Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-10-09
School Interests.
BY PROF. WIN GERHARDT, D. D
No. MY RESIGNATION.

Having retired from active school
work in the city, but being still in
terested in the advancement and
prosperity of our public schools,
desire as a retired teacher, and as q
citizen always Identified with the
enterprises of our city and county,
through the medium ofour excellent
papers, to furnish an occasional ar
ticle on such subjects pertaining to
schools as may suggest themselves
to my mind, and be Of interest to
teachers, pupils and patrons,and the
public in general.
My first contribution-My Resig-
nation-will necessarily partake of a
personal character The reasons for
my retirement are given in my COM
munication as presented to the
Board of Education and as publish
ed in our city papers but as may
be misunderstood by some and mis-
represented by others, | deem it
necessary for their proper under
standing, and in justice to myself to
give more expanded statement of
the matter by directing attention to
the true causes underlying that rea-
son. | ask careful, candid hear
ing, and just and righteous jud ge-
ment of the whole matter.
| have been Principal of the High
School and Superintendent Of the
city schools six years, and it will be
essential for my present purpose to
give q statement of the status of that
school, more particularly of the
Principals department, and the mag
nitude of the labor it imposes. The
course of the High School is five
years under the present arrangement.
There have been, with the exception
of the last year only four teachers,
as there are only four rooms, so that
the pupils taking a full course for
graduation, must spend the last two
years in the Principals room. The
studies accumulate and rise from
grade to grade as the pupils ad
vance; and while in each of the
three rooms there is but one grade,
Their are always two in the Principals
room, and the studies are of such
character as to require more time
ior recitations and class instruction,
tnan any class in the whole range
of graded work.
1 give here list of the branches
taught and the number of classes
that must be heard by the principal
alone: 2 classes in Arithmetic, in
Algebra, in Natural Philosophy, 3
in Latin, in German, in English
Grammar, in Physiology, ! in As
tronomy, l in English History, in
Rhetoric, in Book Keeping and /
in Spelling besides composition
and defamation once week. The
sum of this is, IL branches and 18
classes. To this must be added the
general oversight and discipline of
the whole school To visit the Ward
Schools the Principals classes had
to be dismissed.
All this work had to be done by
one man. leave it to any reasona-
BILE person to judge whether the bur-
den thus imposed was not enough to
break down and wear out even
younger man than myself
In view of the gravity of the posi-
ton, both as to the labor and re-
sponsibility | requested the Board of
Education last year to grant me an
assistant in the person of my son at
$45 month, offering my services as
Superintendent and responsible Prin.
cipal of the High School and instruc-
tor of some OF the higher classes at
$500 q year. As there appeared to
be some hesitancy on the part of
some of the members of the Board,