
Gsily attendance OF twenty pupils. some
Of the teachers. if they have over TWEEN
ty. reserve all over that number and
carry to the next month. and then in
tie second months report place the
surplussge in the first months report
OF attendance If they have not the
amount ieQuiTed-yiz., twenty. This
they DO because. say they. the agree
ment is only for an average Of twenty
and as they draw their salary monthly
If they put down al over twenty they
will be the losers if other months
should fall short in the average. All
this NAV be true. but it does not Justify
any teacher in stating that five or more
scholars attending school the first
month came the second month when
they did not. 1t seems to me that
strict justice would give the teacher the
full amount Of salary il, at the end Of
the term, the term report would show
that there was an average attendance
daily Of twenty scholars.
/ a teacher has an average daily at
tendance o fifteen scholars for the
second month, his salary here will be
1880; or he must teach on till he
can have an average Of twenty. thus
tIespassing on his time 10 make twenty
DAYS: and in this way be might have TO
teach forty DAYS 10 make one month OF
twenty days by contract. This isgross
injustice to the teacher. Then, the
next month there is an average of
twenty-five or thirty, and behold, the
teacher is paid for twenty. Where IS
the Justice in this case: If sl.lu per
copifa is TO be deducted in one case.
why not add the same amount per cap
sfa when there is over an average j.
there any wrong here:
Such rules as we now have are CAL
culated TO make the teachers resort TO
dishonest practices in order to receive
their full paw. Instead Of this, there
fore. let the teachers have clear con-
science in this matter. and let that OBJ
uoxious AvERAGEofTwENTY be either
blotted out. or else let this RESPONSE
bility be borne by some others IN con-
uection with the teacher. God knows,
If the teacher does his duty. he has
trouble enough TO stand al day and
teach. even if it be no more sthan ten
scholars.
The teacher must say in his report
whether he eniorces rigidly the eighth
regulation. have doubts If majority
Of the teachers Of this county KNOW
what that regulation is. | know what
II is. and If the teachers should rgidly
enforce il, it would cut down the at
tendance still more. Yet. as the agree
uent bas been entered into, the teacher
should enforce it, even if it should dis
please parents by so dong.
But again must say that teacher
cannot compel the people TO send their
children TO school; neither can he, ana
ne ought not il be could. compel poor
people TO buy books for their children
Something, therefore, should be done TO
relieve The teacher Of this responsibility
DO YOU keep posted in your school
room the regulations Of the Board OF
Education concerning textbooks:
This is another query in the " Monthly
Report." / doubt il single teacher
does il. from the simple reason doubt
ia teacher has one. | have no doubt
hut that the teachers would keep them
if they had them; but where are the
teachers to get them, OF whose business
Is il TO furnish them:
Ths,a are some other things Wmch