The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-09-15

ity for supervision, and is therefore in
possession of the substantial facts of
the school. Under this condition he
contended that the combined judg-
ment of teacher and principal ought to
be ground of promotion. This is to be
shared in by the superintendent as far
as he Is able to Judge from limited
knowledge. He thought it irrational
to fix certain standards to which all
should come.
The whole question is one of judg-
ment only. and the attitude of teacher
potency to decide; in the decision
everything should be considered; the
judgment should not be made until tho
evidence is in, although they are to
hold themselves open to make any adj
dtional investigation that may be de-
sired. Referring to examinations he
held:
/. That they should be frequent and
brief. He would limit them to an hour
and half at most.
9. He would not have the times or
subjects announced, but would have
them given without warning,-to be
gone through with as with any school
work.
8. He would have them thorough and
would criticise them vigorously.
4. He would regard them as exercises
in composition, as well as tests of
power and thoroughness.
5. He would alternate oral and
written examinations, expressing him
self strongly in favor of the value Of
oral work.
As to who should examine, he affirm
ed that primarily the teacher should do
this.
The principal or superintendent
should also:
/. Examine orally. 1t tends to
strengthen the work, indicate how it
ought to be done, reveal tie excellen-
cies and deficiencies of instruction.
2. He ought to submit to written
tests occasionally.
3. He ought to hand in suggestive
questions in advance for the teachers
guidance. The speaker deemed this
of more value than the examination
questions.
But whatever was done he affirmed
that the work of the school was best
advanced by the living, personal pres
ence of the principal and superintend-
ent, not only inspecting but examining,
developing. encouraging. He closed by
saying that "any method pursued may
be robbed of its value by a precise, un-
intelligent, and unconscientious appli-
cation to practice, and that any method,
almost, not radically wrong. may be
pursued with profit when in the hands
,NE safl lal
sympathetic people"
Supt. III. n. Mertz, of Steubenvillc,
in discussing this topic said: | believe
that the result of tests, submitted from
time to time during the year, by teach
ers, principals, or superintendent, or
by all of them, should be made part
of the basis of promotion. These tests
covering the ground the child has
gone over are certainly as reliable rs
the Judgments" of the teacher made
and recorded from time to time, which
are now SO much advocated in certain
quarters, rs 1.-the only safe and stable
basis" on which TO rest promotion.
These tests should be followed by n
final examination covering the whole
subjects studied during the term, and
the whole supplemented by the teach
ers' Judgment of the fitness of the pupil
TO undertake the work of the next
grade.
Now word about nervousness and
examining. | have not n particle of
sympathy with the notion that we
must not subject the child to anything
that will place him under the least
mental strain. that may make him ner-
To 80 bn
troll his nerves. 1t is a fault 0f our
modern education that it would re-
move every difficulty from the path of
the studcAt No real strength can be
thus obtained. The child should learn
to meet and overcome difficulties AS
to examining. word which is never
used except as term of reproach, i
believe something can be said in its
favor. The chief thing DR.. VIM. L.
Harris learned at Yale College. says n
recent writer in Education, was to
cram. And this ability to increase
mans working power for the time be-
ing he considers of much advantage to
one in after life" Every one engaged
in the work of life has ut times to con-
centrate his faculties upon some one
all-absorbing theme. In a certain way
that is what is done in examining.
Take the lawyer, doesn't he cram for
every important case he undertakesp
The successful man is not the one who
loses his head when the call for con-
centration of all the powers of mind
and body comes, but the one who can
call together those faculties and COM
pei them to attend to the question of
the hour, and can, If necessary, supple
ment present knowledge by cleaning
in the shortest possible time, from all
available sources, every fact that has
bearing on the question in hand. l
would not be understood rs advocating
examining as an educational diet, but
] do claim that it is not wholly vicious,
that the pupil is not always worse off
for having crammed. We must edu-
cate to meet the exigencies of life as
we'll as for the ordinary routine.
He Waufad II Efppur