Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-11-16
nearing on The school RiII.

From our Dummerston Correspondent
The Vermont Watchman of Oct. 3lst has
a report Of the public hearing on the bill of
the school commission From the report
we learn that town superintendents have
become Improbable servants because their
work is not what it should he. They are
unreliable officers because certificates grant
ed by them cannot be relied upon as evi-
dence of ability to teach. They are unfit
for the performance of their delicate duties
because the office is subject To neighborhood,
social and personal influences. The school
law has become practically dead letter be-
cause Of their failure TO execute it. There
fore we may draw the conclusion that su
perintendents are responsible for all the
poor schools in Vermont Have committees.
teachers and parents nothing to do with the
work of iustructing the young For the
sake of making new school laws and hav
ing a new set of officers, it is convenient to
make scapegoats of town superintendents,
that they may bear all the iniquities of pru-
dental committees, incompetent teachers
and unasslsting parents out into the unin-
hahited wilderness Why. one of our own
former citizens is more generous than the
learned school commission He thinks that
poor schools are the work of "POpple su-
perintendeuts and hasswool schoolmarms.
lie is Of the opinion that school laws are be
ing 'tinkered' altogether too much The
way to have good schools is 10 demand good
teachers and accept none who are incompe-
tent. The supply will be in accordance
with the demand In what way can a
county supervisor tell good teacher better
than "A town superintendent can Who,
besides the commission, expects that Ger
tificate must affirm the ability of an in
structor to teach and govern well We
are in the possession of state county and
town certificates granted to us as licenses to
teach, hut they affirm nothing but the
scholarship and character of the holder.
That the office is subject to local neighbor
hood, social and personal influences cannot
be gainsaid, Our own experience in the
work of school supervision for nearly TWEEN
~ years atiirms that 1t is right to he in
dependent and thorough in the examination
of teachers but there is such IA thing as
too much Independence on the part of the
examiner. This reminds us of brother
superintendent, Rev. c. b Frenyear by
name, who was independent in his attempt
TO execute the school law to the very letter
and enforce all the regulations in regard to
examinations At his first meeting all the
teachers present failed 60 obtain certiii-
Gates. At the second meeting two or three
were licensed. Then the voice of the peo-
pie became loud against him. and third
meeting was called in which he let down
the regulations sufficiently 10 enable him to
license teachers enough for the schools of
his town. Did he fail to execute the law Z
Was it wise in him to "et down" little
from the standard, or did he assert too
much independence He did not exclaim
81 have sinned." Whether he failed TO ex
ecute the law or not, the voters of his town
did not fail 10 execute him by their votes
at the next annual March meeting To
avoid any further executions of that kind
the commission would have county super
vsors appointed by the governor that they
may be clad with shield TO protect them
from the arrows Of the avenging voters
In conclusion we remark that if new de
partuTe must be taken in school laws. let
the town system he adopted, DIN.